Ricky Jacobs, our Hardap Regional Coordinator, was one of the participants in the Residential Activist School on Climate Justice hosted by Economic and Social Justice Trust (ESJT), held from 06 – 12 April 2025 at Elim Training Centre, Okahandja, Namibia. The week-long program brought together 25 young post-school activists from across Namibia, focusing on climate justice, extractivism, leadership, and social change strategies. This highly interactive initiative created a dynamic learning and motivational environment to build the knowledge, resilience, and advocacy skills of youth leaders.
From his participation, Ricky highlighted a few observations, noting that, through this initiative, the Youth from Hardap gained exposure to climate justice narratives beyond their local context, enhancing their perspective. Hence, follow-up activities are already being planned to replicate some of the methodologies learned, such as the Gallery Walk and World Café model. He added that the event rekindled a spirit of activism in quieter regions and gave regional participants the confidence to lead and mobilise locally.
The Residential Activist School was a highly successful initiative in building a stronger, more informed, and deeply motivated network of youth activists in Namibia. The training combined rigorous knowledge-building with emotionally engaging activities, creative expression, and strategic action planning. Ricky said that, as a participant and regional coordinator, he left feeling energised and equipped to take the lessons forward into his work in Hardap and beyond.
