Eastern Cape youth amplify their voice on media platforms

SA Climate Change Champs held the Winter Climate Clubs Media Workshops in the Eastern, Northern, and Western Cape during the school’s winter interval earlier this year. The workshop focused on capacitating learners in Grades 9 – 11 with journalistic and media skills to enable them to access media platforms and exercise their voice on climate change and renewable energy topics.  

The youth from climate clubs in the Eastern Cape practiced active citizenship and took up the opportunity to express the importance of the youth voice by engaging media platforms. These climate champs put forward writing pieces that were submitted to local community publishing houses and took to community radio to be part of interviews and discussions (submitted and arranged by GreenCape on their behalf).

As a result, Afikile Ngqoleka and Anelisa Xoli from Walmer High School (both Grade 10), collaborated on a writing piece that underlines the importance of youth voice when it comes to climate change conversations in their community. This was later published digitally in the PE Express. The article can be found here. 

Similarly, Lihle Ncama (Grade 10) from Lungiso High School put herself forward and submitted her article that was later featured on Kouga Express. The insert can be found here.

Some of the youth braved radio and took to the radio station to represent the youth voice. Ima Breakfast and Liyema Mnikina, of Walmer High School, were interviewed on PE Express and shared their thoughts on why the youth voice matters as well as to speak about their participation and experience in the SA Climate Change Champs project. The link to the radio interview can be found here.

The featured pieces are below for reference:

Following these workshops, we can expect more youth from across the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape to take up media opportunities and share their voice on these platforms. 

This is made possible by co-funding by the European Union, implemented in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, and presented by GreenCape.