About Us
About our Organisation
Cultural Connections is a non-profit organisation working in coastal Tsitsikamma, Garden Route and Pearston, Karoo, South Africa. We enable collaborations for ecological/human restoration, socio-cultural integration and holistic education.
This we do through Sophakama in Pearston, where we support teacher development with supplementary teachers in schools who assist with extra literacy and teaching. We run and support a gender based peace group, creative science programmes, an Eco Youth Circle, dance club, extra homework and reading, food garden and land restoration at the Sophakama Club.
We connect this work with Bushman’s Pillow in Tsitsikamma through an Eco Youth Circle, land restoration, and space for camps, events and accommodation.
We bring youth from these areas who are part of the Eco Youth Circles together through camps, and organise exchanges with Reed’s School in the UK.
About our Organisation
Cultural Connections is a non-profit organisation working in coastal Tsitsikamma and Pearston, Karoo, South Africa. We enable collaborations for ecological/human restoration, socio-cultural integration and holistic education.
This we do through Sophakama in Pearston, where we support teacher development, creative science, an Eco Youth Circle, dancing, food growing and land restoration at the Pearston Club.
We connect this work with Bushman’s Pillow in Tsitsikamma where we support an Eco Youth Circle, land restoration, and offer the space for camps, events and accommodation.
We also bring youth together from these towns through a nature based life orientation programme as part of the Eco Youth Circles.
Cultural Connections aligns with:
Our Culture
Our organisational culture aims to create a working environment that is conducive for personal growth, safe expression of feelings and opinions, respect for ourselves, others and our environments. We celebrate and motivate each other rather than act jealous, we ask questions and do not assume, and we speak truth, valuing honesty. We promote a more horizontal, self-management style of operating with distributed decision making, rethinking our systems for self-organisation, higher purpose and wholeness.
We also question aspects of culture with the fast changing times we live in. Our logo, the Sankofa bird (borrowed from the Akan people of Ghana), reminds us to take from the past what is good, and bring it into the present for positive progress. That which no longer serves us stays in the past. Between all our diversity, we are finding a united voice.
Our People
The flower represents our organogram, depicting our board, acting as our sounding board at the core, followed by our internal systems team who handle the coordination, finances, administration, reporting and social media, linking this with all our programmes on the ground in each petal. Our research and development team in the stem brings inspiration from others on the ground that we can possibly learn from, and also write about our own work that others can learn from.
Above is a photo of us at our annual January Gathering in 2023. With some absent, and some who moved on to other jobs, you will still be able to put a face to some of the names. We will add an updated picture after our 2025 annual gathering.
From top left – Tim, Layla, Marno, Chevon, Xolisa, Zoyisile, Girswin, Deona, Mishca, Ntombisizwe, Delishia, Melanisa, Marushka, Kayline, Tine, Pumla –
from bottom left – Alicia, Carla, Khanyisa, Jen, Nella, Chantal, Michelle, Thabisa. Not present – Ted, Ninnette, Rifqah, Jimmy, Nosiphiwo, Vuyelwa, Tyra and Angelique
Our Collaborators
