CTEET Cape Town Environmental Education Trust | Environmental Education Fund

We conduct high quality, low cost outdoor education programmes designed to challenge and change the lives of youth.

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Environmental Education Fund

92 569

Reached through various environmental education initiatives

30 807

Children have attended overnight camps

48 000

Children in the Eco-Schools we support

Within the environmental sector it is understood that people who participated in outdoor nature activities as children are more likely to have pro-environment behaviours and attitudes as an adult. Since the inception of CTEET in 2001 the primary aim has been to provide opportunities for children of Cape Town to experience the outdoors and in the process to develop a curiosity and interest for the natural environment. Through this process creating the opportunities for them reconnect with nature through a variety of programmes and activities.

Excursions away from the challenging home environment faced by many children in Cape Town provide not only a distraction but a platform to develop positive social feelings. Nature helps children to bring out more social feelings and value in oneself, community and relations¹.

Over the years our scope has widened to focus on further development of individuals who are passionate about nature and hence the joining of the International Eco-Schools Programme and the creation of our Conservation Leadership Programme.

For more details have a look at our exciting campaign – Changing Lives Through Nature

Our Environmental Education Programme Includes:

Overnight Camps

Many an adult can attest to the fun and influence an outdoor camp had on them in their childhood with some pursuing a career or participation in environmental activities in their later life as a result. We make these opportunities available to children, many of whom will, without our intervention, never have the experience because of a lack of finances or school coordination.

Day Programmes

We offer 1-5 hour programmes for schools, linking these to environmental celebrations such as arbor-day and water-week. The programmes offered are linked to the curriculum and give additional support to teachers with worksheets and activities designed to help assess the learning outcomes. We offer the programmes at our camp sites in Zeekoevlei but these programmes can also be run at the schools for an entire grade or as an outing.

Conservation Leadership Programme

The Conservation Leadership Programme was born out of a desire to identify youth from our Eco-Schools that are passionate about the natural environment and who would like to play a role in effecting change in their homes and communities. Children are brought onto the programme when in Grade 6 (11-12 years of age) and through regular interactions are nurtured over the remaining 7 years of their schooling career.

Eco-Schools Programme

The Eco-Schools Programme is an international programme run by FEE that started in 1992 and now has 48 000 schools registered in 58 countries worldwide. The aim of the programme is to encourage environmental awareness and behavioral change within schools that in turns spreads to the neighbouring communities.

Currently CTEET is involved with supporting over 50 Eco-Schools from two nodes in Cape Town. Despite most of these schools being situated in low income communities where access to resources is limited the projects undertaken are remarkable as is the ongoing commitment to the programme with many of the schools having been registered as Eco-Schools for more than 10 years.