masifunde's Changemaker Network National

masifunde's Changemaker Network has expanded nationwide, sparking change throug 1 000 young changemakers across 200 high schools. In close collaboration with 40 well-established Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), we work to inspire active citizenship in communities throughout the country. Our partner CSOs, each running their own impactful community development programmes, have undergone intensive training to ensure that the Changemaker Network is implemented with the highest level of quality and impact in their respective regions.

Together, we are empowering the next generation of changemakers.

The Changemaker Network model is a whole-of-school community intervention supporting the National Inclusive and Safer Schools Partnership (NISSP) of the National Department of Basic Education. The intervention activates, provides capacity and supports the role of local Department of Education and school communities at large: learners, educators, community, volunteers, stakeholders. This project has been implemented within the Eastern Cape, North West, Gauteng and Limpopo.

The programmes can help guide learners that may be exposed to or experiencing violence to find coping skills, positive behavioral support, or peer-to-peer education.

Our Reach In 2024:

Focus

The Changemaker Network focuses on the following topics:

School Safety: Understanding Violence
Prevention of Gender Based Violence
Environmental Awareness and Protection

Since 2023 the Changemaker's Network is being replicated to all nine provinces in South Africa.

Within these 9 provinces, Civil Society Organisations (CSO) have applied to become Implementation Partners and 5 were selected from each province to become implementation partners of the MCN. Each CSO works within 5 high-schools within their district. Thus, resulting in 40 districts and 25 schools per province, ultimately 200 schools nationwide. Thus, resulting in:

- 40 Civil Society Organisations

- 40 Districts

- 200 Schools

- 200 Educators

- 1000 Changemakers

- Up to 200 000 learners reached through campaigns

Spark Magazine Editions

Capacity building

Selected Civil Society Organizations are trained in a one-week capacity building workshop. District officials join the training and work together with representatives to develop school safety interventions.

Activation Workshops

A 45-minute Activation Workshop is facilitated to Grade 9 learners in selected high schools in the across the country to encourage them to see themselves as potential changemakers who can promote equality and raise awareness about issues of public concern. In the workshop, the learners elect two of their peers to represent their school as changemaker and attend the one-week training.

Virtual Changemaker Training

With support from masifunde CSO’s coordinate a hybrid training for the selected changemakers. This allows learners to learn more about being a changemaker and be trained on topics including school safety and bullying prevention, as well as meet other changemakers from other parts of south africa

Campaigning/Outreach

The changemakers then address their peers at the school’s assembly/ classrooms on the core topics they have been trained on. They share the knowledge they have learned through workshops, presentations, and art. They hand out the youth magazine SPARK to all learners in the school, as one of their primary acts as catalysts of positive change. The SPARK magazine is published for each of the topic, each with the content that the learners have been trained in and contributed towards.

Roleplayers in the Changemaker Network

Civil Society Organisations

Organisations are trained in a one-week training on the content of the changemaker network, facilitation skills, project management, relevant frameworks and policies so that they are equipped to implement the Changemaker Network program in their respective organisations and provinces

Changemakers

Changemakers are expected to advocate for environmental awareness and protection and implement community action projects relevant to this within their schools and communities. This is achieved through having campaigns and events to create awareness, share knowledge and skills necessary to stand up against presenting social issues.

District Officials and Teachers

Their role consists of supporting Civil Society Organisations (CSO’s) within the schools. They are trained alongside Civil Society Organisations (CSO’s) so that together they can align their visions for the implementation of MCN. Additionally, they provide guidance and support the implementation of all activities within the schools and with the learners including their campaigns and community action projects.

Partners