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Lapalala Wilderness School
From humble beginnings more than 30 years ago, our school has grown into a beacon of conservation, sustainability, education and hope for the future. Our vision is to help the children and youth of our nation to discover the true value of the biodiversity of the natural world and our place within it, and to identify and nurture Africa’s future conservation champions.
+27 82 887 3912
lws@lwschool.org Go to lwschool.org“We consider it an immense privilege to have the opportunity to instil a passion for nature in the hearts of young people and it is our hope that by doing so, we are playing a part in creating a better future for all South Africans, our country, and the planet.” Founder & Patron Clive Walker
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The Lapalala Wilderness School was established in 1981, and is today widely recognised as a centre of excellence for its environmental education programmes that continue to be enthusiastically received by primary and secondary schools right up to university students already specialising in aspects of the conservation and management of biodiversity.The identification and nurturing of the country’s future conservation champions and leaders is the essence of our mission. This is a vitally important task that is being driven by a talented team of educators, all of whom are committed to the teaching of environmental conservation as an essential prerequisite for ensuring a sustainable future for the people of Africa and for the continent’s extraordinary celebration of biodiversity.
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Centre-Based Environmental Education Programme
At the heart of the Lapalala Wilderness School offering is our three- to five-day centre-based Environmental Education (EE) Programme. This formal learning experience caters for children and young adults from all cultural and economic backgrounds and is attended by an average of 3 000 learners per year, most of whom are introduced to the programme by our local partner communities … view more
Outreach Programme
As part of our commitment to raising awareness of the benefits of environmental sustainability amongst our surrounding rural communities, Lapalala Wilderness School offers various free programmes for groups of learners from community schools. Through the generosity of various donors all accommodation, food, transport and learning activities are provided free of charge to learners from these schools. Outreach Programme activities typically focus on the further development of Sustainable Schools in the area … view more
Teacher Training Programme
The programme focuses on guiding and helping educators from disadvantaged schools in both the rural and urban environments of Limpopo and Gauteng on the ways in which to bring environmental education into their classrooms in an engaging and effective way … view more
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Youth Development Programme
Our Youth Development Programme has been designed to identify and mentor young, underprivileged or marginalised individuals with a desire to pursue a career in conservation and/or environmental education. The programme focuses particularly on black children who live in rural areas in close proximity to the school, and who have previously participated in one of our centre-based environmental education programmes … view more
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Tertiary Level
With support from the Lapalala Wilderness Reserve, we continue to play an important role in the provision of practical components of the tertiary groups who are in the field of conservation. They involve both Diplomas and Certificates in Nature Conservation from Centurion Academy, and BSc (Honours) from UNISA … view more
Internships
Since 2010, Lapalala Wilderness School has offered a range of three-month and one-year internships for university students that want to enhance their education and gain practical experience in a true wilderness environment. Interns are exposed to all aspects of management of both the school anf the Lapalala Wilderness reserve … view more
