It is generally agreed that the fastest way to stop the continued and almost methodical decimation of our youth is to get them employed. But all the data proves that not enough has been done and things are getting worse. The woman-run nonprofit company, Goedverwacht Awakens, has noted the drastic lack of jobs for those raising our next generation and in response launched a project that will create almost 60 jobs in six months.
The job creation project is called Project Seven Gen, based on the Seven Generations Principle that asks us to consider how our actions will affect our relatives in 150 years – and also how our ancestors 150 years ago would have acted. The project will incubate six startups in Phase One that we’ve grouped into two clusters.
The first three are a coffee shop, farmstall and catering service that will operate from Raaswater Resort, near Piketberg. The coffee shop and farmstall will operate with the theme of “embracing the past and future to create a now that is relevant and meaningful”. The second three are a marketing agency, tour operator and event management company. These will also be based at Raaswater but operate remotely as needed.
To get started funds are needed to kit out the coffee shop and farm stall, get the tools to run a small marketing agency and cover the wages, operating costs and stock for the first six months. The fundraising target is R445 300 but they have already started doing what they can. Your backing will be invested in projects that are expected to make a profit – the money will keep working.
Goedverwacht Awakens runs an international award-winning homestay and cultural experience. This experience will help the tour operating business work closely with the local communities to develop and market tours with a special focus on the small towns. As the Cradle of Human Culture, tourists will be invited to experience and explore the places where humans created art for the first time. With the descendants of those humans.
Goedverwacht Awakens is also the host of the annual Snoek en Patat Fees which is 25 in 2025. Large events have a measurable impact on the local economy. The Fees was launched in 2000 to bring much-needed tourism spending into the area and is now going through an upgrade to become a major economic stimulant and a flagship event of the West Coast.
The current team have volunteered their time to get the project started and has committed to at least 12 months of their time to deliver this project. In Phase Two we are looking to add more social enterprises. In the pipeline are plans for a laundry and cleaning service, a last-mile delivery service and a brick-making factory.
There is a large working-age population that is reliant on social grants. This project is a pathway to economic opportunities and sustainable livelihoods for them. The target beneficiaries are unemployed youth with a focus on unemployed mothers. Project Seven Gen will also run outreach programmes and has already started working with local creches, on a swimming safety programme and on arts and culture projects amongst others.
For the first six months, they are expecting to rely on external funding aiming to reduce that reliance fully within two years. All supporters will be recognised as a patron and receive quarterly updates, special offers and special invitations. Back us here: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/project-seven-gen
About the Seven Generations Principal:
When making a life-changing decision have you ever stopped to think what your relatives would have done 150 years ago? Or how it will affect your relatives in 150 years? This is called the Seventh Generation Principle, our guiding principle and where we got our name – Project Seven Gen. An initiative of Goedverwacht Awakens, Project Seven Gen is a pathway to intergenerational equity.
Though the Seven Generations Principle doesn’t solve the challenges of intergenerational equity, it can serve as a tool or even a conceptual framework for how to tease apart the challenges of this topic. It encourages us to think of the connections between and among us and our environment, and to tread lightly and in solidarity.
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Author: Dylan James from Project Seven Gen on behalf of Goedverwacht Awakens.
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