Uncategorized
By Zaheer Dockrat
For over four decades, Fashion World has been more than a fashion retailer. Since opening our doors in 1981, we have believed that our responsibility extends far beyond providing quality and affordable clothing.
We have always believed that a successful business should uplift the communities it serves, create opportunities where they are needed most, and leave a positive legacy for future generations.
Our purpose has always been rooted in people. Every store we open, every customer we serve, and every initiative we undertake is driven by the belief that meaningful impact begins with investing in individuals and empowering communities. While fashion remains at the heart of our business, people remain at the heart of our purpose.
AI and digital skills investment
As South Africa continues to embrace a rapidly evolving digital economy, we recognise that the greatest investment we can make is not only in products, but in people.
Today’s young generation will shape tomorrow’s workforce, businesses and innovations. Giving them access to technology, digital skills and entrepreneurial thinking is one of the most meaningful ways we can contribute to the country’s future.
This belief inspired our continued commitment to programmes that expose young South Africans to opportunities beyond the classroom.
Throughout 2026, our Local is Love campaign has reflected what we stand for, creating meaningful impact by investing in communities and empowering young people to realize their full potential.
As part of this commitment, we partnered with schools, education innovators, civil society organisations and leaders within the technology sector to deliver practical AI for Good digital skills programmes for high school learners.
On 16 June, Youth Day, 100 learners from five Soweto high schools came together for a full-day immersive workshop where they explored Artificial Intelligence, coding, digital innovation and entrepreneurship while addressing real challenges facing their communities.
For us, this was never simply about introducing technology. It was about creating access, building confidence and demonstrating that innovation belongs to every young South African, regardless of their background.
Having worked alongside communities for over forty years, we have seen how exposure creates confidence, confidence creates ambition, and ambition creates opportunity.
We believe businesses have an important role to play in opening these doors. By sharing knowledge, collaborating with educational partners and investing in future-focused learning, the private sector can become an active contributor to South Africa’s long-term development.
What AI for Good really means in education
The programme also raised an important question that continues to shape conversations globally:
What does “AI For Good” actually mean within the South African education landscape?
To explore this, we brought together learners, teachers, youth leaders and experts from education and technology for an intergenerational dialogue focused on practical learning.
Rather than simply discussing Artificial Intelligence, learners were encouraged to experience it firsthand – using AI tools to research ideas, solve community challenges, develop solutions and present their thinking with confidence.
We were honoured to welcome Dr Pali Lehohla, former Statistician General, as keynote speaker. Reflecting on the significance of Youth Day and the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto Uprising, he challenged learners to see data, technology and Artificial Intelligence as tools capable of transforming South Africa’s future.
He encouraged young people to become active creators of knowledge rather than passive consumers, reminding them that AI is ultimately built upon human contribution, collaboration and shared information.
Complementing the day’s practical workshops were immersive coding sessions, digital platform creation and entrepreneurship activities delivered alongside our valued partners.
Two collaborators who work directly with learners on the ground, Jenny Holyer of Ace Academy and Yazeed Osman of Liberation Hub, share their perspectives on what programmes like these mean for education and youth development in South Africa today.
Jenny Holyer: Using AI tools to create opportunity
Everyone has the potential to create meaningful change. Sometimes, all it takes is access to the right tools and the opportunity to use them.
Growing up as an orphan in a village where even running water was a luxury, taught me that resourcefulness is one of life’s greatest skills. That experience inspired me to create Ace Academy – the kind of learning environment I wish I had growing up.
On Youth Day, that vision came to life as learners from five high schools across Soweto came together to tackle real challenges in their communities. Working in teams, they identified local issues, debated ideas, challenged assumptions, and developed practical solutions.
Using Ace Academy’s AI-powered learning platform, built specifically for school learners, they accessed curated educational resources to research their ideas, create pitch decks, build websites, and confidently present their solutions.
Designed as a structured learning companion rather than a general Chabot, Ace kept learners focused on critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving.
As the day unfolded, one theme kept resurfacing: opportunity.
Many learners spoke about the limited resources available to them. I encouraged them not to focus on what they didn’t have, but on what they could build with what they did have.
Our goal wasn’t to provide every answer. It was to equip learners with the skills, confidence, and mindset to create opportunities for themselves and their communities.
I left them with one final thought: The greatest resource you’ll ever have is the ability to learn, adapt, and create.
Yazeed Osman: African youth must become creators of technology
The young people of 1976 fought for access to education because they understood that education creates opportunity. Today, our responsibility is to ensure that the next generation has access not only to education, but also to the technologies, digital skills, and entrepreneurial mindset that will shape the future.
Africa has the youngest population in the world, and that represents one of the greatest opportunities of our generation.
As a father of two young girls, I think often about the kind of Africa our children will inherit.
Technology and Artificial Intelligence are transforming every industry, but AI should never be something our young people fear. It should be something they understand, use responsibly, and ultimately help shape.
Our goal is to ensure African youth become creators of technology and solutions, not simply consumers of them.
That is why Liberation Hub exists – to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity through entrepreneurship, technology exposure, practical learning, and community partnerships.
The AI For Good workshop, made possible through Fashion World’s Local is Love initiative and supported by Google Developer Group Africa, demonstrates what becomes possible when business, education and communities unite behind a shared purpose.
Exposure creates confidence, and confidence creates opportunity.
My message to every learner was simple: stay curious, ask questions, solve problems, and never underestimate what is possible. The future belongs to those who prepare for it.
Fashion World and its partners will continue supporting programmes that provide practical opportunities in technology, entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the year, including new virtual learning experiences during Mandela Month and Women’s Month.
Zaheer Dockrat is COO of Fashion World ZA. Jenny Holyer is Co-founder of Ace Academy, and Yazeed Osman is Co-founder of Liberation Hub and Managing Partner of Usfl.Stoep.
The post OPINION| What AI for Good really means in education: Three perspectives appeared first on Inside Education..
