Making a difference

MAPELA – Miss Earth 2015 ambassador, Milanie Cilliers, visited the Tjitjila Secondary School in Ga-Matlou village last Wednesday as a Miss Earth ambassador. Cilliers participated in Generation Alive (a Moringa planting project from Destiny Alive under the GOLD (Generations of Leaders Discovered) programme.
Imogen van Wyk, GOLD project manager, says the programme aims to uplift communities and empower the youth to make a difference. The programme sees about 30 peer educators who actively participate in community developmental and educational programmes.
“The main role of the project is to invest in the youth and help them [through peer educators] reach their full potential and train them to make a difference and take this country forward,” says Van Wyk. “The purpose of today was to plant Moringa trees and for the peer educators to fulfil their role to  equip them to be leaders in the community. This was a demonstration to live out change, something as small as planting a tree can make a difference.”
The main duties of peer educators is to act as role models. “This programme is a tool to encourage a positive mindset and to help the young generation to make informed choices, we educate them [the peer educators] about relationships, self-esteem, self-development, communication and proper values,” adds Van Wyk.
Peer educator Natasha Thobakgale says the programme highlights self-development skills and provides education about environmental issues that affect the community.
Cilliers said that the programme is an advantage when it comes to educating  young people about environmental issues and the importance of becoming ‘earth warriors’.
The Miss Earth SA competition is a woman leadership programme,” said Cilliers.