As part of celebrating the actions of our youth towards a more sustainable South Africa, we are excited to launch our #WESSASquadGoals Competition for all schools across the country!! Great prizes up for grabs so share this far and wide.
Young Reporters from Jeppe High School for Girls, Mpontsheng Secondary School, Sandown High School and Jiyana Secondary School attended the circular economy and green business virtual workshop on the 19th and 20th of July 2021. The interactive session sparked conversations around green business in our local communities and how these businesses can benefit from embracing the circular economy. With that said the learners will head out into their communities to investigate green business opportunities in their respective communities. Look out for their stories which will be uploaded onto the YRE social media platforms! Thank you to all our participants. We will see you again soon!
Circular economy workshop held via Zoom with YRE members on the 20th of July 2021.
Circular Economy workshop held via Zoom with YRE members on the 19th of July 2021.
Young Reporters from Jeppe High School for Girls, Mponstsheng Secondary School, Sandown High School and Jiyana Secondary School attending the YRE virtual workshop.
SUSTAINABLE GARDENING AT TSHIMOLLO PRIMARY SCHOOL
The WESSA Eco-Schools team helped implement a food garden at Tshimollo Primary School back in February and it has been fulfilling to witness the success of the gardens growth and harvest throughout the year. It is exciting to see them starting the second phase of the garden, which means a larger harvest of vegetables for the school! The extraordinary effort that has been put into keeping the gardens at Tshimollo Primary sustainable is inspiring and we can’t wait to see what they do next!
The second phase of the garden at Tshimollo Primary School in Naledi, Pretoria
WASTE MANAGEMENT EFFORTS IN SASOLBURG
Five (5) SASOL Eco-Schools (Malakabeng Primary school, Bekezela Primary School, Leeuspruit Primary School, High Technical School Sasolburg and Cedar Secondary School) had their waste sorting bins installed as part of their waste management project, helping in addressing the challenge of litter around the school yards.
The bins are installed as part of their ongoing efforts to reduce littering hotspot areas such as playgrounds and eating areas.
Pictured here: recycling bins installation at Leeuspruit Primary School.
Recycling bins demonstration at Bekezela Primary School.
HTS Sasolburg High School at their newly set up recycling station.
EMPOWERING TEACHERS THROUGH THE KEEP IT COOL CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION (KIC: CCE) PROJECT
We are halfway into the Keep it Cool Climate Change Education Project which is unleashing the creativity of 200 educators (2 at 100 schools) for climate change education in classroom practice.
The KIC CCE Project is pioneering the need to strengthen teacher education and practice, with a particular focus in climate change concepts in the curriculum (CAPS). VVOB and GreenMatter in partnership with Fundisa for Change are the implementing partners of KIC: CCE. All partners have an interest in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and specifically climate change education as well as in the professional development of teachers and school leaders.
The KIC:CCE project has 4 main pillars:
Addressing climate change education (CCE) in education policy, guidelines and materials;
Overcoming the fragmentation of knowledge, policy and practice of CCE between key actors;
Implementing innovative, curriculum-aligned CCE projects, involving students and communities;
Collecting data on teacher professional development and implemented CCE projects for dissemination.
To date participating teachers in the Vhembe and Nelson Mandela Bay districts have completed the certified Fundisa for Change training sessions with the University of Venda and Rhodes University. Teachers in the Pinetown district started their training in the school holidays and are in the process of completing it with the University of KwaZulu Natal by the end of July.
WESSA and the Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education (CASME) play an important support and coaching role, post training, with the participating teachers and school leadership teams.
A majority of the teachers who have completed the training have commenced with the school community focused, curriculum-aligned climate change adaptation projects. We are very impressed with the action projects that teachers have championed at their school which address critical issues linked to climate change adaptation such as food security, water challenges and waste reduction and recycling. We look forward to more innovative and impactful projects in the new term.
Educators from Vhembe district in Limpopo showcasing their climate change mitigation action projects.
THE NYRI VIRTUAL SPACE
The WESSA + Activate Change Drivers implementing team hosted the 4th Virtual Workshop on the 25th and 26th of June 2021. The workshop was an all-participation workshop for 2 days to build on the training of the first three virtual workshops. This workshop focused on three key thematic areas, namely, leadership training through the lens of Journey Tools, identity, inclusivity, and social cohesion as well as exploring the leadership journey from engagement to action.
An online Zoom lounge was also hosted on the 12th of July 2021 where ambassadors reflected on the NYRI Journey, and being part of the ambassador network. The session provided the ambassadors with the space to share knowledge and experiences and reflect on their individual journeys. It focused on the highlights, challenges, and lessons from their experiences of being part of the NYRI Ambassador Network thus far.
The Zoom lounge discussions were insightful and continued into the online round table session which took place on the 23rd July. The WESSA + Activate Change Drivers implementing team are inspired to move forward with a growth mindset and we are excited to see what the ambassadors do next.
The NYRI online Zoom lounge facilitated by three youth ambassadors on the 12th July, 2021
MANDELA DAY CELEBRATIONS
We were excited to see some of our Eco-Schools celebrating Mandela Day on the 18th July!
Ridgeway Preparatory School hosted a virtual litter cleanup to get students involved in keeping our country clean! It was great to see students taking the initiative to clean up at home. Every small action counts towards a cleaner, safer South Africa!
Students at Ridgeway Preparatory School giving their 67 minutes for Mandela Day!
Kabega Primary School celebrated Mandela Day with a glass drive and collected 902kg of glass to be recycled! What an achievement!
Congratulations to both these schools and all the others that participated in Mandela Day. Keep up the great work and make every day a Mandela Day!
Pictured here: students at Kabega Primary School collecting glass for Mandela Day!
ECOTOURISM IN AUGUST
What can we do to help the ecotourism industry during Covid-19?
August is the month we celebrate ecotourism! Ecotourism is a form of sustainable tourism which aims to minimize the environmental impact that tourists can have on a particular place or community. It involves responsible travel, promotes conservation of indigenous wildlife and encourages engagement with local communities.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic it might seem difficult to support ecotourism right now but there is plenty that we can all do at home to support the industry. Check out the infographic on Ecotourism in August!
To see what WESSA does to support sustainable tourism, click here to check out our initiatives.
