After gruelling months of provincial workshops and eliminations at district and provincial levels, nine schools represented by a group of four learners from each province, were identified to attend the 2018 Heritage Education Schools Outreach Programme (HESOP). This week-long heritage camp took place in the Free State Province at the Golden Gate Highlands National Park from 01 to 05 October 2018.

For the past ten years, the National Heritage Council of South Africa (NHC), together with its partners, has been inviting learners from different schools to take part in the camp which highlights our heritage and practically exposes learners to their identity as South Africans.

This year’s programme celebrated the centenaries of South Africa’s struggle heroes, former President Nelson Mandela and Mama Albertina Sisulu. The learners also had an opportunity to reflect on how African indigenous languages could be preserved, as well as the importance of supporting calls for South African Heritage sites to be declared as World Heritage Sites. The partners of HESOP are: the DBE, the NHC, South African National Parks and Brand South Africa.

HESOP empowers youth to understand their historical heritage by interacting with people across geographic, socio-economic and language barriers. The heritage competition comprises of exciting excursions, research and presentations on topics aligned to liberation heritage.

The 2018 HESOP winners are:

• First Place: George Mbulaheni Secondary School, Limpopo Province
• Second Place:  Selelekela Secondary School, Free State Province
• Third Place:  Nsikayethu High School, KwaZulu-Natal Province
•  Fourth Place: John Ramsey High School, Western Cape Province