Opportunity for schools to bring change and win big
JOHANNESBURG – Is your school making a difference in the community?
![](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2017/02/YCAPNationalFinalist_55341.jpg)
The Empowervate Trust and its funders are now running the Youth Citizen Action Programme (Y-Cap), which is competition-based. The purpose is to encourage children from primary and secondary schools to find challenges within their schools and communities, and develop projects to resolve or reduce the difficulties.
These projects can be social, environmental or academic. Empowervate, a youth development non-profit organisation, is running the programme in collaboration with the National Department of Basic Education and aims to give youngsters the opportunity to become mediators of positive change and develop various skills such as time management, discipline, commitment, information technology and teamwork.
“We need to empower, motivate and develop new generations of active citizens in our country,” said Amanda Blankfield-Koseff, founder and chief executive officer of Empowervate Trust.
“The Youth Citizens Action Programme has been working towards this vision for eight years and we are seeing such incredible and powerful changes in over 28 840 learners’ and over 600 teachers’ lives, the schools themselves and the communities. With your help we can reach even more schools and impact more lives with our programme,” said Blankfield-Koseff.
Empowervate is encouraging principals and school management teams to promote the programme within their own schools, specifically for Grade 6 to 7, and 9 to 10 in order to allow the youngsters to brainstorm ideas to alleviate challenges, and get a sense of ownership in reducing those issues to boost their confidence and self-esteem. Empowervate say the programme fits well within the school curriculum in terms of economic management, life orientation and business studies.
Another great benefit of the programme is that the school which makes the most impact with their social, environmental or academic project, wins prize money to expand on their already-established project or begin a new addition.
To enter, complete the Y-CAP 2017 application form found on the Empowervate website and email it to Empowervate before 28 February.
Read: The power of forgiveness
Details: empowervate.org
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