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    • Unearthed Community Leaders Program
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About

Our Unearthed Community Leaders Program

Background 

Why We Do What We Do

The focus of the Unearthed Community Leader Program is to help develop youth from rural communities around our protected areas. This takes the form of social entrepreneurship which creates economic opportunities that can support their personal and broader community needs (financial, social and environmental). This has direct environmental benefits in the sense that humans are part of the ecosystem and supporting socio-economic outcomes has a clear, well-documented link to environmental outcomes. People’s socio-economic needs and environmental needs are intricately intertwined. At it’s most basic level Unearthed is about inspiring young individuals who want to start a social enterprise, a business that does more than just make money, people who want to help others, who want to make our planet a better place in their own small way. Our focus is around actualising the Global Sustainable Development Goals and building future environmental leaders who can help create new, innovative solutions to current challenges in their communities.

Our unearthed community leaders program is a funded program undertaken in partnership with the Wilderness Leadership School, the Kenchaan Foundation and numerous other local partners. The program aims to alleviate conservation challenges around protected natural areas by dealing with important social challenges such as poverty and unemployment. The Unearthed Community Leaders Program takes young, talented people from rural communities adjacent to protected areas and nature reserves and helps them craft a new future for themselves as social entrepreneurs. Creating their own livelihoods and supporting their communities. What we have learned from this program is nothing short of amazing. 

At it’s most basic level Unearthed is about inspiring young individuals who want to start a social enterprise, a business that does more than just make money, people who want to help others, who want to make our planet a better place in their own small way, people who follow a bigger calling. Our focus is around actualising the Global Sustainable Development Goals and building future environmental leaders who can help create new, innovative solutions to current challenges. The Wilderness Trail kick starts this journey, opens up conservation thinking, Unearthed supports participants further on the journey further down this road.

The Trail 

The Wilderness Experience 

The Wilderness Trail component of the program is a powerful experience for all our participants and represents the “start of their journey” and reimagining their futures. The experience provides a powerful platform for starting a conservation conversation as well as helping program participants reach a point where they can aspire to a better, brighter future. Post the trail experience, participants undergo formal business training to begin the process of building their own futures. These trail experiences are facilitated by Ian Read and Scelo Mbatha who have a collectively have decades of experience as Wilderness Guides, leading trails for business leaders, individuals and groups from all walks of life. Ian Read explains the "mechanics" of a trail experience in this video

Objectives & Impact

Our Objectives

The focus of the Unearthed Program has always been to help to train people from rural communities in social entrepreneurship which can support their personal and broader community needs (financial, social and environmental). This has direct environmental benefits in the sense that humans are part of the ecosystem and supporting socio-economic outcomes has a clear, well-documented link to environmental outcomes, especially in a South African context. People’s socio-economic needs and environmental needs are intricately intertwined. The program also has a strong focus on connecting people to nature and themselves through the wilderness trail experience. 

Our Impact

The program, now in it's fourth full year of operation and our support from the Kenchaan Foundation and other partners has allowed us to not only pilot this program but also extend our vision and maximise our impacts post the formal training and trail experiences. 

Impacts

Changing Lives & Perceptions 

Although our focus on the Unearthed Community Leaders Program is on positive socio-economic and environmental outcomes, we're always surprised and the impacts small interventions can have at a rural community level. It's not just around building a business, a social enterprise, it's about a sense of self belief, challenging your status quo, creating a dream. This video explores how the program has impacted some of our Unearthed Community Leader Program in unexpected ways.   

Impacts

A Practical Example 

We love tourism related projects and entrepreneurs on our program. Ecotourism represents one of the biggest movements of money from wealthy to developing nations in the world. Ecotourism provides an opportunity to bring forex directly into these rural communities which in turn can be used to support other local businesses. Tourism can be a powerful, positive tool for poverty alleviation, especially in the context that we work in. Meet Mabuso Mayeni, from Zakhamuzi Cultural Tours as he gives some practical examples of how he is turning the day to day life in his community into a vibrant, ethical, responsible tourism experience.

Vision

Our Vision

We have a big vision and big plans, a network of young, talented social entrepreneurs who can collectively change the world. Connecting the formal and informal economic sectors, driving circular economic thinking .....and finding real-world solutions to making the global sustainable development goals a practical reality.

“Governments are not equipped to solve all of the world’s problems – nor should they be – and are looking for innovative solutions from the private sector. Social entrepreneurs will play a vital role” ~ Siri Terjesen. Global Entrepreneurship monitor

Get Involved

We're always on the hunt for mentors, industry specialists, supporters and partners that can help our community-based entrepreneurs take their small businesses to the next level. If you'd like to get involved in any way or find out more information on where we require assistance, please click here 

Apply

Apply for our next Unearthed Community Leaders Program Intake

As participants on this program are fully funded, we do have a few criteria potential participants need to meet to qualify:

  • Participants must come from areas directly next to or adjacent to a nature reserve or protected area with significant conservation challenges
  • Participants must be unemployed and have a household income of less than R5000 per month?
  • Participants must come from a rural community / informal setting rather than an urban environment. Although deviations from this will be considered.
  • Participants must be driven, have good English reading and writing skills, be computer literate and have access to the internet.
  • Participants must be committed to completing the entire program including various workshops, formal training sessions, wilderness trial experiences and one on one coaching sessions.

To apply for our next intake, please submit a maximum 2-minute video (which can be filmed with your cell phone, the quality of the video is not important) outlining your background, your business idea and why you should be considered for this program and send the video via WhatsApp with your name and contact details to +27 (0) 83 2255960 

If you have a group for bespoke training, please get in touch with us to talk through how we can work together.

Meet Our Community Entrepreneurs

Youth In Action

Youth In Action

Seme Lodge & Wedding Venue

Seme Lodge & Wedding Venue

Zank Creations

Zank Creations

Bhejane Photography

Bhejane Photography

Peaceful Heart Family Therapist

Peaceful Heart Family Therapist

Eqhimlilini Livestock

Eqhimlilini Livestock

Gebzin Chickens

Gebzin Chickens

Sihle's Hair Salon

Sihle's Hair Salon

Pluto Cinema

Pluto Cinema

Eduze Campsite

Eduze Campsite

AP's Drive Through Shisa Nyama

AP's Drive Through Shisa Nyama

Siwe's Bakery and Party Hire

Siwe's Bakery and Party Hire

Yengwase

Yengwase

Mbopha Arts

Mbopha Arts

Uju Muthi

Uju Muthi

Naledi Edutours

Naledi Edutours

Kufeziwe

Kufeziwe

Zee's Bridal Boutique

Zee's Bridal Boutique

Ubuhle Beads

Ubuhle Beads

SBTC

SBTC

Cambo's Poultry, Zero Waste Chicken Farming

Cambo's Poultry, Zero Waste Chicken Farming

Elephant Car Wash

Elephant Car Wash

P's Laundry

P's Laundry

Awesome Zulu Village

Awesome Zulu Village

Uncle CY's

Uncle CY's

Skhuni's Zulu Food

Skhuni's Zulu Food

Mphafi Adventures

Mphafi Adventures

Zakhamuzi Village Tours

Zakhamuzi Village Tours

Isiqalo Bakery

Isiqalo Bakery

Afri-Bags

Afri-Bags

Ntando's Fashion

Ntando's Fashion

Mpembe Zulu Experiences

Mpembe Zulu Experiences

Kimodo Macadamias

Kimodo Macadamias

 

OUR PARTNERS

Copyright - Unearthed Social Entrepreneurs NPC (2021) Reg Number: NPC 2021/334955108 & ETC Africa CC Reg 2008 / 171664 / 23