#YouthMatters

RISING YOUTH STARS IN SA

BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE

Celebrating SA’s Young Change-Makers

South Africa has an abundance of talent and skill stemming from its powerful community of young people. We’re taking a look at a few standout local achievers who are making a difference across the country.

Sabelo Lindani -

Eco-tourism Empowering the Youth

Sabelo Lindani, Founder and Managing Director of the Contour Enviro Group, launched his Contour Training Academy with one mission in mind: To develop tomorrow’s conservation leaders today. Sabelo has 14 years’ experience in the conservation sector including protected area management, training and ecological advisory.

He grew up in Eastern Cape, but it was when he moved to Western Cape to pursue his studies, that he really grew to love nature. He is a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), one of the commissions of the IUCN and serves as a deputy vice-chair under the regional leadership of the East and Southern Africa Region. He also serves in the capacity development group steering committee of the commission and has served as the regional leader for East and Southern Africa developing young professionals under the WCPA.

He also founded Youth for the Environment (Y4Enviro), an NGO that seeks to connect youth with the environment. Sabelo holds a B-Tech Degree in Nature Conservation and has wide-ranging experience in the environmental field including working for CapeNature as a conservation manager (Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve), he further has experience in capacity development, youth development and community conservation. He previously worked for the City of Cape Town as an Ecological

Coordinator and Reserve Manager. He is trained as an IC Type 3. He is an experienced trainer and a CATHSSETA registered Assessor.

He is currently studying a Conservation MBA with African Leadership University in Rwanda. His business is operating mostly in the Western Cape, Limpopo, Northern Cape as well as Zambia.

Recently, as part of the SAB Foundation Tholoana Enterprise Programme, Sabelo was awarded the grand prize, the Tholoana Award, for his outstanding commitment to accelerating his business, exceptional growth performance (92%), and potential for future excellence.

Tourism has the greatest potential for being one of the major contributors to the economy of the region

The Contour Enviro Group

Established in 2010, the Contour Training Academy (CTA) is geared towards providing high quality and relevant training within the conservation and tourism sector. CTA has more than 30 years cumulative conservation experience - in both training and protected area management. The organisation is dedicated to facilitating and maintaining a unique experience in conservation training, whilst sharing the beauty of the Cape Floristic Region with its clients through eco-tourism.

CTA, in partnership with Cape Wilderness College, has embarked on a social responsibility campaign, geared towards making an impact through Youth Development within the Theewaterskloof Municipality. This Municipality is the largest within the Overberg District and experiences a high level of unemployment.

According to Statistics South Africa, the Municipality has a population of over 108 000 people. The youth unemployment rate is at 19.80% and those who have finished matric are just over 20% whereas those with no education at all make 5% of the population, and those privileged enough to attend higher education are just over 7%. The agricultural sector is the main employer in the town. However, tourism has the greatest potential for being one of the major contributors to the economy of the region.

This programme is aimed at making a difference by identifying unemployed youth from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. The selection procedure includes a bootcamp in the wilderness, training in Field Ranging, life skills and business management.

The 1-year programme assists learners with getting placed within various partner organisations in the conservation industry which are operating in the area.

CTA’s Vision

Everything the organisation does is inspired by the high levels of poverty in our society.

CTA, therefore, aims to challenge the status quo through the conservation and promotion of the local environment whilst developing, supporting and employing local people.

Contact

Tel: 074 534 7189 Address: PO BOX 1473, Elgin on Koffiekraal Farm, Elgin, 7151 Email: info@contourgroup.co.za