YES to youth empowerment

The WILDTRUST, through the unbelievable support and commitment of Nedbank, are participating in the Youth Employment Service (YES) programme, aimed at reducing youth unemployment levels. The YES programme provides a one-year work-based job training experience aimed at affording unemployed youth (between the ages of 18 and 35) practical and meaningful work opportunities.

The Youth Employment Service (YES) was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March 2018 and came into operation in November 2018 following the release of changes to the B-BBEE legislation. YES is a joint initiative between government, business, labour and civil society which aims to reduce the youth unemployment rate in the country.

Tashmia Ismail-Saville, CEO of the Youth Employment Service (YES) Programme: “Creating sustainable work opportunities for the youth is a national priority and we are grateful for partners like Nedbank and the WILDTRUST who are walking this journey with us and who are prepared to offer quality work experiences.”

1 715 youth will be given work opportunities through the WILDTRUST YES Sustainability Impact Project which is providing youth with jobs in office administration, ecotourism, recycling and waste management, environmental education, communication, land care, sustainability, conservation and early childhood development. The WILDTRUST, with its WILDLANDS (terrestrial) and WILDOCEANS (marine) programmes offers diverse and unique opportunities for youth to immerse themselves in an experiential journey that will directly or indirectly impact the environment for the better.

“Essentially 1 715 agents of change will be mobilised across the country – in our WILDTRUST project nodes and through partnering with a number of grassroot organisations,” said WILDTRUST CEO, Dr Andrew Venter. “Each and every young recruit will receive 24 modules of online training from YES, most will embark on a further 24 days of accredited and non-accredited training, as well as receive a comprehensive CV upon their exit– ensuring that they are exceptionally well prepared to secure permanent employment after their year of work experience.”

Launching the programme officially last week in Tembisa (26 April) Mike Brown, Nedbank Chief Executive, explained that Nedbank is committed to playing its part to address structural and socioeconomic challenges in the country such as poverty, inequality and unemployment to improve the lives of all South Africans. “As an organization operating in the community, we understand that the success of our business is intricately linked to the success of the communities we serve,” Brown explains. “Our Purpose of being financial experts who do good extends beyond our lending and transactional activities.  We embrace our role in society as a change agent and contributors to building a thriving and more inclusive economy.”

“The YES Programme has not only pulled me out of the rut of unemployment but has also given me the opportunity to develop my character and skills within the field of what I studied for,” said Andile Mthethwa, WILDLANDS’ Communications Intern. “Through this programme, I hope to create a career portfolio for myself within the Marketing department of WILDLANDS, by adding value and acquiring a great deal of marketing information and practical lessons.”

Mbusiswa Latha who joined the programme as a WILDOCEANS Ambassador said he was very grateful to be part of YES. “My dream is to get into eco-tourism, and I plan to invest in an eco-marine park on the beach on the Bluff in Durban. It will be a place where all ocean lovers and users come together and enjoy themselves in a marine friendly manner,” said Mbusiswa.

“This project has given me the ability to provide for my family and learn about environmental issues,” said Sibusiso Dlamini, a YES intern working on our Recycling projects. “I now realise what a big role recycling plays in the health of the planet and ourselves. I am excited about the next 12 months and plan to make the most of this opportunity.”

Speaking at the launch event in Tembisa, Dr Venter said – “Don’t get bogged down by the realities of today and focus on unlocking the potential of tomorrow.”

Plastic Neutral – a big step closer to a healthier planet

The WILDTRUST is proud to partner with Wedgewood Crafted Confectionary to deliver on its first ‘Plastic Neutral’ initiative.

Wedgewood is a KwaZulu-Natal based business that has a proud history of investing in its community and working to reduce its environmental footprint. Recognising that its operation uses in excess of 20 000 kgs of plastic annually, it has entered into an innovative partnership with the WILDTRUST – aimed at offsetting its plastic footprint. The offset will be enabled through an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fee for every kg of plastic that it uses in its operations and packaging.

WILDTRUST will use the EPR fee to source unrecyclable plastic packaging through its network of 715 Waste-preneurs and 130 recycling schools, villages and businesses, and then use this plastic to produce Green Bricks. The WILDTRUST Green Brick operation is a world class innovation that will ultimately enable the conversion of 1000’s of tons of unrecyclable plastic into building material that can be used to support social projects across the continent. The Green Brick innovation has been developed in partnership with USE-IT, a Durban based recycling non-profit, and funded by Dow.

Wedgewood and the WILDTRUST will audit the amount of plastic used and offset each month, and Wedgewood will be able to brand/ certify their products as ‘Plastic Neutral’.

“This is the first initiative that generates a value on all types of waste plastics that is seriously scalable.  As more manufacturers come on board, the vision is to establish regional waste innovation centres where it is needed most.  Imagine how it would revolutionise the way people looked at waste plastic if it was worth R2 a kg?” said Paul Walters, Director at Wedgewood.

“Plastic Neutral is the space you enter into when you remove, from the environment and/or landfill, the same amount of plastic that you put into the environment,” said WILDTRUST Recycling Manager, Hanno Langenhoven. “I am personally very excited about the way Wedgewood has embraced the concept and journey to becoming Plastic Neutral. They are boldly pioneering a trail that needs to be followed by every single plastic producer and plastic user in the country.”

The Green Brick is a uniquely South African innovation, that upcycles a mix of sand, glass and previously unrecyclable multi-layer post-consumer plastic waste.  Not only does the Green Brick find a solution for the global issue of multi-layer waste, which previously could not be recycled, but it is a beneficiation that addresses a local demand for building materials to enable housing and other infrastructure.  Through this innovation, the WILDTRUST intends partnering with responsible businesses to significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste in our rivers and oceans.

The first brick plant has been established at the WILDTRUST Recycling Depot in Howick, through support from the Dow Impact Fund, and will produce on average of 20 000 bricks a month and 240 000 bricks a year.  To start with, the intention is that these Green Bricks will be bartered with WILDLANDS Waste-preneurs for the equivalent value of recycling collected, further enhancing a circular economy.

“Unfortunately, this is an uncomfortable conversation to have with big brands that are responsible for huge volumes of the plastic waste being produced daily. Wedgewood, who produce small quantities by comparison, approached us asking what they could do and how they could make a difference – which is admirable and instils hope in us as an organisation striving to build a sustainable future for all,” concluded Langenhoven.