June 16 marks Youth Day in South Africa and invites us to reflect on the role of our young people as environmental stewards of the future.
Despite our relatively small size geographically, South Africa is known worldwide, not only for our spectacular landscape and wildlife but also as the home of many sporting, cultural and technological legends – think of the Springboks, Dr Chris Barnard, Elon Musk, Trevor Noah, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Miriam Makeba, Can Themba, Innocent Masuku, The Kiffness and a wealth of hit-producing choirs, to name just a few.
SA boasts no fewer than 11 Nobel Laureates, including Albert Luthuli, ‘Archie’ Desmond Tutu, Nadine Gordimer, Nelson Mandela, FW de Klerk and JM Coetzee, and ordinary South Africans have an astounding wealth of creative and practical skills.
As we begin to move towards a more environmentally sustainable future, there are various ills to be remedied, as well as potentially unlimited opportunities for innovative individuals to lead a new green economy and look after the environment at all levels of human activity.
The 9th annual Green Youth Indaba, a free event to be held at the Durban Exhibition Centre on Thursday and Friday, June 13 and 14, should provide great opportunities for local young environmentalists to gain new knowledge, be inspired and meet others in the field.
Since its inception in 2014, the Green Youth Indaba has developed a network of over 10 000 young leaders from Southern Africa.
This year, the Indaba is themed nurturing entrepreneurship, cultivating skills and attracting global green economy investments for job creation.
This shared focus signifies a collective commitment to environmental sustainability.
The Indaba anticipates over 700 exceptional young people, specially selected by their universities, municipalities and organisations, to attend.
These youth and industry experts will come from across Southern Africa to discuss the most pressing environmental issues and the green opportunities for youth within government, the private sector and communities in South Africa.
General access to the event is free of charge. Tickets can be booked at https://www.quicket.co.za/events/262549-9th-annual-green-youth-indaba.
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