This month, the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve (CWBR) facilitators teamed up with the Mbeko Eco-Club, whose focus is outdoor environmental education with particular emphasis on evaluation of river health, the water cycle, and wastewater management. The NPO, founded in 2019, align their activities with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, with particular focus on goals 4, 6, 12, 13, and 17.

Twelve participants from the club and their facilitator, joined CWBR facilitators and overseas volunteers to venture into the back of the Berg Catchment area where they explored and saw first-hand the source of the Berg River.  A river which is a focal point of their environmental learning in Mbekweni and Paarl.

Before setting off for the hike, through a group activity led by the volunteers, the participants learned about maps, coordinates, and how to use a compass to navigate oneself in an area. After a competition to identify their whereabouts on the map using coordinates, the first winning team led the way into the catchment area. With binoculars and phones in hand to become Citizen Scientists. The group explored near and far while also taking photos of reptiles, insects, and plants that they found interesting. They even managed to capture a dragonfly on image!

Map activity

Edu Material

Using Coorinates

Stopping by the dam, the group discussed the vegetation in the area. The invasive species, the role of alien clearing, and the importance of sustaining Biodiversity. How a balanced and clean eco-system at the source, effects the river health downstream, and later the health of the ocean.

Further along the trail, the group identified varieties of Ericas, Aloes, and Restios and had a brief introduction to botany – touching on how plants are told apart and learned about fynbos. Thoughout the hike, there was a buzz of cross-cultural conversation sharing languages, taste in music, and experiences visiting and living in South Africa.  

Conversation

Sharing of knowledge

Using learned skills

Upon arrival at the CWBR Hub, the group found some shade, had lunch, and went onto learning about the Sustainable Development Goals when playing an interactive game that fostered discussion of what they understood about each goal and how it affected them as individuals.

Keep an eye on the CWBR iNaturalist page to see what the group discovered!

For youth month, the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve facilitators teamed up with partners and went out to communities and a local Franschhoek Highschool with the mobile educational unit. The versatile space has become a vehicle for implementation of exciting hands-on out of classroom learning, complementing the curriculum.

Career Opportunities and Support

A brainstorming workshop was held with Action Volunteers Africa [a non-profit organisation that empowers youth to be ready for the world of work] to implement their new initiative, the Mobile Career Café. This is a collaborative project with the CWBR. The purpose is to assist youth in how to be resourceful and identify opportunities/resources in their immediate community. This includes CV building, interview skills and preparing for the job interview, hands-on activities in the mobile education unit introducing youth to possible careers, and open discussion around different employment opportunities and careers.

The first event took place in Worcester on the 16th of June, Youth Day. Thirty-two young participants took part in the day.

The mobile unit, as the Career Café served as a space for exploring fields in conservation, agriculture, horticulture, and more through discussion with a CWBR facilitator. The participants were also encouraged to take a closer look at soil and the immediate life that calls it home through magnifying glasses. The participants were introduced to the rich life that soil can contain when cared for and how to work with it for a mutual nurturing relationship. 

Introduction to the days activities

Identifying resources that assist with employment

During an interview, a participant expressed that the Career Café Workshop helped him identify what a career is and what he would like to study one day.

Celebrating Youth Day with USIKO

The CWBR team joined USIKO Stellenbosch for the second event with the Jamestown community at the USIKO Hub for Youth Day celebrations. The CWBR facilitators discussed biodiversity, why it is important, the cycle of water, and the importance of man and nature living in harmony. The children were given the opportunity to look through a telescope and binoculars. A demonstration on how to fly a drone was also done, and a few children were lucky to operate the remote.

Franschhoek High

The CWBR in collaboration with USIKO Stellenbosch held a Workshop with psychology students from Stellenbosch University. The students were introduced to the unit and tried the activities showcased in the space including binoculars, telescopes, magnifying glasses and the mobile CWBR library. 

Teachers from schools within the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek areas also attended the Workshop, and as a result, the CWBR team was invited with the mobile unit to Franschhoek High for eight workshops spanning over two weeks, complementing the curriculum and sharing different perspectives about topics learned in class.

Students and the USIKO team trying out activities

Observing rich life that soil supports up close

The students rotated between three different stations which included:

River Health Learning to use minisass as a means to monitor the health of rivers. The students explored the biodiversity in the river next to the school, discovering it bursting with life and instilling the importance of looking after water sources and rivers. 

Learning about Minisass

Life supported by the river found by the students

Mobile Unit Understanding biodiversity, the man and biosphere programme, what does it mean, each individuals important role in looking after the environment, the role of recycling and how waste is managed and treated, as well as utilizing magnifying glasses, binoculars and telescopes. Many children and youth do not have the opportunity to see many places in the world. Through exposing the youth to different types of magnification they were reintroduced to their immediate surroundings, opening their eyes and perceptions.

The the mobile educational space

Curiosity and enthusiam for new experiences

Technology Introducing drone technology and having an open discussion about related careers available to flying drones, as well as the important role it has in monitoring and research in conservation. Discussion also included a broader outlook of technology available today from cellphone apps to space exploration. Each student was given the opportunity to operate the drone under controlled conditions.

The students giving each other support

Discovering talent for flying amongst the learners

These outings were made possible through the partnership with Athénée Action Humanitaire and contribution from the US Consulate.

While visiting Garden Route Biosphere Reserve last month, Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve facilitated a Science Day at Stormsriver Primary in the afternoon. Hands-on experiences were shared of flying a drone, evaluating the health of rivers using mini-sass, sharing how binoculars and telescopes work, as well as the tactile experiences of nature, and showcased small carnivorous plants!

Requested by a previous student, born and raised in Storms River, the day contributed to her Community Enrichment Programme. The purpose of the Programme, to excite and engage the children in the area to become curious and part-take in hands-on learning and nurture self-study.   

The Science Day at Stormsriver Primary was made possible through the partnership with Athénée Action Humanitaire and contribution from the US Consulate.

During the last week of February, nine team members from the CWBR joined ten from USIKO Stellenbosch at De Hoop Nature Reserve in a four-day team building workshop. USIKO have partnered up with the CWBR on the Science Bus Project and will use the trailer as a tool to facilitate youth empowerment and outdoor education workshops. Therefore, this trip was organised to gain better insight into each organisation, exchange knowledge, brainstorm ideas for workshop content and ultimately strengthen bonds between the two organisations.

The CWBR, together with De Hoop Collection guide Lizo Msululu [graduate of the FGASA & Life Skills Course run through the CWBR], guided the team on an exploration of the Rocky Shores.

Lizo presented a captivating, guided tour of the Rocky Shore, bringing the seemingly stagnant pools to life. Pointing out several threatened species, how certain species have adapted to this often unfavorable, harsh environment and explaining how the iconic white sand dunes form and reform over time. Although no whales were spotted during the trip – for which De Hoop is famed for- the team was treated to few dolphins playing in the waves below. 

Inland we were introduced and afforded the opportunity to walk along the RAMSAR protected Vlei, its significance is that thousands of birds species. Such as flamingos and pelicans visit this site yearly, having made seasonal stops at other such wetlands all over the world.

The experience left all participants in awe of the incredible wildlife and beauty of the marine reserve and inland wildlife. Highlighting the importance of a good guide and hands-on guiding experience to excite, spark curiosity and create a lasting memory to encourage further knowledge and skills seeking.   

L Willemse, who mentors and facilitates the CWBR run FGASA course spent the afternoon with the group spurring stimulating conversation and discussion about motivation, personal development, and how to transfer skills and share knowledge. More importunately, asking ‘who are we’ and ‘where are we going’, a question not so often asked by us as individuals as we get caught up in the mere doing of daily life.

The day ended with a short presentation given by L De Jager on her experience working with individuals with mental and physical disabilities through Care Career Connections (CCC), an organisation dedicated to equipping those with disabilities in the Cape Winelands area with the skills, training and support necessary to secure work in a profession the individual enjoys.  This amazing organisation was created and run by her mother, Ingrid De Jager. Her talk sparked interesting discussions surrounding the place of those with disabilities in society and the need for society to change in ways that are inclusive of disabilities.

On the third day the CWBR was given first-hand insight into the youth empowerment workshops run by USIKO when they demonstrated what a typical workshop would entail and look like. With focus on the four elements earth, air, water, fire, and time spent in nature individually to reflect on questions posed throughout the workshop. The CWBR’s participation in the activities gave insight to what USIKO offer to youth that often are misled and have few positive role models. An opportunity to be away from their norm and come out with a fresh perspective of who they are, where they are going, and possible opportunities. As well as the positive effect of stillness and quiet that comes with spending time in the natural environment, which is often an experience never had by many youths.

Since the development of the CWBR Science Bus Project in 2018, in collaboration with Athénée Action Humanitaire, the concept of the Science Bus has changed significantly over time. Originally, it aimed to educate disadvantaged youth living in remote local communities lacking access to sufficient resources and education, in STEM subjects. Since then, a whole global pandemic has hit and the way education and knowledge is shared with youth has had to change. The concept of the Science Bus has now evolved into a mobile educational space used to inform, inspire, and excite individuals and communities through hands-on learning experiences and empower them to navigate through the 21st century. The trailer is a highly multi-functional tool and along with serving and educational purpose will also be used to host CWBR-based events and capacitate income generating activities for the CWBR to become independent and self-sustainable.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with USIKO Stellenbosch and are excited to be working alongside them in making the Science Bus Project a reality. Stay tuned and follow us on this journey to creating better opportunities for youth to learn and be empowered.

For decades, the film making industry was dominated by professional filmmakers with big budgets and top-of-the-range gear. Consequently, it remained desperately out of reach for most amateurs lacking adequate funding and equipment to produce quality films. This changed with the rise of smartphone technology which presented a unique opportunity for amateur filmmakers to produce top quality films on incredibly low budgets. One of the first of these films to garner significant international attention was the critically acclaimed, Tangerine. The film scooped up numerous awards during its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015 where viewers were stunned to learn the film was shot entirely using three iPhone 5s smartphones.

Smartphone cinematography is widely regarded as the future of filmmaking and offers a platform for amateur filmmakers with limited budgets to showcase their creativity and talents. In this way, it opens up the exclusive world of filmmaking to anyone with a story and access to a device. Africa is rich in compelling stories but lacks the knowledge and resources to produce films that are made by Africans for Africans. Upskilling individuals in smartphone filmmaking presents an exciting opportunity for these stories to be told in an authentic way while also helping to bridge the Digital Divide and unlocking new economic opportunities.

The CWBR recognises the significant potential this emerging industry may have on creating skills development opportunities within the informal economy that supports livelihoods for the most marginalized within the CWBR.

The CWBR and USIKO have partnered with MOJO Cape Town as part of the Mobile Minds Project. Six CWBR team members as well as six USIKO Stellenbosch team members are currently completing a mobile journalism (MOJO) course led by the organisations Creative Director, Dominique Vandenhoudt. The aim, to run a train-the-trainer programme in mobile phone film making. These trainers will go on to support others in the CWBR’s network of community partners to identify, document and share the local knowledge and skills within their respective communities. To also excite and foster understanding and positive use of mobile phones in youth to tell their own stories through visual story telling.

Participation in the MOJO Course, as part of the collaboration between CWBR and USIKO to equip facilitators with the necessary skills and knowledge to train others in mobile journalism, was made possible by the US Consulate who funded this initiative.

The MOJO Course team

As part of the educational programme, the CWBR took the children who created Kids Garden in Mc Gregor on a day outing to De Hoop Nature Reserve.

Check out the video to see the days activities and moments captured by the kids behind the camera.