Youth Empowerment for Sustainability.(YES) Program.

Changemaker: Rokunda Lukoto

Country of implementation: South Africa

To achieve our vision of developing globally relevant changemakers from underserved communities, our YES (Youth Empowerment for Sustainability) Program will host a structured three-year series of workshops, camps, and summits aligned with the SDGs and the RobustWorx values of Innovation, Empowerment, and Transformation. Informed by the successful implementation of financial and digital literacy programs in the UK, particularly PwC’s UK Schools Curriculum which we will adapt to suit the South African context and delivering foundational Financial and Digital Literacy workshops in 2026 to our first cohort of 20 Grade 10 learners.

These sessions will be delivered through interactive bootcamps, in-person group projects, and digital toolkits. Inspired by Scotland’s global sustainability education efforts through Scotdec, learners will also engage with sustainability modules, helping them apply the Global Goals to their local realities. In Grade 11 (2027), learners will participate in advanced design thinking workshops using the Global Changemakers Toolkit, developing prototypes for solutions to community challenges and applying the Financial and Digital literacy workshops knowledge and also building on it through that application. By Grade 12 (2028), the program will evolve to include industry-aligned workshops delivered by emerging partners such as Education Ally, ThinkShift, and others we are building relationships within the coding, robotics, and AI space.

These sessions are designed to enhance relevance, digital fluency, and future readiness as learners move toward implementation and entrepreneurship. The final stage is the YES Summit, where students will pitch their refined projects for funding and collaboration opportunities to simulate real-world enterprise developments. Each activity, from the workshops, camps to the final Summit will be scaffolded to reflect increasing academic and practical complexity, ensuring personal growth, academic enrichment, and measurable community impact. This holistic approach mirrors progressive education models from first-world countries, while remaining deeply grounded in the urgent and unique needs of South African youth today.