Extraordinary Experience 2018

SAVE Foundation

At 21, Steph Lee first arrived at SAVE Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa in 2016, where she planned to take part in a two-week volunteering programme working within the settlement. By 2018, Steph is now leading their newest youth initiative TED-Ed. TED-Ed Clubs are extracurricular clubs which encourage students to stand up and have their voices heard. It offers students a chance to explore topics they’re passionate about, to convert their thoughts into speech and to then perform it to a live audience.

Club members are led through a curriculum developed by Steph, teaching them research skills, improving their English comprehension and their public speaking capabilities. The students also learn stress and time management skills, which are vital to their future successes in educational and professional prospects. The program started with seven disadvantaged youth from the Dunoon township, and within 11 months, it grew into six different communities across the Western Cape with 170 students participating (140 of which come from disadvantaged backgrounds).

In November of 2017, Steph organised and held an event for the seven students of the first SAVE Foundation TED-Ed Club. With over 100 people attending, the 13 and 14 year-old students researched and wrote talks about medical malpractice, voluntourism, their experience with apartheid, Xenophobia and more; all topics which were well beyond their years, yet delivered with confidence and a language developed through the valuable mentorship provided by Steph Lee.

Learn more about Steph’s initiative here.