African Wildlife and Environment Issue 67

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

The solution driving this pillar in the Schools Programme is for sustainable entrepreneurship to gain traction and start growing the local economy, and for budding entrepreneurs to have an understanding of how to plan, set up and manage their businesses in a way that is good for the environment. The CAPS education system is content-heavy and does not allow learners much time or opportunity to deepen their understanding of concepts. The notion of sustainable development is entrenched in the curriculum, but there is not enough time to apply the concepts that are learned about. The Schools Entrepreneurship pillar is founded on contextually relevant experiential learning; learning by doing, reflecting on what has been learned and how it has been applied, and making sense of it. Learners who have the opportunity to engage in their learning process this way are more likely to excel, stay engaged, and therefore stay in school to complete high school. The EEESAY (Entrepreneurial and Environmental Empowerment for South African Youth) pilot project is a partnership between WESSA and ‘Teach A Man To Fish’ (TAMTF), supported by the European Union, through which forty school enterprises are being planned and set up in two provinces – by the learners themselves, and the aim is to reach 6 000 learners over the three years, with an additional 50 out of school youth reached through a third partner. The outcome of the project is for learners to graduate from high school with enough business experience to be able to set up their own businesses when they leave school, and become employers rather than employees – or to leave better equipped to embark on further studies. During the three years, learners will have hands on learning on how to plan, set up and run a school-based business, and applying their skills with increasing depth, so that they can become confident about starting their own enterprises. The project is currently reaching the end of the first year and already learners are demonstrating increased confidence – as are educators. Some of the businesses that have been planned through EEESAY include school tuckshops, catering enterprises, nurseries and food gardens. There is an annual Market Place event in each province where learners can show case their business, and share what they have learned. The school enterprises that chose to plan and set up a catering business were given the opportunity to deliver the catering service for the event itself – thus giving a realistic learning opportunity. The Schools Entrepreneurship Pillar also has other initiatives that are in the process of being developed: Eco-Hub Setting up youth-led environmentally sustainable business-hubs. Young people are supported by mentors in the field of their own interest area, and

keep reflecting on their learning, applying what they learn. Ready for success Applying the GM Foundation learning programme towards entrepreneurial development – this is particularly focused on youth who have left school prior to graduation. Greening the school tuck shop Providing a support structure for schools to apply good business planning to the school tuckshop that is good for people and the environment. School business clubs Learning about business at school and creating stepping stones that lead to Eco-Hubs outside of school. TheWESSA Schools Programme is working towards creating a future where every young person is able to live in a sustainable world. The environment is at the heart of the Schools Entrepreneurship Programme by ensuring that each business takes the local ecology into account by applying environmentally sound planning. This will be achieved by analysing the inputs and outputs of enterprise, as well as the running practices of the business, to make sure that, for example, the energy and water use is minimised or adapted to be more efficient, and that outputs are either zero-waste or have a neutral impact on the environment. Young people who go into the world of business beyond the programme will take this environmental ethos with them.

Good business planning for school tuck shops in action

Sue Spies Programme Manager: School Entrepreneurship & Provincial Eco-Schools Manager sue.spies@wessa.co.za Donavan Fullard Head: Schools Programme for WESSA +27 (0)11 462 5663 ext 220

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