DSF Goes Global: Transforming Sustainability Worldwide
Discover how DSF is driving global sustainability through innovative solutions, partnerships, and impactful initiatives
Diamonds on the Soles of our Feet
Earth Day 2025
“One Month for Our Planet: Earth Conservation Celebration – March 22 to April 22, 2025″
A powerful celebration of science, community, and environmental stewardship.
LEARNING WITH A HEARTBEAT
Be a part of our worldwide program, celebrated online, hybrid, and in-person. Share your stories from any corner of the globe on social media, print media, TV, or your channel.
This programme aims to bring citizens closer to science through art, education, business, and creating a community of practice. We encourage fostering joy, curiosity, and interest through any form of art, including song, dance, poetry, drawing, painting, speech, storytelling, etc.
While WATER is central and presented here, we encourage you to broaden your focus to incorporate other environmental aspects such as ENERGY, WASTE, TRANSPORT, NATURAL RESOURCES, BIODIVERSITY, IT, etc.
Read more about the program
From the Limpopo Province to the World - DSF Goes Global
Citizen Science: Learning with the Heart
Founded in 2019 by Professor Jacqueline Goldin and her team, Brendan Basson, Catherine Basson, David Manamela, Dorah Masahela, Murendeni Mavhungu
Our objective
To empower community environmental and sustainability stewardship.
We Need You!
We’re calling on global voices, volunteers, funders, parents, teachers, principals, environmental authorities, local leaders, media, and advocates to join us. Together, let’s make this an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime event that will change the way young people connect to the world around them.
Be a part of this transformative movement. Register now for your online training and become a driving force for change! Is there one amongst us
🌍 Join Us in 2025 as We Take Diamonds on the Soles of our Feet Global! 🌍
We invite you to join a movement connecting youth to the natural world and empowering them to be tomorrow’s change-makers. From March 22 to April 22, 2025, we will celebrate the power of science to transform lives with Diamonds on the Soles of our Feet.
This is your chance to be a part of the solution, become a Heartbeat steward, and make a lasting impact! You can get involved in a way that suits your interests and community:
- Give Heart to a Class: Sponsor a class (10-30 students) and provide the resources needed for water literacy and environmental education.
- Give Heart to a School: Support multiple classrooms in a school, bringing water literacy to an entire school community.
- Give Heart to a River: Partner with local youth groups to monitor and protect a nearby river.
- Give Heart to a Water Body: Take responsibility for a local lake, pond, well, or other water source.
- Give Heart to a Village: Engage with learners from different schools within a village, fostering a broader community impact.
- Give Heart to a Neighborhood: Bring together residents to learn, monitor, and protect their local environment.
What Do You Need for a Successful Contribution to the Program?
- One Class (1-30-50-100) learners/students: This is the heart of the initiative: a group of eager students eager to learn and engage in hands-on activities that will make a real impact. Whether in a school, community centre, or after-school program, students will be actively involved in the process.
- One Teacher to Organize and Lead the Students: A dedicated teacher is essential to guiding the students through the activities, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and maximising educational value. Their leadership is key to maintaining structure and focus. Facilitating the discussion and lessons learned is also essential; students can learn that on the spot from this experience and explore further.
- One Student Volunteer: A motivated senior student to guide fellow students through the activities, ensuring that students remain motivated throughout the event. Their presence will be valuable in inspiring and mentoring peer students. Students who already went through a similar program.
- One Adult Volunteer (Champion) to Support the Activities: An extra set of hands is always invaluable. A volunteer will assist the teacher, provide additional guidance to students, and help with the hands-on elements of the activities.
- One Test Kit: The test kit is a critical tool for students to perform experiments or activities. Depending on availability and logistics, it can be sourced locally or through other means.
- One Person to Report on Social Media and Other Media: Spreading the word is crucial! Whether it’s the teacher, the adult volunteer, or another group member, having someone document and share the progress and successes on social media and other platforms helps build community awareness and engagement. This also amplifies the visibility of citizen science and public/volunteer efforts.
- Additional Support Materials (if applicable): Extra materials such as worksheets, safety equipment, or supplementary learning tools might be needed depending on the complexity of the activities. Ensuring these are available ahead of time can further enhance the experience.
- Access to Space and Basic Resources: Whether it’s a classroom, community hall, or outdoor area, having a safe and equipped space to conduct activities is essential. Basic resources like tables, chairs, and access to water or electricity might also be required, depending on the nature of the activities.
- Transform learning into a daily habit and a lasting culture: Share your learning broadly. Emphasise the development of learning tools so that students can apply these lessons afterwards in their day-to-day or separate projects.
Fundraising/Contributions Proposal: Units of Adoption/Funding
To make it easy for donors/volunteers to contribute in a meaningful way, we propose the following units of adoption or sponsorship:
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- 1 Class (or many classes) in Your Local Area: Fund a class of students in your community to participate in this impactful program. You’ll be directly supporting their learning journey.
- 1 Teacher’s Time to Organize and Lead the Students: Sponsor the time and efforts of a dedicated teacher who will organize and lead the activities. This ensures that the program has strong leadership and is carried out effectively.
- 1 Champion – an Adult Volunteer’s Time to Support the Activities: Fund the contribution of an adult volunteer who will provide additional support during activities. This ensures students receive the guidance and assistance they need to succeed and also ensures the monitoring, assessment, and reporting of the training and impact.
- 1 Test Kit from Your Local Area: Contribute by funding the purchase of a test kit, which is the core tool for the students’ hands-on learning. You can fund kits locally or let us source them from trusted suppliers.
- 1 Media Person’s Time: Sponsor the efforts of someone who will document the program, report on social media, and share success stories. This role amplifies the impact by engaging a broader audience and building momentum.
- 1 Trainer Time: By funding just 3 hours of a trainer’s time, you directly empower students and volunteers with the skills and knowledge to protect our planet. Our expert trainers will guide participants through essential conservation techniques, hands-on activities, and real-world applications in that hour.
Your contribution isn’t just about covering time—it’s about creating environmental champions who will make a difference in their communities.
How This Works
- Direct Sponsorship: Donors can directly fund a specific need (class, teacher, volunteer, champion, and test kit, by choosing from the units of Heartbeat stewardship/funding.
- Localised Impact: Donors can choose to support a program in their local area, ensuring the impact is felt within their community.
- Scalability: This model allows for easy expansion in the water sector and almost all industries and sectors. It is easy to implement, low-cost, and effective. As more donations come in, more classes can be supported, more test kits can be provided, and the program can reach a wider audience.
- Community Engagement: We create a community-driven program that fosters learning and connection by supporting local schools and engaging volunteers.
- Long-term restoration programme: three to five years of restoration of degraded water bodies or/and water bodies.
Your support ensures this crucial event happens, creating and turning awareness into action. Help us make a ripple effect that lasts far beyond Earthday and the month of April 2025
In many cases, an ideal sponsorship would be to sponsor a champion, a school, or a river for 12 months. Earthday 2025 – Earthday 2026, where the learners take measurements thrice a year. That is also ideal, as one-off measurements are only sometimes helpful. One needs to look at trends over time – seasonal changes
Empowering You with Essential Skills: Our Training Sessions
Our training sessions are designed to carefully guide you through each water literacy and water quality monitoring step, ensuring you feel confident and fully prepared. From understanding the science behind water testing to mastering monitoring instruments, we provide hands-on training that empowers you with the skills needed to make a real impact.
With clear instructions and expert support, you’ll learn how to:
- Conduct Accurate Water Quality Tests: Our step-by-step guidance will help you collect and analyze water samples, ensuring that your results are precise and reliable.
- Use the Necessary Instruments: We will walk you through the proper use of each instrument, from essential tools to advanced equipment, so you can confidently monitor water quality.
- Understand the Results: You’ll learn how to interpret your findings and understand what they mean in terms of environmental impact and health.
- Take Action: Equipped with this knowledge, you will be ready to take meaningful steps to address water quality issues in your community.
Our training is not just about technical know-how; it’s about empowering you to become a leader in environmental stewardship. Whether you’re a teacher, volunteer, or community member, our sessions will provide you with everything you need to contribute effectively to this important cause.
Get Ready for a month long event from Water Day 22 Mar to Earth Day 22 Apr 2025!
Online training will take place in November and December 2024 to prepare you for impactful activities in April. As learners across the globe engage with their local water bodies, we will celebrate Earth Day and the power of science to resonate with both the heart and the mind. This is learning with a heartbeat—infusing joy, curiosity, and creativity into science through dance, poetry, art, storytelling and more.
Contact Details
Email: dsfgoesglobal@gmail.com
whatsapp: + 27 844380203
www.ecolink.net.za
www.gsfn.co.uk/dsf-goes-global
![[1] Diamonds on the Soles of our Feet](https://gsfn.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1-Diamonds-on-the-Soles-of-our-Feet-150x150.png)
Recent publications
Decolonisation of education through citizen science: Slow science, not slow violence. The case study Diamonds on the Soles of Our Feet
https://journals.ukzn.ac.za/index.php/joe/article/view/3486/2205
Pedagogy with a heartbeat: The transformative potential of citizen science in education
https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/article/view/8013/5056
Young citizen scientists confirm that Buysdorp’s water is top class
Limpopo learners keep tabs on river water quality
https://groundup.org.za/article/limpopo-learners-checking-on-water-quality-in-their-rivers/
very good effort and future of GSFN
Thank you so much for support and encouragement
Thank you Abdul. It would be wonderful if you circulate for people to register for the DFT goes Global! Where is your organisation? We are trying to really have a global reach. 175 countries is our aim!!
What a wonderful initiative and impactful programs of GSFN! Thank you and congratulations, Dr. Renuka and our GSFN family!
A sure way towards supporting global sustainability. GSFN has a clear and steady approach to reach this goal.
Nice one Prof Renuka.