Nthabiseng Masinge, 30, works at the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC). Here she manages the PCC’s digital media to communicate the importance of climate change and the just energy transition to South Africans through informative content such as the Just Transition Framework. She recently managed the PCC’s Youth Perspectives Series (YPS), which showed the lessons the youth have learned and opinions they have formed from first-hand experience or research on climate change issues. The YPS produced a booklet containing essays written by 15 young climate activists, who are emerging as just transition-shapers and future change-makers. “Being part of the YPS project meant that I was exposed to other young people (mostly black and female) who are passionate about climate change.” She is working on the National Climate Action and Just Transition Awareness campaign. It aims to demystify claims and false information about climate change, as well as to educate various strata of society about the real effects of climate change. She says they seek to encourage the public to take action to mitigate the effects of climate change while ensuring resilient structures against its effects are built.
Bachelor of Information Science Specialising in Publishing, University of Pretoria
I recently project managed the Presidential Climate Commission’s youth perspectives series (YPS). The series emanates from a call for abstracts by young people on the just transition. Fourteen essay abstracts were selected for the series, drawing on lessons the youth have learned and opinions they have drawn from first-hand experiences and/or research. The end product was a booklet featuring essays written by 15 South African youths, climate activists, emerging just transition shapers and future change makers.
Being part of the YPS project meant that I was exposed to other young people (mostly black and female) who are passionate about climate change and making their voices heard in the transition. I had a firsthand look into the impact the PCC has had in its three years of existence in shaping the minds of young people from different walks of life.
I also learnt that young people are powerful and knowledgeable beyond measure. The project was meant to introduce the just transition to young people, only to find that we already know about it, we merely needed an outlet to express our perspectives on it.
One of the first women I identified as a professional mentor was Zama Ndlovu, she is a Communicator, co-founder of Youth Lab and author of “A bad black’s manifesto”. She taught me to never think small and that my thoughts were valid. Through her, I had an example of how young people can effect change in the policy space instead of merely being tokens.