People and Conservation
SANParks Junior Rangers
The Junior Honorary Rangers Orientation Course was created in 2001 in response to the requests of participants who attended the Imbewu course and established clubs in their respective schools or communities. It is a joint effort of the SANParks Honorary Rangers, Imbewu management and the University of South Africa.
So far 70 percent of the participants are from previously disadvantaged communities and 54 percent are female. They have to organize themselves in groups of at least 20 candidates.
The focus of the 6 to 9 month nature course is to provide youth with knowledge, skills and positive attitudes, so that they will be able to help SANParks and their own communities. The Junior Honorary Rangers Orientation Course is a distance learning course. The training package consists of an interactive workbook, a one-day practical workshop, a portfolio and a practical group project based on another environmental course – for example a cleaning campaign or a course about indigenous names of local trees and their uses.
You can read more on the SANParks Junior Ranger here.