“African Renaissance Productions” (ARP) is a young production company based in Cape Town, South Africa. ARP takes an approach to film making which combines the long tradition of African story telling with Western-film making techniques. ARP works with a variety of clients including NGO's, government institutions, corporate clients, advertisement agencies and broadcasters. Since its creation in 2005, ARP has been specialised mainly in the production of reality TV series and nature documentaries. In 2009, ARP decided to dedicate more time to the promotion of environmental sustainability in the Western Cape region of South Africa. African Renaissance Productions is committed to making films in a way that involves partnerships with and full participation of the communities concerned, as well as respect for their intellectual property rights and sustainability of the environment.

The GLEN participants work with ARP in the field of social and internet media as well as terrestrial broadcasting of the weekly edition of “Nature” on community TV. ARP runs media platforms to promote environmental sustainability focusing on the Western Cape. The work and activities of many environmental and social non-governmental organisations are documented and promoted on these platforms.

The GLEN interns work closely with environmental NGO’s to generate content to upload onto the media platforms. Currently ARP is working together with “World Wildlife Fund” (WWF), “Peace Parks”, “Conservation International” (CI) or “Endangered Wildlife Trust” (EWT). With the support of WWF, South Africa interns will be able to showcase local environmental stories. Stories like those of local people affected by climate change will be captured on video and uploaded on social media and broadcast platforms to promote awareness.

Participants gain hands-on experiences in working with community groups and NGOs. They accompany the “Beyond Expectations Environmental Project” (BEEP) on a trail to gain an understanding for community environmental education.

Applicants for this internship should have basic filming or editing skills and some experience in webdesign. The participants are expected to be open-minded, creative and self-reliant. They should have a strong interest in environmental and social questions.

The scheduled time for the internship is August to October 2010.

The training and preparation seminars before the internship take place in English. The GLEN team will be composed of one German/Swiss and one Estonian participant. In order to strengthen the Baltic sea cooperation, German applications from Hamburg are particularly welcome.

Proposed by: Michael Raimondo (African Renaissance Productions)

The Cape Flats area in Cape Town is largely populated by economic refugees from previous Apartheid homelands. New arrivals in Cape Town are officially estimated to be 1200 per month. Unemployment figures show rates of 30-40 per cent. “Abalimi Bezekhaya” (AB) is an NGO working to empower the disadvantaged people in this area through urban gardening and micro-farming. AB attempts to assist individuals and groups to alleviate poverty and create self-employment by growing food sustainably using organic methods, at home and in community gardens, and by planting water wise indigenous trees and flora in the gardens. The latter helps to transform the dune sands of the Cape Flats into a sustainable water wise urban environment. AB focuses especially on backyard gardening as it provides an easy and affordable way to have food for a family, but also to run small businesses on establishing markets.

The GLEN participants assist AB in continuing to develop and deliver a range of essential services and products in support for and to its target community. Each of the two GLEN participants support AB in one of the following fields. Firstly, the GLEN participants may work for the production of the annual/bi-annual newsletter and PR by summarizing and collecting Abalimi's work over the last year. They would interview inhabitants of the area, but also work on an administrative level, organising databases as well as reorganising the library and information needed to be an available resource for the employees and other members. Secondly, the participants can support the mapping and evaluation of existing projects in order to make the work of AB more sustainable. The GLEN participants may assist in the production planning for agricultural projects and programmes.

Depending on their preferences, they should bring expertise in one of these three areas. Good computer, communication, administrative, management and research skills are especially welcome. Abilities in and commitment for organic/bio-dynamic gardening and farming are an asset.

The scheduled time for the internship is 3 months between July and October 2010.

The training and preparation seminars before the internship take place in English. The GLEN team will be composed of one German/ Swiss and one French participant. In order to strengthen the cooperation of Hamburg and Nordrhein-Westfalen with South Africa, German applications from Hamburg and Nordrhein-Westfalen are particularly welcome.

Proposed by: Rob Small (AB)

The City of Cape Town is one of the largest metropolitan cities in South Africa, but also one of the most vulnerable and sensitive floral kingdoms. South Africa will become the sixteenth country and the first-ever African country to host the FIFA World Cup in 2010. The "2010 Greening Programme" is proposed specifically for the City of Cape Town as a way of reducing the impact of the football event on the city’s nature and people. The municipality undertook the Greening 2010 Programme to improve the environmental profile of Cape Town and manage the process of impact reduction. The city aims not only at greening the area through landscaping, restoring ecosystems and the creation of an urban park, but also at minimising the local and global environmental consequences of the World Cup and creating a positive legacy for citizens and visitors. However, the focus will be more on minimising its carbon footprint through energy and water efficiency measures, sustainable transport and waste management facilities, and on promoting sustainable lifestyles for citizens and visitors.

The GLEN participants assist the staff in one or more of the 41 Greening Programme projects. Given that the GLEN participants arrive towards the end of the World Cup event, the emphasis is more on review and analysis, although there will still be significant opportunity to be involved in certain legacy projects which will only start to come into their own after the event. The participants’ tasks include studies, internet research and interviews. The GLEN participants become part of the Host City Cape Town Green Goal team and participate fully in planning and review meetings. More specific actions and tasks will be identified and implemented in Cape Town: they will be linked up to the current situation and requirements as defined closer to the time.

The GLEN participants are based at the municipal “Environmental Resource Management Department” (ERMD) with access to all relevant office equipment and support. They form an integral part of the ERMD team for the duration of their stay and also work closely with other volunteers and interns.

The scheduled time for the internship is three months between July and October 2010.

The training and preparation seminars before the internship take place in English. The GLEN team will be composed of one German/Swiss and one Maltese/Slovenian participant. In order to strengthen the cooperation of Hamburg and Nordrhein-Westfalen with South Africa, German applications from Hamburg and Nordrhein-Westfalen are particularly welcome.

Proposed by: Stephen Granger, Mohammed Faaiz Adams (ERM)

Fair trade is a fast growing movement in South Africa. Given this rapid growth, sustainability and effective networking among the involved stakeholders is very important. The ultimate beneficiaries of fair trade are small-scale farmers and farm workers. However, they lack opportunities and power to engage in the governance of the fair trade system.

The “Environmental Monitoring Group” (EMG) was established in 1992. EMG is involved in facilitating debates, research and actions to bring about a better relationship between the people and the natural environment. Focus issues include rural development and water resource management. EMG works especially on building the capacity of small groups and networks to take action on environmental and developmental issues that concern them. Thus, it helps small-scale farmers and farm workers to make better use of fair trade as a vehicle for development. In 2005, EMG helped to establish a network of fair trade beneficiaries, the "Association for Fairness in Trade" (AFIT). AFIT serves as a platform to coordinate networking processes and training for small-scale farmers and farm workers. Current and planned activities include training, cross-visits, newsletters, publications, lobbying and advocacy.

The GLEN participants assist in preparing trainings for beneficiaries, support in logistics and research. In addition to that, GLEN participants can work on promotion and information material such as newsletters, articles, interviews and other publications.

GLEN participants are expected to have knowledge about fair trade practices and policies within Europe, a basic understanding of global development issues and some experience in working for non-profit organisations.

The scheduled time for the internship is three months between July and October 2010.

The training and preparation seminars before the internship take place in English. The GLEN team will be composed of one German/Swiss and one Maltese/ Slovenian participant. In order to strengthen the cooperation of Hamburg and Nordrhein-Westfalen with South Africa, German applications from Hamburg and Nordrhein-Westfalen are particularly welcome.

Proposed by: Stephen Law (EMG)

In the townships of Cape Town, childcare suffers from limited resources and a lack of qualified teachers. Since 1994, the "South African Education and Environment Project" (SAEP) has been engaged in improving the situation through education and life-skills training in some of Cape Town’s poorest informal settlements. Within its project “Early Childhood Development”, SAEP is supporting 10 township "crèches" (pre-school centres) to become fully functioning early childhood development centres offering quality pre-school education and care for children aged 0 to 6 years. Besides its commitment to day care, pre-school preparation and supervised play, SAEP´s Early Childhood Development Programme offers coaching and support for staff and principals of the centres. In its function as a link between individuals and organisations who want to help young children, SAEP provides support and training in the fields of fundraising, administration, financial planning, management, publicity, First Aid as well as HIV/Aids prevention.

The GLEN participants have to fit into the daily programme of SAEP and the pre-schools and rely on the local staff for language (Xhosa) in order to communicate with the children. There are many possibilities for them to get active within SAEP. Depending on the GLEN participants’ skills, preferences and ideas, a suitable internship will be tailored to them. Tasks could include the organisation of maintenance or renovation work at the pre-schools, general fundraising, curriculum development, pre-school teaching of the children, as well as training of the staff in educational topics, hygiene and health, administration or computer and fundraising matters.

The project is run in Philippi, an informal settlement outside of Cape Town, where all the pre-schools are located. The administrative offices are located near the university in town.

The GLEN participants should bring good organisational skills as well as experience in one or more of the above mentioned fields. A valid driving licence would be an asset.

The scheduled time for the internship is August to October 2010.

The training and preparation seminars before the internship take place in English. The GLEN team will be composed of one German/Swiss and one Maltese/Slovenian participant. In order to strengthen the cooperation of Hamburg and Nordrhein-Westfalen with South Africa, German applications from Hamburg and Nordrhein-Westfalen are particularly welcome.

Proposed by: Isabel Babenschneider (GLEN participant 2007)