Key Projects and Achievements

SA CLIMATE CHANGE CHAMPIONS PROJECT ACTIVE CLIMATE CHANGE CITIZENSHIP FOR A JUST TRANSITION IN SOUTH AFRICA

Îsa Enviro was an official implementation partner of the SA Climate Change Champs project. This is a South African youth, women and community focused project which aims to enable constructive and collaborative engagement amongst communities, women and youth in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The SA Climate Change Champs aims to create awareness of the array of opportunities emerging in the green economy. In particular, it hopes to empower these groups to be able to take up the great career opportunities that the growing renewable energy industry in South Africa will provide.

CO-FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION

IMPLEMENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FNF (FRIEDRICH NAUMANN FOUNDATION For Freedom South Africa)

PRESENTED BY GREENCAPE

SBM CLIMATE AWARENESS WORKSHOP

Îsa Enviro partnered with Saldanha Bay Municipality to host a transformative two-day Climate Awareness Workshop in February 2024. The workshop targeted youth (18-35 years old) from the local community, focusing on climate change science, the SBM Climate Change Response Plan, and the specific climate challenges facing the West Coast.

Participants engaged in interactive activities such as climate change impact mapping, brainstorming sessions on sustainable solutions, and group discussions with local government representatives. The workshop culminated in the collaborative development of a Climate Action Plan aimed at enhancing community resilience, fostering partnerships, and identifying opportunities within the green economy.

A key highlight was the honest and impactful discussion about employment opportunities in the green sector, where participants expressed concerns about the lack of job prospects despite attending similar workshops. This led to an unplanned yet valuable session exploring pathways within the green economy, from sustainable entrepreneurship to community-led initiatives. The workshop not only equipped participants with knowledge but also empowered them to take actionable steps toward building a sustainable and economically vibrant future.

The DHS Climate Club Celebrates World Wetlands Day

At Îsa Enviro, one of our core missions is to empower the next generation with the knowledge to tackle climate change. We were thrilled to work with Diazville High School to implement a Climate Club as part of the SA Climate Change Champs project.

The initial challenge was to create a program that was more than just "another class session after school". We needed to gain the students' trust and find teaching methods that would spark real interest and interaction.

We designed a hands-on program focused on key environmental themes. We launched the club with classes focused on World Wetlands Day and World Water Day, but the real breakthrough came from taking our learning outside.

We moved beyond the classroom with practical, engaging activities:

A Boat Trip Excursion: We took the club on a boat trip on the Berg River to learn about the vital estuary ecosystem and the importance of wetlands.
Interactive Sessions: We found that videos and practical sessions, like a creative poster-making activity, held the students' attention and encouraged them to participate.

The Outcome & Impact

The results were incredible. The excursion was a new life experience for many of the students and we watched as they became more observant of nature, asked questions and developed a new appreciation for the local ecosystem.

By gaining the learners' trust , our classroom discussions became more organic and exciting. The poster session revealed just how many artists we had in the group!

Most importantly, the students gained a powerful, practical understanding of climate change and environmental consciousness, becoming true "Climate Change Champs".

A Day of Adaptation and Marine Discovery

National Marine Month, celebrated every October , is a time to raise awareness for our vital coastal environments. To mark the occasion, we planned a special excursion for the Diazville High School Climate Club to visit local aquaculture farms and learn hands-on about marine ecosystems.

The day started with unexpected news. Due to an emergency, the boats for our planned excursion were unavailable. The disappointment was clear—everyone was sad.

But a key part of environmental work is adaptation. We quickly moved the schedule around to create a new, valuable experience.

Instead of the boat, we received a personal tour from the DFFE (Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment) facilitators. The team, from the compliance and law enforcement department, explained their crucial work and the laws that protect our oceans.

We then went to the boating docks, where they explained the process of harvesting mussels and oysters. The students got to look at the anatomy of molluscs and even got to see the processing factory in operation.

From Plastic Pollution to a Tug of War

After our tour, we headed to the Blue Bay coast for the second part of our day. We organized the students into groups for a beach walk to collect sea plants and any plastic pollution they could find.

This led to an impactful, hands-on lesson. We gathered around to talk about the sea plants they found and then had a serious discussion about the environmental damage caused by the plastics they collected.

The day even included a surprise icebreaker! A Swedish delegation joined us and took part in a fun game of tug of war, seeing our youth interactively learning about marine conservation.

Despite the setback, the day was a huge success. The students left with an increased awareness of marine ecosystems, sustainable aquaculture , and a powerful, firsthand understanding of the threat of plastic pollution.

Empowering the Educators at St. Anna, Springbok

Great student projects are built on a foundation of passionate, knowledgeable, and empowered educators. This is the story of our "Active Climate Change Citizenship" workshop, where we traveled to St. Anna Private School in Springbok to kick off the Climate Change Champions Project.

The official goal of this project is to shift the climate change narrative in South Africa from one of "threat and loss" to one of "opportunity and gain".

We were there to orient the educators who would be leading the new Climate Club. When we arrived, the teachers were curious but "not truly sure" what the workshop would entail. They anticipated it might be "eco-education on a higher level". Our challenge was to introduce the project's goals and gauge their current understanding to build a custom plan.

A Workshop of Collaboration

Instead of a simple lecture, we ran a series of collaborative activities.

Finding the Gaps: Through a terminology activity, we found the teachers were already very familiar with local issues like "Climate Change" and "Biodiversity". However, terms like "Active Citizenship" and "Climate Mitigation" were new. This allowed us to focus our efforts on explaining these key concepts.
Discovering Hidden Strengths: We learned that the school had a highly successful Eco Club that had run for nine years before COVID, covering topics from recycling to food gardens.
Creating a Custom Plan: Knowing their history, we set aside the standard year planner and agreed to create a custom program that would help them revive their incredible Eco Club.

An Excited Team with a Clear Plan

Our workshop was a "success". By the end, the teachers were "quite excited about being part of the initiative" and eager to continue the work they had started years ago.

We established a clear path forward, with the dedicated Sister Sylvia as our main point of contact. The team's immediate next step was to register for the upcoming renewable energy competition, giving them a perfect first project to rally around. We left Springbok having empowered a new team of "active citizens", ready to inspire their students

Youth from community-based organisations (CBOs) from SA Climate Change Champs in the Western Cape made their voices count at the recent Climate Change and Agriculture Youth Summit hosted by the Western Cape Government Department of Agriculture in Rawsonville in October 2024

The intersection of climate change and agriculture is a pressing concern, but also one of immense opportunity and recently, a dynamic youth summit was held to explore these prospects. This engagement brought together young leaders, innovators, and advocates from academia, industry, research, civil society groups, community-based and civil society organisations, interest groups, and NGOs and NPOs passionate about shaping sustainable agricultural practices in the context of climate change. With a focus on collaboration, education, and empowerment, the conference served as a platform for youth to voice their ideas and propose solutions for a climate resilient future.

The youth conference on climate change and agriculture highlighted the vital role that young people play in shaping a sustainable future. As the next generation of farmers, policymakers, and environmental stewards, youth have a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities posed by climate change. The key highlight from the conference was highlighting the pivotal role of CBOs . They are often the first responders to environmental challenges in their regions. Due to this, they understand the unique contexts of their communities, allowing them to design tailored solutions that are both effective and culturally relevant. By participating in the conference, CBOs brought invaluable perspectives on how local actions can influence broader climate policies.

Climate Champs from Voorstekraal Women’s Network in Genadendal (represented by Henno Sauls, Kim August and Marisha Reid) and Isa Enviro in Saldanha Bay (represented by Darryl Dreyer) had a unique opportunity to engage fellow youth advocates in the industry and build networks with organisations in the space. Darryl Dreyer (IsaEnviro) also featured as a panel speaker giving his perspective as a climate change champion for unlocking the future in climate change mitigation and adaptation and active climate citizenship. As part of the programme, the SA Climate Change Champs set up an activation stand at the marketplace stalls to share information and resources for community-led climate action and also facilitated group sessions with GreenCape’s Sustainable Agriculture team.

During October 2023, the SA Climate Change Champs hosted a series of workshops for youth in climate club host schools across the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape. The workshop series was titled the “Presentation and Design Workshops” and set out to promote solution-based thinking in addressing climate change and renewable energy opportunities.

These workshops build on from the Winter Media workshops that were held earlier in July 2023, which equipped the youth with media and journalistic tools to enable them to exercise their voice on media platforms.

The workshop programme was held during weekends, starting on Friday afternoons and ending on Sunday midday and took place during the following dates:

13 – 15 October 2023 in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape
20 – 22 October 2023 in Upington, Northern Cape
27 – 29 October 2023 in Greyton, Western Cape

The workshops were targeted at youth that are part of the climate clubs from the following schools:

James Jolobe Secondary School, Lungiso High School and Walmer High School in the Eastern Cape;
Carlton van Heerden High School, Paballelo High School and St Anna Private School in the Northern Cape;
Diazville High School, Emil Weder High School and Khanyolwethu Secondary School in the Western Cape.

15 Learners joined for each round of the workshop with 5 learner representatives from each school with a teacher supervisor in attendance. The workshop programme was made up of knowledge sharing sessions on climate change adaptation and mitigation and renewable energy, as well as debating, writing and presenting exercises where learners practically implemented their learnings. By the end of the workshops, a total of 45 leaners underwent training on design-thinking and presentation skills.

Following these workshops, we look forward to seeing these youth cohorts amplify their voice on media platforms using these skills learned from both sets of workshops hosted during the year.

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