Set on the banks on the Elsje River and under the shady canopy of age-old trees, the heart of our organisation, Hokela (Southern Sotho for ‘connect’), will offer a centre for immersive learning. Blending three principles key to our mission, nature, education and community, we aim to promote conservation efforts within the local communities of the Cape Peninsula. It is the responsibility of every South African to preserve the incredibly special biodiversity surrounding us, to become custodians of these green and blue spaces, and to ensure the health and integrity of the many ecosystems making up our natural heritage.
Currently we are running our holiday programmes through the Rotary Youth Camps in Glencairn but our dream is to have the Hokela Foundation as a base for our operations within the camp where we will be able to offer an array of programmes, suited to all ages. It is the perfect setting to explore the many habitats right on our doorstep and awaken a fascination with the beautiful flora and the charismatic wildlife sharing our home. Our front stoep will soon be at the edge of a meandering river, and it will be only a short walk to the marshes of the Glencairn Wetland, the rocky and sandy shores of False Bay, and the slopes of pristine fynbos. We are also able to make use of the many camp facilities on site.
Support our Centre
Help us to reach our goal by donating towards the building of our Hokela Community Environmental Centre. Hokela will be a Nutec wendy-house design allowing us a safe space to introduce our students to concepts of ecology and conservation. We will include an outdoor classroom in our set-up, for summer days when the best place to be is outside. The centre will have electricity for lights and a projector, as well as plumbing for a small sink , for those cold winter days when a cup of tea is essential.
You can either go to our Donate page or you can head over to our GivenGain fundraising campaign by clicking the link below:
Partners
Programmes
The education programmes are designed and will be run through our Guardians of the Deep project.
Overnight School Camps (3 days)
Students will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of outdoor activities, including meditation, art in nature, rocky shore scavenger hunts, conducting a MiniSASS, fireside stories with “stokbrood”, star gazing, micro habitat exploration and so much more. All activities stem from the Guardians of the Deep Marine Science and Nature Conservation Curriculum.
Overnight School Camps (2 days)
Students will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of outdoor activities, including meditation, art in nature, rocky shore scavenger hunts, fireside stories with “stokbrood”, and so much more. All activities stem from the Guardians of the Deep Marine Science and Nature Conservation Curriculum.
School Outings
We tailor our outings according to specific teacher requirements and ensure that our activities are CAPS aligned. Our location enables us to offer a wide variety of experiences, from the rocky shore to the fynbos biome, and can cover topics in Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, English and Mathematics.
Teacher Workshops (Field Training)
We can provide field experience for teachers, complete with resources to take back to the classroom. Teachers will be shown practical examples of creative ways to incorporate nature into the CAPS curriculum. Natural Science and Social Science teachers can attend our workshops to be given practical training in their subject area.
Staff Wellbeing Retreats
We can provide the ideal staff retreat as a year-end function, or a weekend wellness retreat. Potjie competitions, nature meditation and outdoor pottery are just a few of the activities that we can offer.
Wildlife Walks
Whether you are a tourist and new to the area, or have lived here for years, join us for a variety of different walks (along the river, up the mountain, in the wetlands) and learn all about this incredibly beautiful space and the flora and fauna that populate it. Our groups range from 5 – 10 people.
Evening Talk Series
During the winter months we will host a variety of speakers and provide soup, tea and coffee. Follow us on social media to get a heads up of which speaker will be presenting, the dates and the times for each talk.
Environmental Clubs
We offer two environmental clubs and a mentorship programme, that run during the school term.
Each group will be able to take part in age-specific activities according to our Guardians of the Deep Environmental Programme. These clubs run according to the WCED school calendar and consist of 8 sessions per term.
Grade 2 – 5: Tuesdays from 15:00-16:00
Grade 6 – 9: Thursday from 15:30-17:00
Grade 10 – 12: Friday from 16:30-18:00 as part of our Tembo Mentorship Programme
For more information, please contact:
Education programmes – Megan Webster – megan@arkysoutreach.org.za
Camp bookings – Antoinette Burger – bookings@rotaryyouthcamps.co.za
