WHAT IS IT?

Seeds of the Future: A Transatlantic Cooperation on Building the Green Economy Among Youth in the Eastern Cape” is a business skills course funded by the US Consulate and focused on the Green Economy. Designed by American students with the help of both American and South African colleagues, Seeds of the Future exemplifies the ability of transnational cooperation to further education and development in all areas of the world. The course is broken down into 4 parts, with the first part detailing relevant definitions and the following three (which we list as Parts 1-3 on the course curriculum) composed of contact sessions for learner involvement. Part 1 provides a necessary introduction to the Green Economy, Part 2 details necessary Green Economy concepts, and Part 3 discusses participation in the Green Economy.

WHY IS IT RELEVANT?

The Green Economy is becoming increasingly relevant in both business and economics as a focus on sustainability is becoming more and more critical in the modern world. This course is designed to familiarize South African students with the Green Economy, thus equipping them with the skills and knowledge necessary to be its active participants. Inkululeko hopes to increase interest in environmentalism and entrepreneurship amongst South African youth, with the goal of inspiring learners to begin their own Green entrepreneurial ventures. In addition to heavily focusing on the Green Economy, the business course is designed to equip learners with knowledge of the economy and “promote economic growth and youth employment, [promote] awareness of sustained U.S engagement in South Africa, [and] promote pluralism and social inclusion.” Because the course is a transnational effort, the use of online collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Google Meet is critical; the skills learners gain using these tools will be beneficial in this ever growing technological world. 

WHO IS INVOLVED?

The designing of the Business Skills Course was a collaborative effort, including work from partners in both the United States and South Africa. Inkululeko is the lead and contracting partner, with Founder Jason Torreano and interns Gwynneth O’Donnell (Marist College), Jenny Zheng (University of Buffalo), and Gabe Khan (Syracuse University) residing in the United States, and colleagues Julian Barker and Zuko Gqadavama contributing from South Africa. The project was completed in conjunction with Awarenet, an eLearning nonprofit organization offering learners online discussion and work spaces, and our South African colleagues at the Ntsika and Nyaluza High Schools and Joza Youth Hub. We aimed to recruit approximately 37-38 learners from Grades 10&11, with Inkululeko recruiting 17-18 and Awarenet recruiting 15 overall. The final number of learners may be lower, however, as we must realistically account for drop outs due to extenuating circumstances.