DIPCO UCT 2016

02/08/2016

01/08/2016

Thank you all for attending! Photos of the event will be ready soon. If you haven't received your certificate for the event just inbox us or send us an email.

30/07/2016

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26/07/2016

Racial segregation may be a thing of the past, but inequality is still something of great significance in South Africa.

Inequality is most deeply felt within our schools. This is because an equal education is the basic foundation of any economy, and without it, the rest of the economy’s structures fall. It is a never ending cycle which is reminiscent of colonialism and contempt. Schools which fell under white jurisdiction are still much better kept than schools which fell under coloured jurisdiction. Although statistics show that some public schools don’t fall too far behind from their expensive private counterparts, the problem lies in the fact that not all public schools fall under the same bracket of competency. In fact, 80% of government-funded schools are doing poorly.

Of course, the reason for this is not only because of a lack of resources and the high ratio of students per teacher. One also has to take into account things like HIV/Aids, pregnancy, cultural practices and historical privilege. During Apartheid, the reason that people of colour had less potential to become what a white person could become was because of the kind of education which was held back from the people of colour.

Our only option to empower the next generation is to educate them. As a well known Tibetan proverb states, “a child without education, is like a bird without wings”.

25/07/2016

"We are fortunate to be living in the most peaceful era in human history" a phrase that is near impossible to believe when each day brings with it fresh wounds of a human race that is ill with violence, cross cultural hate stemming from deep misunderstanding, justice systems that silence the voices of the oppressed and institutions that find accountability with none but themselves.

Peace finds itself at the roots of which all stems of society may grow- with unstable and ill roots how do we expect any growth? In order for us to move forward as a society that seeks to progress and grow, the foundations of peace must first be planted in the forms of equal access to justice through accountable institutions that serve to protect ALL. Voices need to be amplified by being given a stage by those that enjoy luxuries of wider audiences, institutions must be held accountable for their shortcomings and inactivity, and frames of inclusivity must be adopted- how are we to help those that are most vulnerable if we have not heard them first?

Peace should not be a luxury. Being heard should not be a luxury. Justice should not be a luxury.

I stand for peace for all. I stand with the do YOU?

09/07/2016

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09/07/2016

Venue confirmed!
Snape TS2B! :D

08/07/2016

05/07/2016

Meet Lauren O'Donnell

She is a co-founder and the Managing Director of Greenpop.

With a passion for people, she spends her days encouraging individuals from all walks of life to be active citizens and get active (not anxious) about the future of our planet.

As the Managing Director of Greenpop, she is continually looking for ways to run an organisation differently, more organically and yet also professionally. She studied BA(LAW) and then a postgraduate in Education and ha a passion for out-the-box teaching and experiential education.

She was selected to speak at the Falling Walls conference in Johannesburg in 2012 and was the winner of the Enterprise Elevator pitch event in Cape Town in 2013. In addition, she has spoken at the Green Building Council Conference, Pecha Kucha evenings, COP 17, World Forestry Conference in Durban, various schools and universities and other events.

05/07/2016

The image of the thick black smog of the first steam trains, and the widespread technological advancement that followed, from the discovery of radio waves right down to the advent of the first cell-phone serves as one of the first great symbols for human innovation and progress. The events of the last three hundred years have generally followed this upward trend of development, albeit at a great cost.

One of the salient questions of our times has not been that of development per se, but rather of sustainability. The wild and fast consumption of the world’s natural resources at the genesis of the modern era, at first perceived as unparalleled sagacity is now widely understood to be at the root of major contemporary issues such as global warming, deforestation, the extinction of wildlife and the destruction of a number of ecosystems. There is perhaps no greater non-human threat to us and future generations than the climate and/or environmental changes that have begun to plague our planet. An even more disturbing assertion is that because the cause has been entirely human, so too is its solution, whether we choose to accept that or not.

There has never been an era in which the need for a coordinated climate and environmental plan of action was this important, and more especially, urgent. The question at hand now is not whether humankind has the CAPABILITY to reach yet new heights in technology and development, but of the diminishing CAPACITY of the home we all share. The time to act is now, and not a moment later.

and

- Thando Ndita

03/07/2016

Meet Mr Mfanozelwe Shozi, the Chairperson of the Commission for Gender Equality.

Commissioner Shozi is the Chairperson of the CGE. He has a Masters in Community Development from University of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as a Bachelor of Technology in Business Administration from Technikon South Africa. Commissioner Shozi has a strong background in Human Rights with specific reference to Gender Equality, Adult Education and Community Development. He worked for a number of NGOs that were involved in Adult Basic Education in the 1990s. Mr. Shozi joined the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) IN 2002 as a Provincial Coordinator for KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga Provinces. He worked for the Department of Correctional Services as a Chairperson in the Durban Supervision and Parole Board. Mr. Shozi worked with various organizations in KwaZulu-Natal promoting gender, justice and democracy. He holds the following Chairpersonships apart from the CGE: Audit Committee at CEBISA Bank, KwaZulu-Natal Men’s Forum, and St Aidanis Hospital Board. He is Deputy Chairperson of the Domestic Violence Assistance Programme and Member of the Equality Review Committee (Department of Justice and Constitutional Development). Commissioner Shozi sits on Human Resources, Finance, Strategy Planning and Good Governance Committees of the CGE.

02/07/2016

Gender Equality has been a topic of concern for as long as anyone can remember. Most of the global population have become so desensitised to the plight of women that major issues seem normal and okay in the eyes of the majority.

Yes, women and men are gentically different but this does not mean they should be treated differently or unequally. Your gender should not determine your goals, your job, your achievements or your level of family planning. However, the society we live in instills traditional gender roles and stereotypes from a young age in a child's mind. Children who do not fit the idea of these stereotypes are labelled as strange, weird and even dangerous. This society perpetuates gender violence and a lack of respect to women as well as non-binary groups.

We listen to music, watch movies and play games where men disrespect the integrity of women or where other women diminish their own strength and achievements to please men.

There are still areas in the world where young girls are not allowed to attend school, learn to drive, get a good job or even choose their significant other. Girls are scared to go to school whilst on their period because men are embarrassed by one of the most natural things. Girls are accused of being at fault when r***d or s*xually assaulted. Girls are forced into marriage, into s*x, into submission. These are scary things that nobody wants to bring up in a normal conversation. These are things many have nightmares about. But, these are issues that many women around the world face everyday.

These are global issues that we should not be afraid to speak about. We should find solutions to solve these problems instead of brushing it away because it does not seem like real issues in our lives.

Ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls is a basic human right.Treating all genders equally is a basic human right.