Nature Connect · Cape Town

From first camp to a career in conservation

We connect children to nature, train young people for work in the green economy, and back the communities who care for these places.

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Since 2001

Twenty-five years of changing lives through nature

From the first camp on the banks of Zeekoevlei in 2001 to an environmental education model that has been building ever since.

62,689children have attended overnight camps since 2001

98,791children experienced environmental excursions and school activities since 2001

507volunteers have donated their time to conservation action since 2007

142children registered for the seven-year Conservation Leadership Project since 2013

How the work connects

Connecting people to nature and opportunity

Three leverage points, one pathway. A child meets nature, a young person builds a career in it, and a community keeps the place alive.

Leverage point oneBuild whole-school environmental stewardshipSchools are willing to act on environmental issues. We build the systems, the teacher confidence and the learner experiences that turn that willingness into school policy, so it survives the one motivated teacher moving on.
7 952learners reached through outdoor experiences over a 12-month period
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Leverage point twoCreate green economy pathways for young peopleYouth unemployment for those aged 15 to 24 sits at 60,9% while conservation sites go understaffed. We run the training, placements and mentorship that connect the two.
741training places filled over a 12-month period
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Leverage point threeScale people-centred urban conservationUrban biodiversity survives when the people living beside it have a stake in it. We grow conservation around those relationships.
155 haprotected and co-managed over a 12-month period
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