Our Mandela Day began with fabric, and one important question: how could we use the materials we work with every day to create something really meaningful?
The official Mandela Day call to action reminds us that “It is still in your hands” to make a difference. This year, the Synchron team took those words rather literally.
Our organising committee brought together staff members from across Synchron to identify organisations we wanted to support. Our team selected the three beneficiaries.
Alongside donations of food and clothing, we wanted to contribute something made by our own hands, using materials we know best. This led to the idea of making twiddle, or sensory blankets.
These tactile blankets incorporate different textures and interactive elements that invite touch, movement and exploration. We wanted the blankets to be more than colourful and well-intentioned. They needed to be thoughtfully made, keeping the people receiving them in mind.
Turning a good idea into a thoughtful one
We contacted Dr Dee Blackie for guidance. Dee is an anthropologist and community worker whose work spans child protection, neurodiversity and sensory engagement. She also developed The Sensory-Space at the Children’s Memorial Institute. Her advice helped us think more carefully about the materials, textures and elements added to each blanket.
The Synchron staff were then divided into teams and given the opportunity to bring their ideas to life. What followed was a combination of collaboration, creativity, problem-solving and, naturally, a little competition.
Every team approached the task differently. Fabrics, textures and interactive features were considered, tested and rearranged as the blankets began to take shape. Each one reflected the personalities of the people who made it, but they all shared the same purpose: to create something tactile, engaging and made with care.
A little friendly competition
Once the blankets were complete, Dee judged them and selected the design she felt was the most effective. There was a winning team, of course, but the judging became only a small part of the experience. Dee also spoke to our staff about the role that sensory environments can play in helping people engage with the world around them.
Her talk prompted plenty of questions and a conversation among the Synchron team. It gave everyone a better understanding of the thinking behind the project and reminded us that support starts with listening and learning.
Taking the project into our communities
We donated the blankets and other collected items to three organisations serving people in our broader community.
The Western Cape Cerebral Palsy Association received twiddle blankets and food, while Beaconvale Community Frail Care Centre in Mitchells Plain received blankets, food and clothing for its residents, including elderly people living with Alzheimer’s.
Food and clothing were also donated to Christine Revell Children’s Home, which provides care for babies and young children in need. Synchron staff members were invited to volunteer during the handovers, giving them the opportunity to complete the journey from making and collecting to personally delivering the donations.
It’s more than a single day
The real value of Mandela Day is what happens afterwards. For us, this project was about more than completing a once-off activity. It brought colleagues together in a different way, introduced us to people doing remarkable work and encouraged us to think creatively about how the resources already available to us could serve another purpose.
We are grateful to Dr Dee Blackie for sharing her time and knowledge, to every Synchron staff member who contributed, and to the three organisations that welcomed our teams and continue to care for people in their communities every day.
The project began with what we already had in our hands, and sometimes, that is exactly where making a meaningful difference starts.
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For Mandela Day, the Synchron team turned familiar fabrics into thoughtfully designed sensory blankets, combining creativity, expert guidance and community care. Together with donations of food and clothing, the handmade blankets supported three local organisations and showed how everyday resources can make a meaningful difference.
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