Danville Park Girls' High School in Durban North, KZN, was awarded first place at the National Water Explorer Awards event that was held on Thursday 3 September at the Durban Botanical Gardens. The Water Explorer programme is a two-year collaboration between the UK NGO Global Action Plan (GAP) and the international banking firm HSBC that aims to engage learners in eleven … [Read more...]
Recycling prize for textbooks and fixing classrooms
What would your school do with the prize money if you win the 2015 Schools Recycling Competition? ‘We will buy textbooks, and fix broken chairs, desks and windows at the schools.’ This shows that the learners from the schools in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, are motivated to improve their learning environment – and that recycling can make a difference at schools. The teachers … [Read more...]
Swapping plastic bottles for essential items helps community
The Rainbow Nation Recycling Club in Kini Bay outside Port Elizabeth is where the local children can exchange used PET bottles for credits. These can then be used to buy essentials and discounted day-to-day consumables from the swop shop. This little buy-back centre and a swop shop brings hope to the Clarendon Marine community. Early in June PETCO donated a 9 metre … [Read more...]
Youngster wins award for inventing oil spill detection device
An 18-year-old Indian-American boy has won the prestigious Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award in the US for inventing a device that quickly shuts down undersea oil spills. Karan Jerath of Friendswood, Texas, claimed the USD 50,000 top prize yesterday at this year's Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (IISEF). Jerath was also one of the five students selected … [Read more...]
Building a better future for under privileged schools
Cool upcycling projects brought home the value of waste in creative ways at Redhill school during a collaboration with Green Beings over 3 days. The initial workshop was supposed to be held at the Cosmo City schools, however due to the recent unrest in Cosmo City the workshops were conducted at Redhill school. Grade 10 learners built chairs from old tyres and 38 vegetable … [Read more...]
Rape trauma healing project returns to Cape Town
New research indicates that many rape traumas can be healed in only one day. A new project is happening in Cape Town this week only. Tuesday May 5th the second round of the research project “Healing Rape Traumas in One Day” is happening at the MediSpa, Kloof Street, Cape Town. The first round happened 6 years ago and since then the results have been analyzed and published. … [Read more...]
Brave women are changing our perspectives on rape
Shame is a big reason why women don’t reveal their experiences of sexual assault. Now some remarkable young women are breaking that mould. Women who have suffered a serious sexual assault sometimes feel as though they’ve been given a life sentence. The psychological effects can last for years, forcing victims to change their everyday routines and taking away their sense of … [Read more...]
Multi-faith organisation seeks youth ambassador
SAFCEI is a multi-faith organisation committed to increasing awareness, understanding and action-taking on environmental justice, sustainable living and climate change, by faith leaders and their communities throughout Southern Africa. They are seeking to appoint a dynamic young person, with excellent communication, networking and interpersonal skills and a passion for the … [Read more...]
11-year-old pledges vow of silence for climate action
I am writing to tell you about a brave 11-year-old boy named Itzcuauhtli (eat-squat-lee). I first saw him in videos with his brother Xiuhtezcatl (shoe-tez-cot), performing hip-hop inspired by their love for the Earth and their indigenous roots. In September, I had an opportunity to meet him at the People’s Climate March in New York City, and I was impressed by his passionate … [Read more...]
Youth take the floor to revolutionise climate debate
Young people are often the most passionate voices on climate change, and with reason – as the planet warms over the coming century, it is the future of the youngest at stake. As such, it is often youth that are the loudest and the most ambitious in calling for action, proving to be anything from serious combatants to potential allies to the politicians in charge. But do … [Read more...]
Technology driving young art in new project
When he was 18, the South African artist Bogosi Sekhukhuni sought out his father, whom he had never met, on Facebook. It didn’t go well. They had a terse and awkward online chat. Later, his father blocked him from contacting him on the site. Now 23, Mr. Sekhukhuni is using the experience for a new project: designing robot-generated imagined conversations between fathers and … [Read more...]
Greater support needed for SA’s youth orchestra
If president Jacob Zuma is truly interested in good stories about South Africa, he could do no better than encourage his Department of Arts and Culture to give greater support to the country’s fine youth orchestra, known by its acronym Miagi (Music is a Great Investment), which has just completed a stunningly successful month-long tour of Europe. The country’s image is … [Read more...]
Risk being seen in all your glory
"The effect you have on others is the most valuable currency there is." "Hope walks through the fire, faith leaps over it." So much wisdom emanated from one of this world's kings of comedy - Jim Carrey during his commencement address to the class of 2014 at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, IA recently. Watch this most inspiring address and "risk … [Read more...]
