EM Day 2019 at Blyde Adventure Camp
Written by: EM Management Team
The environmental monitors (EM) programme is an expanded public works programme (EPWP) that is funded by the Department of Environment Forest and Fisheries (DEFF) on a three-year cycle. This is a national programme with an estimate number of 1500 EMs across South Africa. The K2C has been implementing the EM programme for the past 6 years and currently sitting with 306 EMs placed with 31 host institution and working in 74 communities both in Limpopo and Mpumalanga province. The EMs are applied into 3 categories: security/reserved based, community based and research.
Around this time every year K2C hosts one of its biggest events called the K2C EM Day. Since the EMs are spread out in the landscape and almost never cross paths unless working on similar projects or neighbours. The EM day is the one day where all the EMs come together and celebrates their efforts applied throughout the year. It is also an opportunity to learn about the other projects that the EMs are implementing, networking, and seeing the big picture of the EM programme as a whole and most importantly have fun.
This year in May a new batch of Environmental Monitors were recruited for the 2019 – 2022 financial year. With only 8 months into the programme this year’s EM day was focused around team building. The event was hosted on the 06th of December 2019 at the Blyde Adventure Camp. The event was attended by 200 environmental monitors together with some friends of the K2C and partners from Sabie sands, WWF-Khetha, Sanparks-BSP, EWT and SAWC.
At the 3rd station the ems were given tires and planks to use to build a bridge that can carry all the group participants across without touching the ground. The team the crosses first withh all their members and all the material used to build the bridge wins. The forth station was what was called the “radio active wire” which envolved getting all the members in your team to the other side over the wire without touching, if one team member touches it the whole teeam must start over again.
The environmental monitors (EM) programme is an expanded public works programme (EPWP) that is funded by the Department of Environment Forest and Fisheries (DEFF) on a three-year cycle. This is a national programme with an estimate number of 1500 EMs across South Africa. The K2C has been implementing the EM programme for the past 6 years and currently sitting with 306 EMs placed with 31 host institution and working in 74 communities both in Limpopo and Mpumalanga province. The EMs are applied into 3 categories: security/reserved based, community based and research.
Around this time every year K2C hosts one of its biggest events called the K2C EM Day. Since the EMs are spread out in the landscape and almost never cross paths unless working on similar projects or neighbours. The EM day is the one day where all the EMs come together and celebrates their efforts applied throughout the year. It is also an opportunity to learn about the other projects that the EMs are implementing, networking, and seeing the big picture of the EM programme as a whole and most importantly have fun. 
This year in May a new batch of Environmental Monitors were recruited for the 2019 – 2022 financial year. With only 8 months into the programme this year’s EM day was focused around team building. The event was hosted on the 06th of December 2019 at the Blyde Adventure Camp. The event was attended by 200 environmental monitors together with some friends of the K2C and partners from Sabie sands, WWF-Khetha, Sanparks-BSP, EWT and SAWC.
The Blyde Adventure team and their facilitators had put together a team building package that would challenge the EMs teamwork skills, get wet, face their fears and have fun at the same time. The 200 EMs were split into 10 groups of people in each, two groups would compete against each other in 5 stations. The first station was a water game where the ems were supposed to fill a 3metre long pipe with holes using small cups, the first team to complete wins.
The second station was a rope bridge with one string to walk on and the other to hold on to and four people from each team had to cross the river and swim back. This was one of the most loved activities as those that couldn’t swim also participated wearing a life jacket and an opportunity for a mini swimming lesson plan from one of the facilitator with canoe paddling next to the floating ems while the hippos watch from a distance which made it even more an adrenaline rush fun activity.
At the 3rd station the ems were given tires and planks to use to build a bridge that can carry all the group participants across without touching the ground. The team the crosses first withh all their members and all the material used to build the bridge wins. The forth station was what was called the “radio active wire” which envolved getting all the members in your team to the other side over the wire without touching, if one team member touches it the whole teeam must start over again.
The last station was a slingshot station, where all the ems had to shoot at the targets each with points written on them using paint balls while blind folded with the assistance of a mate giving you direction on where to aim.
At the end of the day the event was such a success loved and enjoyed by everybody. A big thanks and shout out to the Bylde Adventure Camp and their team, the K2C team and all the EMs with their hosts for making it possible for this day to take place. See you next year at the EM Day!
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