From classrooms to climate action: SA's new eco champions lead the way

Daily Maverick

5 days ago

Across South Africa, a growing movement of student-led environmental action is reshaping schools and communities. Supported by the TUI Care Foundation and Masifunde, young 'Eco Champions' are tackling climate change with creativity, passion, and purpose — turning rubbish into playgrounds, launching recycled materials fashion shows, and proving that youth have the power to lead real change.
A quiet revolution is taking root across South Africa's schools. Young people, often overlooked in conversations about climate and community, are becoming passionate eco champions — leading environmental campaigns, organising clean-ups, and inspiring their peers to protect the planet.
Brigitta Horvath, programmes manager at the TUI Care Foundation, explains the foundation's vision. Established by the TUI Group as a charitable initiative, the foundation drives sustainable development in tourist destinations worldwide.
'Tourism has enormous potential to positively impact not only the natural environment, but also the livelihoods of local communities,' said Horvath.
A key strategic focus is education, particularly empowering disadvantaged youth through the TUI Junior Academy and related programmes. The Junior Academy offers vocational education and environmental training, designed to equip young people with the skills to adapt to a rapidly changing climate.
'In South Africa, climate change is a particularly pressing issue. So investing in education that raises awareness and builds resilience to climate impacts is essential,' she said.
Launched in early 2023, the two-year project partners with local civil society organisations, including Masifunde, to reach 200 schools across all nine provinces. About 100 teachers have been trained to support the programme, alongside district officials from the Department of Education who receive hybrid (online and in-person) training. At the heart of the programme are the Eco Champions: motivated students eager to learn about and protect their environment.
'Eco Champions are students who disseminate their knowledge not only within schools, but also in their communities and households. These young leaders catalyse local environmental campaigns and community action projects tailored to the unique challenges of their settings,' said Horvath.
From Nelson Mandela Bay to SA
Jonas Schumacher, the managing director of Masifunde, shared the organisation's journey from a local initiative in Nelson Mandela Bay to a nationwide effort.
'For the past 20 years, Masifunde has been training change makers in townships and beyond. We work holistically with primary and high schools to nurture active citizenship,' he said.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, Masifunde expanded its reach to 50 schools across Nelson Mandela Bay. Their work tackled environmental education alongside social issues like school safety, gender-based violence prevention, and anti-bullying, deeply relevant themes for young people in difficult circumstances.
The partnership between Masifunde and TUI Care Foundation blossomed through shared vision and timing. TUI sought to train Eco Champions across South Africa using Masifunde's proven methodologies. Together, they have empowered 40 NGOs, which work directly in hundreds of schools to create student leaders driving tangible environmental projects — from beach clean-ups and community gardens to awareness campaigns and tree planting.
'The goal is to raise awareness about protecting our environment. But more importantly, to help young people see they have agency, that their actions, no matter how small, can make a difference,' said Schumacher.
'We're training Change Makers, children and youth who learn to be active citizens in their communities. Our approach is holistic, covering not just environmental issues, but also school safety, bullying, and gender-based violence.'
Choosing the right schools
One of the defining strengths of the Masifunde and TUI Junior Academy partnership is its deliberate focus on the schools that need it most, often in communities under strain from economic and social hardship.
'At the heart of the programme is a commitment to reaching the underserved. The national Department of Education is a critical partner here. They identify schools in the most challenging rural, township and peri-urban districts, places where NGOs are scarce, or sometimes nonexistent,' said Schumacher.
In regions like these, the need for environmental education intersected with broader systemic gaps, limited resources, strained infrastructure and vulnerable social conditions. Masifunde undertook a rigorous selection and capacity-building process that goes beyond standard training, said Schumacher.
Once onboarded, NGO representatives often travel to Nelson Mandela Bay to participate in intensive, hands-on workshops. There, they master the Change Maker methodology, learning not only how to activate young people, but how to embed those lessons into schools and communities through ongoing engagement.
Eco Champions
Schumacher emphasised that the programme strategically brought school staff and district officials into the fold.
'Teachers, school leadership, and education officials are integral. We want our Eco Champions to have allies inside the system, not just from outside NGOs. That internal buy-in is crucial,' he said.
Each participating school selects one or more teachers to act as anchors for the initiative. These educators become vital conduits between the Change Maker programme and the school community, fostering peer learning and sustaining momentum beyond isolated workshops.
One of the most powerful moments Schumacher recounts is seeing a Grade 9 learner step up to address their school assembly on climate change.
'It's a complete paradigm shift when a young student stands where a teacher typically commands attention and passionately speaks on environmental issues. That's the ripple effect we strive for,' he said.
Linda Zali, the head of training and replication at Masifunde, highlighted the use of peer-to-peer learning and youth-friendly materials to engage Grade 9 learners, who nominate Eco Champions.
'We start with activation workshops in the schools where all Grade 9 learners are brought together and activated as Change Makers. We use youth-friendly materials, like magazines designed specifically on the topic of climate change, working closely with experts to make a complex subject more relevant and interesting for young people,' she said.
What follows is a peer-led model that helps build ownership and confidence among learners.
'At each workshop, every class nominates an Eco Champion. These Eco Champions then receive further virtual training from us on how to be Change Makers and about the climate change topic,' said Zali.
Rather than simply handing down instructions, the programme encourages these young leaders to develop their own campaigns.
'We don't develop campaigns and give them to learners to just implement. The learners are actively involved in the process of coming up with these campaigns. So already there's a sense of ownership from the start,' she said.
This approach also recognises the power of peer-to-peer communication.
'The Eco Champions then roll out the campaigns, not just through formal lessons but at school assemblies, during break times, or through activities like role plays and presentations. Because the message is coming from their peers, it often has a deeper impact,' she said.
Zali also emphasised the importance of sustainability. They trained at least one teacher per school, aiming for full buy-in from the school management so that these initiatives didn't happen in isolation. Teachers and district officials were also trained to ensure ongoing support within the educational system.
Seed funding from the TUI Care Foundation helps launch school gardens or community action projects, with follow-up funding for the most successful efforts.
'Some projects are one-off clean-ups, but others have the potential to grow into established interventions driven by the youth themselves — it's that organic development we love to see,' said Zali.
This empowerment focuses on recognising each child's unique 'superpower' — whether it's storytelling, organising clubs or sports, and channelling those talents for positive community impact.
However, the rollout across the vast geography of South Africa is not without its hurdles. Zali highlighted difficulties in quality control and maintaining consistency when so many partners were involved.
High staff turnover at grassroots NGOs threatened knowledge retention, but they mitigated this through ongoing virtual training and multiple coordinators. Accessing schools was also a challenge due to timing constraints during holidays, and occasionally some school leaders deprioritised environmental issues over immediate social concerns like bullying. The team addressed this scepticism by linking climate change impacts to recent floods and weather extremes affecting communities right now.
Creativity and determination
Among the many initiatives sparked by the Eco Champions network, some truly stand out not just for their impact but for the sheer creativity and determination behind them, testaments to how empowering youth leads to unforeseen, inspired solutions.
One particularly striking project unfolded right on Masifunde's doorstep in Nelson Mandela Bay. Schumacher recounts the story with pride.
'Our Change Makers noticed an illegal dump site directly in front of a primary school, a place that should be safe for children but was instead littered with rubbish and health hazards,' he said.
But rather than seeing only a problem, these young leaders saw an opportunity.
'They didn't just want to clean up the trash one time. They envisioned something far greater: transforming the polluted area into a bike park and a safe playground, a green and welcoming space where children could gather and play freely,' he said.
With plans in hand, the Eco Champions approached the local municipality. The idea resonated, and together they began turning a hazardous blight into an asset for the community. Soon, what was once an eyesore filled with debris will become a place buzzing with laughter, activity, and hope.
Zali recalled another inventive wave of youthful energy that took a different form. A Gauteng-based school harnessed the power of culture and fun to raise environmental awareness by organising a fashion show unlike any other.
What made it remarkable was the clothing. Instead of the latest designer wear, students crafted outfits entirely from recycled materials. Plastic bags, old newspapers, discarded fabrics, all were transformed into creative garments that dazzled peers and teachers alike.
'The fashion show merged a beloved cultural passion with a vital message. It showed students and the community that protecting the environment could be exciting, relatable, and innovative,' said Zali.
This intersection of art and activism ignited conversation around the 'five Rs' of environmental stewardship: reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse and rethink. Zali noted that it shifted the idea of sustainability from an abstract concern to a colorful, youthful celebration of creativity and responsibility.
Lasting change
For Schumacher, Zali and Horvath, youth-led environmental action is not just about projects, it's a movement for climate justice and future leadership.
'It's their future, and while they're not decision-makers yet, they will live with the consequences. Empowering them now shapes conscious, active leaders,' said Schumacher.
Horvath echoed this conviction.
'Climate change impacts everyone, and yes, it can be frightening, but education is about inspiring action, not fear,' she said.
Looking ahead, the partnership between Masifunde and the TUI Care Foundation aims to culminate in a powerful gathering of young environmental leaders from across South Africa. Scheduled for October, the national learner summit will bring together Eco Champions from all nine provinces for a week of inspiration, learning, and connection.
Zali described the summit as much more than just a conference.
'It's an opportunity to galvanise the youth movement we have been nurturing for years. We want these young people not only to celebrate their achievements but to leave the summit empowered with new knowledge, skills, and networks that will fuel ongoing action,' she said.
The goal is clear: to spark lasting behavioural change in schools and communities alike, transforming awareness into tangible environmental advocacy.
'We want the learners to become advocates who challenge local leadership — whether in school management, municipalities, or beyond. Their voice should ripple through their communities and inspire others to join the movement,' said Zali.
Beyond the summit's immediate impact, Zali emphasised the importance of longevity.
'We want this to be more than a moment in time. The goal is that these youth leaders carry the momentum forward — continuing to initiate projects, mentor new eco warriors, and embed a culture of sustainability,' she said. DM