WESSA Annual Review 2020

YES PROGRAMME NORTHERN CAPE & FREE STATE 2017-2020 Having successfully implemented the YES in the Western Cape from 2013 – 2015, WESSA was contracted by DEFF to implement the YES in the Northern Cape and Free State from July 2017 to May 2020. Each province had a project value of R29 million, with the majority of the funds directed towards stipends for the participants and their accredited training. The aim of the YES Programme was to provide training and workplace- based experiential learning experience for 540 unemployed youth between the two provinces over the two-year period. Practical work-place training was complimented with 120 national credits of environmental practice and tourism guiding training. The environmental course grounded them in fundamental ecological knowledge, global and national environmental issues and sustainable development practice. They learnt skills such as assessing vegetation cover and identifying alien invasive plant species. With tourism at the time one of South Africa’s biggest growth segments, the YES participants received practical tuition in guiding. While the Year 2 training results are still being processed, 89.5% of the Northern Cape Year 1 participants and 95% of the Free State youth were declared competent . These two courses were complimented with non-accredited courses in the biodiversity lectures, developing action competence for promoting the Sustainable Development Goals, career guidance, CV-writing, tertiary education options and opportunities for developing their own SMMEs . With both provinces suffering low employment prospects we constantly encouraged the youth to apply for tertiary education bursaries or to develop their own SMME opportunities post their YES learnership. A particular success was that nine young women participants from the Keimoes node were accepted into college and university studies , giving them a chance to kickstart a professional career in the environmental sector. WESSA also developed a specific Facebook page to share bursary announcements, employment opportunities and SMME support services. WESSA is grateful to the municipalities that supported the YES Programme with free training venues. The YES Programme also focused on community service, and each participant was required to contribute two days of local service per month, which WESSA promoted aligning to the calendar of environmental days. The participants undertook 8114 days of assisting, cleaning or performing admin tasks at schools, creches, police stations, clinics, libraries, old age homes, animal shelters, disabled care centres, urban parks and youth clubs. We were able to track their local investment through logbooks and daily photos of their efforts. The supporting of scholar homework clubs at libraries was particularly impactful. Some participants were even offered employment by the organisations they had served at. WESSA established a project team of 5 staff that managed the delivery of the two provinces, which coordinated training nodes at Keimoes, De Aar, Barkly-West, Warrenton, Boshof, Theunissen, Botshabelo, Thab Nchu and Bloemfontein. A crucial team task was efficaciously submitting

Equipping youth to live sustainably in the future

The Youth Environmental Services (YES)

Programme is an environmentally focused youth skills development and training programme funded by the National Department of Environment, Forestry & Fisheries (DEFF). Aligned to the National Development Plan’s aims to upskill youth and reduce unemployment, the YES Programme is a component of the Expanded Public Works Programme.

34 Annual Review 2019-2020