Lindela Mjenxane

Beyond Expectation Environmental Project

St Mary(Intsinga) Food Garden.

The South African state of the environment report continues to paint a bleak future of a declining quality due to anthropogenic factors. It is that reason that Beyond Expectation Environmental Project was born in 2005, as we realize that, it is very important that all attempts are done to raise awareness about the plight of our environment.

BEEP aims to use nature as a platform to help the youth to reconnect with their core being whilst they learn about the broader environmental issues hence the stunning environment of Table Mountain with its tranquillity serve as perfect place for BEEP members to facilitate and educate the children and the youth on topical environmental issues. BEEP uses four tools, to introduce learners back to nature, awaken and sustain their interest and concern for our environment through our two days environmental experiential learning.

BEEP realized that running the two days environmental Camps alone wouldn’t be sufficient to help us achieve our overall objectives and we decided to join forces in a collaborative partnership with the Environmental Awareness and Education program of University of Cape Town UCT (Centre of criminology department).

BEEP and UCT have explored other ways in which knowledge about the environment can be mobilized in ways to enhance the capacities - particularly for poorer constituencies - around the environmental issues at large hence we’ve initiated the school curriculum-based environmental interactive workshops in five of the schools that we work with, under our environmental clubs.

BEEP is currently working with 16 Primary Schools, 6 High Schools, various community organization and churches groups, mostly in the townships in the Western Cape, South Africa. Each mountain camp typically take a group of 20 Primary school learners accompanied by two accredited trail guides, one co-coordinator and two Junior leaders.

BEEP’s other program activities, includes hosting discussions around topical environmental issues and building models for the integration of environmental and ‘green’ concepts into the South African school curriculum through our School based Interactive Workshops.
BEEP focuses beyond the workshops which we run, we encourage the youth and people in general in the South Africa to turn waste into wealth, through this project we empower the young minds to use waste as a catalyst to improve their livelihood. BEEP has also initiated the Food Gardens programme across the townships, with the aim of alleviating poverty and malnutrition, the actual programs falls under the Environmental Clubs.

For further information contact mlindela@hotmail.com or visit http://www.beep.org.za