Xchange Connexion

23/12/2025

You may have noticed our social media has been quiet lately. That's because we've been busy with The Changemaker Project for Primary Schools at Westlake Primary School.

Over the past few months, our focus has been on doing the work rather than talking about it.

Working with learners.

Listening to teachers.

Learning what’s working—and what’s not.

Paying attention to what classrooms in our Primary Schools need to function well.

That time has given us clarity.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll share what we’ve learned:

The pressures teachers are carrying.

The realities of inclusive classrooms.

Why behaviour and stability are the foundations of learning

We’ll also be starting conversations about what’s next—and why this work matters as we plan for 2026.

Thank you for being here.

We’re ready to share again and we're excited about the plans and possibilities for 2026.

21/07/2025

A huge thank you to our amazing friends and partners for supporting our Mandela Day event!

This marks our 4th year of creating bottle tops for primary school learners, and we can’t wait to share the new resources with them in the coming weeks.

We’re so proud to collaborate with our Xchange Connexion Network partners—not just for Mandela Day, but all year round! Together with Premier Security, RAV Rent A Vehicle, Tokai Library and Westlake United Church Trust and Sharing Our Ubuntu Legacy, we continue to work on the Changemaker Project for Primary Schools.

Here’s to making a difference, one step at a time!

15/07/2025

This Mandela Day, why not make your 67 minutes count? 💛 We've partnered with Sharing Our Ubuntu Legacy and Tokai Library for our annual bottle top event!

Together, we’ll prepare bottle tops that help create literacy and numeracy resources for the learners in Westlake. Let’s make a difference, one bottle top at a time!

07/04/2025

We’re teaming up with Sharing Our Ubuntu Legacy to run a marshmallow egg drive for the young changemakers at Westlake Primary School.

Last term, our young Changemakers learned all about recycling, and this term, they’ll be putting that knowledge into action. To celebrate their hard work, we’d love to reward them with some sweet treats!

Want to help? Donate towards the campaign or drop off some eggs.

31/03/2025

Great to see Westlake Primary School's Changemakers in the newspaper again! https://constantiabergbulletin.co.za/news/2025-03-26-westlake-primary-embraces-environmental-education-on-global-recycling-day/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJTNgFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHW_WbpUGNzcWa90oJ9kHRpV6Pt6063Dh9nuAZiwfokxGMZW-lC4Fv_7HSw_aem_TpgRzrxv8p4e-uMK7pM54w

Westlake Primary School welcomed the City’s Urban Waste Management team to inspire pupils and staff alike to take action in protecting the environment.

20/03/2025

We’re thrilled to see our Changemaker Garden featured in today’s Constantiaberg Bulletin! https://constantiabergbulletin.co.za/news/2025-03-19-changemaker-project-cultivates-better-behaviour-through-gardening/

Can’t wait to share the article with our Westlake Primary School learners next week and celebrate this amazing achievement together!

Thanks to our amazing partners for their support with the Changemaker Project: RAV Rent A Vehicle, Premier Security, Smith and Rossi, Storageland Westlake, Green Wagon, One and Only Travel.

Changemaker Project aims to improve classroom engagement and develop a community mindset.

19/03/2025

On Tuesdays our Grade 2 Changemakers with top behavior scores (4 or 5) join us to care for the plants and veggies. Today, during our pest check, we found our first snail!

Instead of harming it, we taught the Changemakers an important lesson: "We don’t kill the crawling pests. We gently move them to the flower bed where they can eat happily, and our Garden stays safe!"

Teaching compassion for all creatures, big or small, is a core value for our Changemakers to learn.

18/03/2025

Today, we celebrated Global Recycling Day alongside the inspiring Changemakers of Westlake Primary School and the City of Cape Town's Urban Waste Management - Public Awareness and Education Unit.

Together, we explored the importance of composting, recycling and rethinking how we approach waste—because creating a sustainable future is everyone’s responsibility.

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our M.A.D. (Make A Difference) March project! As part of this initiative, the entire Westlake Primary School will collect bottle tops, bread tags and create ecobricks, paving the way for the next phase of our program's ambitious goals.

Let’s make a difference, one step at a time!


.A.D.March

06/03/2025

What a special day yesterday was!

The Westlake Primary School Grade 2 Changemakers teamed up with Trees4Schools to plant seedlings in our beautiful Changemaker Garden. The Garden, a key initiative of The Changemaker Citizen Program, is designed to provide an inspiring space where learners can grow and thrive.

A huge thank you to Trees4Schools and Sharing Our Ubuntu Legacy (SOUL) for creating this special garden, and to all the Xchange Connexion Network partners and SOUL donors for your incredible support.

Together, we're growing something amazing!

01/03/2025

𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥

Yesterday, we celebrated the foundation laying of The Changemaker Garden with Mrs Dawson, our amazing pilot group of Changemakers from Westlake Primary School and the Xchange Connexion Network partners!

Thank you to Trees4Schools for sponsoring the first phase of the Changemaker Garden. This dynamic space is dedicated to fostering learning, creativity and sustainability education, empowering our learners to become the changemakers of tomorrow.

We’re so grateful to our corporate partners, RAV Rent A Vehicle and Premier Security, who joined us for this special event.

Stay tuned for more updates as the garden grows! 🌿

30/01/2025

🌟 Something exciting is happening at Westlake Primary School! 🌟

After the success of The Changemaker Citizen Program pilot last year, we’re excited to announce its launch for all Grade 1s, 2s and 3s in partnership with Westlake Primary School,
United Church Trust and Sharing Our Ubuntu Legacy.

The Changemaker Citizen Program helps children:
✅ Improve focus and listening;
✅ Build problem-solving skills;
✅ Care for the environment; and
✅ Develop sustainable habits.

This year, we’re also building the Changemaker Garden, a vegetable garden designed to inspire and teach through hands-on learning!

We’re looking for sponsors for each of our 360 learners on the Program. It costs just R125/month or R1,500/year per learner. Your support can make a huge difference in their lives!

We’re also in need of resources for the year, and every little bit helps. Together, we can empower the next generation of changemakers!

Follow us to learn how you can get involved and make an impact today. 💡💛

01/01/2025

Happy 2025 to all our partners and friends!