The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) is a Canadian federal programme, supporting high-risk, high-reward, interdisciplinary and international research. The South African project emphasises eco-pedagogy, Indigenous knowledge and community-based approaches to climate adaptation.
The workshop on the NFRF Action Learning Set (ALS) brought together participants from Mandela University (Education, Law, Architecture, AEON, and CCT), the University of the Western Cape, the HSRC (Human Sciences Research Council) and community partners, including Graslaagte Primary School in Humansdorp and Hofmeyer ECD (Early Childhood Development.
The gathering also included First Nations leaders and partner organisations, such as the Association for Persons with Disabilities (APD), Silombethe, UME Visuals and Cynthia Mpati of the Dexter and Matu Zama Academy.
The workshop enabled reflection and planning for 2026, with participants mapping progress and identifying priorities to strengthen implementation across project strands.
New collaborators enriched the engagement, including Ms Mpati, an elder knowledge holder from rural KwaZulu-Natal. Her beading practice preserves and transmits Indigenous knowledge, serving as a living archive of memory, identity, and lineage.
Llewellyn Breda from UME Visuals, a youth videographer and entrepreneur from a First Nations community, and Lilanga Soginga of Silombethe, a youth actress and storyteller also contributed. Their involvement strengthened intergenerational dialogue, creative expression and youth participation, thereby connecting ancestral knowledge with contemporary narratives.
The project’s strands focus on school eco-gardens and Indigenous knowledge, Living Classrooms and STEM learning, youth and intergenerational storytelling, parent and community entrepreneurship and digital innovation and archives. These collectively advance education, sustainability and community development.
Overall, the workshop and engagement marked a key moment of consolidation as the project enters its next phase, reinforcing participatory, collaborative approaches and strengthening coordination across its work.