Our official website www.playitforward.co.za will be live from 1 March 2010. Below is a summary of the campaign.

The promotion with heart

MySchool and Woolworths are launching one of the most exciting initiatives ever to hit the primary school playgrounds.  It’s called Play It Forward and this is what it means... Derived from the concept of “paying forward” an act of kindness (rather than paying back), Play It Forward invites 600 primary schools to participate in a promotion that will not only raise additional funds for education, but will also allow them to pass on their good fortune to a school in need.

PLAY IT FORWARD  is designed to increase the funds raised in benefit of your primary school, flame soccer fever between learners and allow the MySchool community to give back to a school or charity in need.

This is done through your supporters (parents, friends, family and old boys and girls) using their MySchool cards and linked Woolworths cards.  Driven by MySchool and supported by Woolworths, PLAY IT FORWARD will see 420 schools and their supporters across the country joining in the fun between 1 March and 30 May 2010 as part of the build up to the big Kick Off in June.

At the end of the campaign, the three top achieving schools will win R100 000 each! They too will be able to join in the fun and PLAY IT FORWARD by nominating an underprivileged school or organisation to receive a R50 000 donation, compliments of Woolworths and MySchool.
There will be weekly class prizes along the way, ensuring that there is something for all learners who participate.

PLAY IT FORWARD is designed to create maximum excitement around raising funds for your school and for this reason; it aims to include the entire school community, namely:  
• Parents, friends and extended families – by registering, linking their class codes and swiping their MySchool cards and Woolworths linked cards as much as possible.
• Learners and Teachers – through the BIG 5 PLAY IT FORWARD, break time activities to keep the momentum going and ensure your entire school community is united in a spirit of Playing it Forward to help their school.

Online platforms like Facebook and the PLAY IT FORWARD website will form a large part of the campaign, helping you to track where your school stands on the national rankings.   You can track PLAY IT FORWARD via facebook  – remember it is aimed at the kids – but you welcome to join and see what’s happening.

Who can participate?

Any MySchool or Woolworths card holder (that is linked to MySchool) will be able to participate in the promotion. Once the promotion is live (1 March 2010), people from across the country can register online, via the call centre or via SMS to support the school and class of their choice. Every time you make a purchase at Woolworths and use your card, you will be scoring Play It Forward Points for the class you have chosen.

How will the winning schools and classes be determined?

The winning primary schools will not be determined by how much their supporters spend. To make the competition fair, the winning schools will be identified based on a number of criteria. This includes the number of times their supporter's cards have been swiped at Woolworths stores, the number of items bought, and the number of different Woolworths stores visited.

Does your School want to participate?

We are mobilising parents, grandparents, extended family and friends to swipe their cards to raise additional funds for these primary schools across South Africa. We have invited all MySchool registered primary schools to participate, but only the first 600 to register will be accepted.

Sorry - School registrations have closed 31 December 2009.

Do you want to participate?

From 1 MARCH 2010 you will be able to register to participate. You will be able to link your MySchool or Woolworths card to the school and class of your choice from the list of registred primary schools. Please refer back to this website by 20 February 2010. The Play It Forward website will be launched on 1 March. In the meanwhile, stay in touch with MySchool via Twitter and through our website updates, or become a fan of the PLAY IT FORWARD Facebook page.  

In the mean while, please make sure you have a MySchool card, so that you can participate. (Apply here)

DOWNLOADS

Short PowerPoint presentation to schools and parents regarding Play It Forward

Play It Forward soccer skills ball - supporting the MySchool Street Children’s Fund

You can help MySchool and Woolworths make a meaningful difference in the lives of street children.

In conjunction with the Play It Forward campaign, we’re aiming to raise additional funds through the sale of specially designed soccer skills balls which will be sold exclusively at Woolworths. R5,00 from the sale of each of these balls will go to the newly established MySchool Street Children’s Fund. By July 2010, these funds will be distributed to five charitable organisations dedicated to the rehabilitation and re-integration of street children into family homes and our society. These organisations are iCare (KwaZulu-Natal), the Amy Biehl Foundation (Western Cape), and Jabulani Khakibos Kids and Kids Haven (Gauteng).

The special ‘Play It Forward’ skills balls will be available at participating Woolworths stores around the country from January 2010 and cost R39,95 each. Just think – every time you play with your skills ball, you can feel good knowing you’ve helped make a difference to South Africa’s street children.