EENDRACHT PRIMARY SCHOOL

Eendracht Primary School is situated in Pretoria city centre with an enrolment of 743 learners from different cultural and economical backgrounds. Most of the learners come from the city centre where there is minimal natural environment exposed to them, and where there is a great need for recreational - and extra curricular activities.
We have noticed that many environmental - and developmental projects are mainly focused in the townships and rural areas, excluding city children from gaining from the skills and knowledge these projects have to offer .Green Feet's part in this collaboration was to teach children how to make musical instruments from waste material, showing them how we can creatively use this free resource.

EENDRACHT PRIMARY SCHOOL

Through an integrated approach towards Youth Development, the Youth Development Forum (GTZ), Altus Sport, Karos & Kambro and Green Feet strive to inspire children to make responsible choices in their lives, to offer both relief and joy for today and hope for the future, providing the participants with self-confidence, critical thought and other valuable “tools” necessary for an overall healthy journey through life.
This pilot project seeks to present alternative options for combating problems such as teenage pregnancy, drug abuse and cultural intolerance by using the positive impact of sport, performing arts, creative art and environmental education as a way to foster social and human development, and to inspire the youth to actively participate in shaping their community.

CLOCKWORKS IN WINTERVELDT

Thabang Kganyago is one of the Facilitators that have been working for Green Feet since 2008. Previously unemployed, Thabang was given training in Environmental Education and Art and Craft, and now works at inspiring children in Mamelodi and Winterveldt townships. Here she is seen helping the children of a Winterveldt primary school during the ClockWorks project 2009 to make clocks out of waste material.

CLOCKWORKS in Winterveldt

During "launching days", Green Feet team members not only played environmental games with the grade 5 & 6 learners. As a treat at the end of the day, each child was given a fresh, crispy Green Apple (supplied by Faerie Dale Fresh Produce) which rewarded us with plenty broad smiles.
In the foreground with the kids is Emily Mpye, a Green Feet facilitator and Winterveldt resident.

Introducing Green Feet

Children building the Green Feet puzzle during "Launching days" in Winterveldt schools. This puzzle was made by Green Feet members and brings across the concepts of REDUCING, REUSING AND RECYCLING.

Confederation Cup

Let's Confed Africa!

Let's Confed Africa

Let's confed africa!

The Result!

implementation

As an extra curricular activity, fifty children from each school were taught the craft techniques they would need to make a T-shirt out of wire, cover it with old newspaper and decorate it with waste material. Each school made eight T-shirts representing the flags of the countries participating in the Confederation Cup.

Visit to the JNF Walter Sisulu

The aim of the center is to develop an awareness of the conservation and preservation of the wealth of our natural heritage in the community, especially the youth.
Green Feet Facilitators took Soccer children and their friends for a day trip to the center where they played games that focus on three R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and waste management in Mamelodi.

IMPLEMENTING THE PROJECT IN THE SCHOOLS

The Light Works project was introduced and implemented in eight Mamelodi Primary schools.
launching day: The primary goal of these fun filled days was for us to get acquainted with the children, and they with us. We played environmental games and soccer, and a special appearance of our project mascot, ENVIRONMAN, inspired the children to collect the litter they would need to complete the project. A lot of children.... a lot of FUN!

Introduction day

Footprints - by Green Feet

Arriving eventually in this peaceful paradise, Steven and Remember, two facilitators from Tholo camp, facilitated games and challenges through which environmental issues were addressed. The games encouraged "thinking out of the box" and through a lot of fun and laughter getting to know each other really well.


The Green Feet team; Yolande, Nini, Margaret, Thomas, Thabang and Lucas presented the techniques that would be applied in making wire T-shirts and taught the craft techniques to be used in covering the T-shirts with waste products, representing the flags of the 8 countries participating in the Confederation Cup 2009.

Anita presented an introductory course in the basic principals of Brain Gym, which, when implemented routinely, assists greatly in the concentration span and centeredness of children in the classroom.

There was good and plentiful food prepared by the very dedicated Mahlagu and her assistant, and we spent Saturday night making music around the campfire
It was "early up" for our morning educational bush walk; breakfast; another educational game and then the long road back to the city again.

Through this facilitator weekend, we endeavored not only to train teachers and facilitators, but also to establish a strong support base of teachers, and prove our support and commitment to the teachers. The facilitators that were trained were all employed by Green Feet to implement the project in the schools.

Footprints ~ by Green Feet

LIGHT-WORKS - light on 2010

FACILITATOR TRAINING
- Tholo Bush camp 7/8 Feb '09

Teachers & unemployed youth from Mamelodi, a township north of Pretoria, were treated to a weekend in the Bushveld during which they were introduced to the concept and objectives of the Light-Works project; educated in environmental issues and taught the different craft techniques which would later be taught to the children during the implementation phase.
Our first Team Building Exercise happened rather prematurely when our bus got stuck in knee-deep mud... everyone had to literally come down to Earth & work together to get the bus going again. Compliments to our fearlessly focused driver, Attie, from Ebersohn Bus Service, who got us out of the pickle with a "hou vas!!!!" and a "hier gaan ons!!!"

to be continued..........

Footprints ~ by Green Feet

INTRODUCING LIGHT TO MAMELODI SCHOOLS

"Switching on the lights" of children, educators and community members to the potential of transforming waste into Art, is what Green Feet, a NGO concerned with socio- and environmental education, endeavors to do.

The concept of using what is readily available, and creating something beautiful out of something unpleasant such as waste, not only serves the greater community and the Earth, but also contributes to the positive development of the Youth.

(The 'Light-Works' project was implemented in February 2009 as a follow up on the 'ClockWorks- countdown to 2010' project 2008 in the eight Mamelodi primary schools involved in the GTZ YDF 'Youth Development through Football' project.)