Student Leadership Retreat 2024 (SLR 2024)
It was an extraordinary privilege to resume our annual tradition following a significant hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, to once again host student chapter chairs from top South African Universities for the Student Leadership Retreat (SLR 2024). The three-day event, packed with dynamic and engaging activities, was a memorable experience that underscored our commitment to leadership development outside of the traditional classroom setting.
A vital component of SLR 2024 was fostering a network among leaders from diverse universities. This collaborative environment allowed chapter leaders to exchange ideas, experiences and reflections on their leadership journeys. The chapter representatives were a highly energised and impressive cohort who brought their unique worldviews to the dialogues and enriched the retreat’s positive outcomes – we truly appreciate the time they took to attend!
We were particularly privileged to have an array of esteemed speakers, including student chapter alumni who generously and authentically shared their personal leadership narratives. A heartfelt thank you goes to all the speakers whose contributions were pivotal to the success of this retreat. Your willingness to share your leadership journeys made a lasting impression on all attendees. We also hope to see more EWB-SA alumni and supporters joining the program for the 2025 Student Leadership Retreat.
As we turn our eyes to the future, we remain committed to providing a platform that empowers engineers to make meaningful impacts in communities. Plans are already underway for SLR 2025, where we aim to build upon the successes of this year’s retreat and continue nurturing the leaders who will shape our world tomorrow. In closing, we reiterate our gratitude to everyone involved in SLR 2024 and invite all participants to continue applying and spreading the invaluable insights gained during our time together.
Just Infrastructure Lab
The JIL Programme has had some significant developments on the projects in the portfolio. We are excited to share the following project updates.
CHANCE Children’s Home – Our Community Partner is preparing to be fully functional again after a period of limited operations. Our solar plant continues to support them during this time, by contributing to the energy needs for site renovations which are taking place underway on-site. We look forward to deepening our engagement and project impact as part of the home’s efforts to be fully operational again.
Kids Haven – We have reached the end of the concept generation phase in which solutions were proposed for the site’s water pressure issues. We are now in the process of selecting a service provider who will be responsible for the design-and-build activities for the solutions to be implemented. We are grateful to our Volunteer Technical Team, as well as our project architectural partner, whose inputs have been instrumental in driving the project progress to this stage.
Please follow the rest of the project updates on our EWB-SA social media platforms. Further information on how you can be involved with the projects will be shared in those updates.
Engineering for People Design Challenge
The Engineering for People Design Challenge 2024 is currently in full swing, with students from seven universities in South Africa tackling real-world engineering problems. Pu Ngaol, Cambodia, is the location of the current Design Challenge, where community members have shared their experiences and challenges of living in a remote forested village. These real-life case-studies help students to learn how to design for real communities in a safe environment. This challenge continues to inspire innovative and sustainable solutions, fostering collaboration and creativity among participants. For the 2025 Design Challenge, research into the Makers Valley (Johannesburg, South Africa) area and community has been completed, setting the stage for the next round of impactful projects.
In addition to this, we’re excited to announce the pilot of a new local design challenge called BambaSonke, which aims to engage and empower university students on a smaller scale, to create solutions for real-life communities, specifically focused on a communities in South Africa.
EWB-SA Board Expansion
We express our gratitude to all the exceptional applicants who have applied to fill the board vacancies. The quality of candidates received has exceeded our expectations, making the selection process quite challenging.
We will announce our new board members promptly once the recruitment process is finalised. Your interest and enthusiasm for contributing to our organisation are sincerely appreciated, and we look forward to welcoming the talented individuals who will join our board. Thank you to all who have shown interest in being part of our esteemed team
Subscribe to this newsletter to get more updates.
