@WeSpekboom, won a Gold New Generation Award for their sustainability change project that they completed in the first semester of this year. Congratulations to: Kayla Hovelmeier, Chuma Maqanda, Sindiswa Madonsela, Koketso Hlongwane and Tshegofatso Ratale.
The brief in short is to “make a sustainable change and regreen your bit of Africa”: incorporating physical measurable change and a digital media campaign. The sustainability projects of 2022 and 2021 took inspiration from @Justdiggit https://justdiggit.org/ and the process was supported by @Havas https://za.havas.com/ , specifically @CarelScheepers, chief strategy officer at Havas village (one of our UJStratComm alumni who won an ignition award for his change project when he did honours).
Let the #SpekboomSpeak
WeSpekboom’s #spekonnect campaign is not greenwashing, not preaching, it’s a campaign that lets the #spekboom speak.If we give our #spekboom a voice, we give our earth a voice.
The earth does not need us, we need the earth, we need the #spekboom.
Manifesto
What is our nation without the spekboom?
A nation without the spekboom is a nation without connection.
A severed seam between the soil and indigenous species.
A hungry elephant, a herd suddenly unheard of.
Inner city suffocating, smoky skies, unable to recycle sinister greenhouse gasses.
A void between past lives and future stories.
The spekboom is life, connecting South Africa’s biomes, her people and their stories. It is a breath of fresh air in concrete jungles.
A rejuvenating bite in the blistering Karoo.
A chance for a future. It has seen many lifetimes, a bridge binding generations and connecting us to our ancestors.
Those who would rehydrate and treat wounds with the plant during and after the hunt.
The spekboom connects us to our past, our present, and our future.
Sharing pieces of the spekboom creates relationships, stories and the need for change.
The spekboom is sustainability.
We are vessels for sustainable change. WeSpekboom.
The department is super proud of you and of the other two StratComm groups who were finalists. The two groups had this to say about their nomination as finalists:
“Getting recognition from the New Generation Awards for a campaign created by women for women does not only mean a great start to our careers, it also means that we have it in us to
continue making a difference in the lives of South Africans because as Brigham Young once
said, “If you educate a man, you educate one person. If you educate a woman, you educate
a nation”. This is an opportunity we will forever be grateful for” – #ThandaUkuhlukahlukana HSFSA.
“We are super excited to be one of the finalists for the New Generation Overall Student Group of the Year Award. Being mentioned in this category is humbling, and we are happy to also represent the community of Riverside View Extension 68. We hope our efforts inspire others to bring positive environmental change to their communities, no matter how big or small.” – #AnchorYourCulture.
