Atlantis Renewable Energy Challenge: Building resilient youth in Atlantis, South Africa

The Atlantis Renewable Energy Challenge (AREC) is an annual non-curriculum inter-school competition for junior and high school students in Atlantis, South Africa. Launched in 2016 by GreenCape and the City of Cape Town, the programme aims to combat high youth unemployment by exposing learners to the renewable energy sector and the opportunities provided by the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ). The competition has evolved from a high-school pilot to include junior schools and diverse themes—ranging from wind and solar energy to community murals—to engage students across various disciplines, including the arts. By 2019, participation grew to 389 students from 14 schools. The programme focuses on fostering creativity, teamwork, and career guidance to prepare youth for a changing global economy and the local growth of green technology manufacturing.

• The Atlantis Renewable Energy Challenge (AREC) aims to build resilience in youth by introducing them to the green economy and renewable energy sector to prepare them for future employment opportunities in Atlantis.
• The Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ), designated in June 2018 and launched in December 2018, is a greentech manufacturing hub intended to regenerate the area and is projected to create 1,200 direct jobs by 2022.
• High unemployment is a systemic issue in South Africa, with a national youth unemployment rate of 39%, which is more than 10% higher than the national average of 27.5%.
• The AREC has seen significant growth in participation, expanding from 20 high school participants in 2016 to 389 total participants (303 junior and 86 high school) from 14 schools in 2019.
• The programme's effectiveness was improved by expanding the scope of the competition to include non-science disciplines, such as the arts through the 2019 mural theme, and by reducing the resource requirements for participating schools.
• The AREC builds economic resilience through four primary mechanisms: providing skills development and career guidance, encouraging innovation and creativity, promoting teamwork, and aligning youth vision with the global response to climate change.

APA

GreenCape (2019). Atlantis Renewable Energy Challenge: Building resilient youth in Atlantis, South Africa. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape_Resilience-Case-Study-2_Skills_AREC_30-09-2019-3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Atlantis Renewable Energy Challenge: Building resilient youth in Atlantis, South Africa. 2019. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape_Resilience-Case-Study-2_Skills_AREC_30-09-2019-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Atlantis Renewable Energy Challenge: Building resilient youth in Atlantis, South Africa |date=2019 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape_Resilience-Case-Study-2_Skills_AREC_30-09-2019-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2019atlantis, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Atlantis Renewable Energy Challenge: Building resilient youth in Atlantis, South Africa}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2019}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape_Resilience-Case-Study-2_Skills_AREC_30-09-2019-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }