“I have always been captivated by storytelling. The past week has been so inspiring and reignited that spark. Connecting with such incredible youth from various communities, and seeing the potential in them and the difference they are already making, has been truly amazing.” - Janique Oliver, Youth Board Member

We set off late Sunday morning with a quantum packed to the brim with filming equipment, camping gear and a considerable amount of padkos. Garden Route bound, there was much trepidation and excitement for the journey ahead. Our goal as the “Doccie Team” was to find willing participants and interview them for our Youth Documentary, to be filmed at various intervals throughout the year. The concept behind the documentary is to interview inspiring young people (under the age of 35) instigating positive change in their local communities, located within the five biosphere reserves of the Western Cape. We, as a Youth Board, aim to use the documentary as a means to celebrate the 50th anniversary of UNESCO’s MAB as well as encourage youth involvement within biosphere reserves.

Having zero filming experience, it’s safe to say I felt rather out of my depth when tasked with leading the Team. However little faith I had in myself, however, I had incredible confidence in the abilities of the rest of my team which consisted of two of the newest Youth Board members: Dean Jorgensen and Janique Oliver. Dean, our videographer, works as a videographer, photographer and website developer in both the tourism and social media sectors. Janique, our social media queen, has experience in content development and graphic design and currently works as the PR & Communications coordinator for our project partners, USIKO Stellenbosch. Between us, our little trio were eager to utilise our diverse skill sets to capture the optimism, fearlessness and resourcefulness of the young people living in our country’s biosphere reserves. Armed with back up SD cards, back up-back up SD cards, coffee and nervous-excitement, we ventured out to find our first stories.

The interviews took us to a wide variety of places and spaces in the Garden Route Biosphere, starting in George, moving on to the small villages of Great Brak River and Touwsranten and finally, spending some time in Stormsriver. While reflecting back on the day spent with our interviewees during the car trips home to our campsite, we would often come back to familiar thoughts and feelings. Although, physically drained from a long day shooting there was a deeper energy gained from every interaction we encountered. Each individual and their associated networks seemed to ooze an infectious passion, drive and hope for not only their own future but that of their communities and country too. As young people ourselves, we could also relate to the frustration and disillusionment felt at times since the outbreak of the pandemic. Despite our vastly different backgrounds, we shared similar anxieties but at the same time a greater optimism for our collective future.

We feel immensely privileged to have connected with these young people and look forward to linking up with youth located in the West Coast Biosphere Reserve, very soon. If you are a young person living in this area and would like to connect with us or have a recommendation, please do not hesitate to contact us on youth@capewinelands.co.za.

To find out more about the documentary visit our social media platforms on Instagram and Facebook where you can follow more behind the scene developments as they unfold over the coming months.

Capturing Footage

Interview in George

Team meeting

Tsitsikamma

Interviewing youth in Touwsranten

Since the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the world it has left many devastating impacts in its wake. Not least of which the loss of lives, livelihoods and normalcy. Perhaps the most disturbing, however, is the acceleration of global inequalities and the impact this has had on the digital divide and education. Nowhere is this more relevant than in South Africa. Our education system remains one largely characterized by poor educational facilities, overcrowded classrooms and where a student’s future will likely depend on their skin colour and zip code. Throw a global pandemic into the mix and these inequalities and deficiencies will only be compounded in the long-term.

The digital divide is in no way a new phenomenon. In fact, it has been steadily growing in South Africa and other developing nations for decades now. Less than 40 percent of South African households have regular access to the internet through at least one device. These figures drop considerably in poorer provinces like Limpopo where the number can drop to as low as 2 percent. After the national lockdown was imposed in late March this year, schools and universities were shut down, forcing millions of students to study from home. Some students were able to transition fairly comfortably to online learning, having access to the necessary resources, however, the vast majority were left disconnected. Without consistent access to the internet, data and devices, millions of students are unable to continue their learning progress. Some efforts were made to mitigate these effects. For example, telecommunications giants like Vodacom and MTN have introduced Zero-Data or free access on various learning portals and cutting mobile data prices to accommodate learners. However, these efforts are too little too late and fail to address the greater underlying issues.

In addition to this, the digitisation of education and the workplace has been fast tracked because of the pandemic. This rapid acceleration in technology means that future jobs and navigating through society in general, will require a high level of digital literacy. As it stands, the majority of our youth will be ill-equipped to keep up with these demands and fall further behind, becoming more marginalised in the process. Bridging this divide is certainly possible but it will require significant collaboration between government entities, the private sector and civil society in order to bring about the necessary change.

So what are we going to do about it?

Earlier this year, the CWBR introduced the Science Bus Project, in collaboration with Athénée Action Humanitaire. The idea behind this multi-purpose mobile education center was to provide educational support to children in remote areas lacking access to appropriate teaching infrastructure. Since its inception, a pandemic has devastated the world and in the background a group of young, impassioned South Africans mobilised to create a space for change. The CWBR Youth Board was formed in early August under the guidance of the CWBR team to create and implement innovative new sustainable development projects.

The Youth Board is very excited to announce that, together with USIKO Youth Organization, it will be spearheading the Science Bus Project. We hope to build on its previous vision, while placing a new primary focus on bridging the digital divide. Therefore, our aim is to inform, inspire and excite individuals and communities through hands-on learning experiences and empower them to navigate through the 21st century. Each learning experience will be curiosity-driven and geared towards student interests taking into account the four key skills for 21st century learning: creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. While no set lesson plan will exist some key topics to be explored will include information media and technology skills, environmental literacy and entrepreneurial skills. Rather than providing educational support the Science Bus aims to excite learning and help youth identify areas of interest as well as expose them to new technologies like drones, coding, film making software and so much more.

There can be no doubt that COVID -19 will have an unprecedented impact on our country’s most vulnerable youth. In these dark times we must act in ways that shine light on a better way forward. The Science Bus Project is just one of the ways the CWBR Youth Team is leading this change. Watch this space!

Mobile Education Workshops

Ongoing Collaborative Process

August 2020 Youth Board Workshop

October 2020 CWBR team, CWBR Youth Board, and USIKO

“Youth have the creativity, the potential and the capacity to make change happen – for themselves, for their communities, and for the rest of the world”.

 ~ UNESCO Website

In alignment with this UNESCO vision the CWBR has created a Youth Board represented by an enthusiastic and vibrant team … Watch this space!