The City of Cape Town and the Wildlife and Environmental Society (WESSA) have launched a Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) programme. The aim of the programme is to develop Cape Town youth to become reporters for the environment.

According to the City, the programme also aims to empower young South Africans to pursue a collective vision of human rights, inclusivity and environmental and social justice by harnessing social media and its global network to tell their own solution-driven, knowledge-rich and contextual stories.

Councillor Ian McMahon of ward 15 said: “This focus on making a positive difference uniquely positions high school learners to hone research and leadership skills and explore career options. YRE encourages self-directed learning essential for success after high school. This will be done by capacitating participants with contemporary environmental and media conceptual and practical knowledge, and fostering advocacy and hope with project-based experiential learning and expert mentorship.”

The first phase of the programme focuses on eight high schools in the city centre. These include:

Cape Town High School
Gardens Commercial High School
Good Hope Seminary High School
Harold Cressy High School
Sea Point High School
Trafalgar High School
Vista High School

WESSA is the national operator for the Foundation for Environmental Education’s (FEE) international YRE programme.

The City’s deputy mayor and mayoral committee member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews, said the key objective is to partner with organisations like WESSA to encourage optimising the use of natural assets.

“There is overwhelming evidence of the positive impacts of nature on the well-being of the body, mind and soul. Thus, I call on the young people to take full advantage of this opportunity as it will help them connect with Mother Nature. They can take pictures of their gardens at home, on their way to school or any time they find themselves outdoors. We ask the youth to be intentional about their reporting. They may choose to focus on something that interests them, spend time in nature looking for clues that speak to their intention and ultimately report on their find. We are hoping that this initiative will spark an interest in nature and the environment and possibly a career in this field,” said Andrews.

This programme will run for a year.