16 June 2025
Nature, Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF) is proud to announce the onboarding of 38 local youth interns through its partnership with Wild Impact under the national Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative, as of 1 May 2025 (see image attached). This powerful collaboration is creating tangible employment opportunities while building skills and confidence among young South Africans.
As the country celebrates Youth Month this June, this initiative stands as a reminder of the importance of investing in the next generation of environmental leaders, filmmakers and community changemakers.
Originally planning for just 20 placements, NEWF expanded its intake to meet overwhelming demand from the communities of Sodwana Bay, Mbazwana, and surrounding areas. The interns have been placed across a variety of departments including administration, housekeeping, kitchen and catering, gardening and maintenance, dive training, lifeguarding, and media.
The internship programme launched with a transformative two-day induction led by Barbara Lawrence-Strydom, known affectionately as Aunty B, an experienced strategist, storyteller, and diversity practitioner. Her ‘Toolbox Experience’ workshop offered interns a powerful foundation rooted in African values, self-awareness, storytelling, and visioning for personal and community impact.
Having launched in 2018, the YES initiative is a public-private partnership designed to combat South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis. Through YES, corporates fund youth job opportunities which are implemented by partners like Wild Impact in collaboration with grassroots organisations like NEWF.
To date, Wild Impact, a key roleplayer as an implementation partner for the programme, has supported over 3,053 youth internship placements across South Africa with the help of 268 programme partners. This includes NEWF’s innovative work at its eKhaya Storytelling, Research and Dive Centre .
“Our growing team of interns is not only a reflection of the YES programme’s impact, but also of the deep desire within local communities to be a part of the NEWF movement,” said Pragna Parsotam-Kok, Co-founder and Executive Director of NEWF. “This work is as much about nurturing the next generation of conservation storytellers as it is about strengthening the local economy and building lasting community capacity,” she added.
“With our network of fellows and mentors offering their time to engage the interns in tailored workshops and programs over the next year, we look forward to deepening our commitment to the community in a meaningful way that represents our passionate theory of change,” said Noel Kok, Co-founder and Executive Director of NEWF.
Last year, four interns were placed at eKhaya through YES, with two – Lebo Mbuyazi and Nkosi Mthembu – now transitioning into formal employment as Manager-in-Training and Dive Instructor and Media Manager-in-Training, respectively. All four interns have since been retained in their respective roles.
Their engagement and advancement represents the impact and promise of this initiative, as NEWF continues to empower young people and amplify African voices in conservation and storytelling.
*Ends*
Media Enquiries:
Anneke Burns
NEWF Publicist
071 423 0079
anneke@abpr.co.za
About NEWF
Nature, Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF) is a platform committed to building a diverse, representative community of African conservation content creators. Through training, mentorship, funding, and internships, NEWF enables storytellers, scientists, and filmmakers to bring African perspectives to global environmental conversations. See more here: https://www.newf.co.za
About Wild Impact
Wild Impact is a registered YES implementation partner working to create thriving communities through equitable access to opportunity. Focused on education, enterprise development, conservation, and youth employment, Wild Impact builds sustainable futures through collaboration with corporates and grassroots organisations.
[Issued by abpr on behalf of NEWF]
Kind Regards,
AB