After weeks of researching conservation topics and preparing their speeches, the finalists in the Living with Wildlife Public Speaking Competition were rewarded with a weekend at Koru Camp, where they had the opportunity to experience the landscapes they had been learning about. The camp brought together learners from four primary schools in the Phalaborwa area: Rethabile Primary and Mosebutjana Primary from Namakgale, and Pondo Combined and Vaxadzi Primary from Lulekani. Each school was represented by four learners and a teacher.
The project was led by the Balule Outreach Trust, with support from GKEPF and Kruger National Park. Its aim is simple: encourage young people living alongside protected areas to think about conservation, then give them the chance to experience it for themselves.
Over the weekend, the learners headed out on game drives, spent evenings around the boma fire, slept in tents, and explored the bush with the Koru Camp team. For many, it was their first time visiting a protected area, their first game drive, and their first time seeing lions in the wild.
The final round of the public speaking competition was also held during the camp. The top school from Namakgale and the top school from Lulekani presented their speeches before the Koru Camp team, while the second-placed schools watched from the audience. After an impressive morning of presentations, Rethabile Primary School was announced as the overall winner before the learners headed home.
The standard of the speeches impressed everyone involved. It was clear that the learners and their teachers had put a great deal of time and effort into preparing. Outside of the competition, some of the learners continued asking questions about the wildlife around them and even spent their free time birdwatching.
One of the biggest takeaways from the weekend was seeing just how much the experience meant to the learners. Many expressed their appreciation for the opportunity, particularly those who had never visited a protected area before.
Conservation cannot be learned only from a textbook. Seeing elephants from a game viewer, listening to stories around a campfire, or hearing lions calling after dark creates a connection that is difficult to replicate in a classroom. Experiences like these help young people understand why protected areas matter and why they have a role to play in caring for them.
GKEPF extends its sincere thanks to the Balule Outreach Trust for leading the project and coordinating, to the outstanding team at Koru Camp for making the learners feel so welcome, and to SANParks (Kruger National Park Socio-Economic Transformation team), as well as everyone who contributed to giving these young conservation ambassadors an experience they are unlikely to forget.
