Cape Town - CapeNature and the Department of Environmental Affairs are doing their bit to tackle youth unemployment in the province.
They’ve recently celebrated their first year of the Youth Environmental Services (YES) Programme.
The initiative saw 110 youth participants graduating.
CapeNature CEO, Dr Razeena Omar, who is a strong advocate for education, said both entities are aiming to address the ever-growing challenges of youth unemployment and prioritise local communities living in and adjacent to the nature reserves across the Western Cape.
The funding of the programme by the Department of Environmental Affairs will empower 272 youths over 2 years from communities in dire need.
The YES Programme objectives include skills development through acquiring 120 credits from the scarce skills courses identified, local economic development for services and procurement related to the programme and community service interventions.
“Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world”, said Omar, reciting the late former South African President, Nelson Mandela’s quote.
Omar thanked graduates for completing their respective courses and urged them to each carry the torch further.
Along with successful partnerships with the Wildlife and Environment of South Africa (WESSA), Benchmark, Nedbank and Old Mutual, the graduates have been catapulted in positions within the environment and the tourism sector, construction and hospitality industries.
Gender equality in the workplace remains one of the top priorities for CapeNature.
“This particular programme affirms our commitment to promote the education of women, in that 64 out of the 110 graduates are women, Concluded Omar.
The programme which is run by the People and Conservation component of CapeNature includes skills development in Natural Resource Guardianship, Community House Building, Tourism Guiding and New Venture Creation and Assistant Chef training.
CapeNature’s People and Conservation General Manager, Melikhaya Pantsi says the programme has unlocked the doors; the youth needs to open these doors.