Creating a bridge for community-based tourism and discourse across sides of the world’s foremost segregated and unequal society.
Through the following social ventures, we physically and digitally introduce Cape Town’s suburbs and the world at large to gifted people and important ideas from the city’s black and brown ghettos, known as townships.
tap a venture above to jump down to its section on the page
Meet inspiring community leaders of all stripes. Click a profile to discover their background, bookable experiences they lead, episodes featuring them, and more.
I build bridges of cooperation and collaboration between communities.
I provide services to the poor and vulnerable that the public and private sector are failing to.
I make statements about society that can’t adequately be put into words—with my paintbrush.
I sing truth, and it lands right in the hearts of listeners.
I am a voice for the voiceless.
I move stagnant economies and create scarcely-found jobs.
I do acts of service that bit by bit change the world.
I galvanize my people into a strong and unified force for good.
I sell innovative products that trump the old and broken ones out there.
Grapple with ideas — from ways to increase opportunity and reduce harm, to innovative solutions and fresh perspectives — that township communities are fired up about.
A YouTube channel and podcast enabling the world to access raw township stories, perspectives & reflections by coming along for Jason’s (un)learning journey living in the townships.
Aired episodes include vlogs, roundtable discussions, pedestrian surveys, local changemaker promos, and long-form discussions.
Volofu (pronounced vo-LOW-foo; meaning wolf 🐺 in IsiXhosa) is the moniker of South African-American Jason Woolf, who’s living in Langa township to have the conversations / drive the work that will enable development and improve race relations in SA at a time when its becoming more unequal and polarized.
A video production company with a mission to help tell valuable stories and showcase YOUR gift or offering to the world. How do we do this? Through:
◉ Talented Cameramen ◉ Multi-camera Livestreaming ◉ Modern Video Editing ◉ Video Podcast Production ◉ Drones, Gimbals, Cranes + ◉ Concept Development
Be it a short promotional video or a short documentary, a professionally produced comedy skit or a highlight reel, we’ve got you covered and at extremely competitive rates (since we are looking to expand our portfolio and gather client testimonials rapidly)
A true social enterprise model, paid videography jobs subsidise pro-bono videography jobs for financially challenged individuals most deserving of having their stories and offerings captured.
A tour operator introducing guests to community leaders in Cape Town’s lesser-known areas, notably the formerly segregated ghettos for black and brown people known as townships.
A fun community event, happening 5pm to sunset on Fridays* at Zone 16 park (Langa) that serves as a safe space for township children and an accessible opportunity for parent-child bonding.
Thanks to the help of a kind sponsor, in August 2021 we produced giant Chess/Draughts and Morabaraba boards on the park asphalt and heavy-duty rubber board game pieces.
Striving to get the community’s kids excited to play “mind sports,” the Park Jam initiative was born in association with Qula Kwedini Youth Initiatives.
The demand for additional activities in the park, not only for children, but also their parents, became apparent. Side by Side supplied soccer balls and basketballs; a PA system for music and wireless mics for Emcee hosting; a firepit for a dedicated “adult zone”; and equipment for open-air movie screenings after nightfall.
Side by Side is the sole sponsor of the Park Jam initiative at present, and additional sponsors are needed.
* Summer only (Oct.-Mar.). Please contact us beforehand to confirm Park Jam will run on a given Friday.
A joint social venture to change the lives of 22 vulnerable children from abusive and neglectful backgrounds.
In early 2021, two incredible individuals from St. Michael’s Spiritual Church in New York City committed to fundraise for the rebuild of Ithemba Labantwana Children’s Centre, a shoddy and cramped foster home housing 22 vulnerable children in Cape Town, South Africa. They were first introduced to the organisation on 20 Oct. 2019 through a Side by Side Experiences day-tour of Khayelitsha township, one experience within a Euphoria Travel arranged group tour of South Africa.
All parties involved deeply respect the incredible sacrifice and difference Ithemba Labantwana founder Ntombenkosi ‘Ma Ntombi’ Majaqulana has made for the children since 2002, and are involved on a completely not-for-profit, voluntary basis.
Moving from me to we. From America to South Africa. From town to township.
Side by Side Social Ventures was established in 2018 by American-born South African social entrepreneur, Jason ‘Volofu’ Woolf with the creation of its first venture, Side by Side Experiences.
Prior to, Woolf invested 8 years (age 17-25) into Umbiyozo, a film-project turned nonprofit organisation that sought to unite several dozens of independent cultural groups that offer song and dance to township youth as after-school activities– uniting them firstly into a film, and later into an association that provides a range of support services for them.
Through that experience, the most influential period was the 12 months (2014-15) Woolf spent living in Khayelitsha, Cape Town’s largest township (~2m. residents) in an effort to better understand Umbiyozo’s stakeholders and speak their language (IsiXhosa – Nelson Mandela’s 1st language).
The crucial lesson: “Me,” “my vision” and “my POV” is impotent, whereas “us,” “our shared vision” and “our points of view” are powerful.
Largely through happenstance Woolf got qualified as a tourist guide (2017) and Umbiyozo started to get enquiries requesting to visit the townships. In 2018 he worked closely with a Cape Town-based tour operator who then encouraged him to found his own tour operator.
Side by Side was conceived not merely as a “township tour” operator but as a bridge between Cape Town’s suburbs and the world at large on the one side, and the gifted people and important ideas from the townships on the other side – offering interactive “immersion tours” rather than “sightseeing tours”
Side by Side Experiences grew for 2.5 years until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and this offered Woolf the opportunity to start conceptualising a new social venture or two that could more effectively achieve the ‘bridge the gap’ mission at greater scale. The present-day influence and power of media (video in particular) became so apparent during the pandemic Woolf conceptualised Side by Side with Jason, a show/podcast to help ‘bridge the gap’ in viewers’ minds.
Realising the ‘talk’ would be hollow without the ‘walk,’ Woolf moved back into the townships—this time Langa (Cape Town’s oldest township), where Side by Side Experiences had operated most frequently.
As video content started to be produced, naturally the opportunity to produce videos for third parties (paying clients and sponsor-backed township residents/orgs) arose, and with it another venture: Side by Side Productions.
In the 2nd half of Woolf’s year in Langa, ‘Park Jam’ emerged as a charity initiative and a platform where Side by Side’s aspects converge: People from all walks of life coming together in common cause (in this case, investing in SA’s children and youth); Langa community leaders convening in one space and showcasing their brilliant gifts; creating video content that spotlights a wide variety of people’s voices and feelings toward building The New (post-Apartheid) South Africa.
Through community partnership and subcontracting all Side by Side social ventures operate professionally. However, their future growth depends on additional leadership coming on board. If you are looking for an entrepreneurial opportunity that also makes a difference, please do introduce yourself via the Contact section below!
