A Decade for Nature, Communities & Future Generations

The Vision

By 2036, communities reached by BRACE Africa International will have a strong culture of understanding, valuing, restoring and protecting nature, with nature incorporated into community development and the opportunities available to future generations.

The project recognizes that conservation cannot succeed through awareness alone. Communities need knowledge, ownership, participation, practical solutions and sustainable livelihoods.

The Big Idea

BRACE will develop a 10-year community movement for nature built around one principle:

“People protect what they understand, value and feel responsible for.”

The programme will connect:

Nature + People + Education + Livelihoods + Technology + Culture + Leadership + Conservation

Core Objectives

Over the decade, BRACE will seek to:

1. Build environmental awareness among communities and young people.
2. Create a generation of nature champions through schools and youth programmes.
3. Restore degraded ecosystems through community-led activities.
4. Protect biodiversity and wildlife through awareness and community participation.
5. Promote sustainable use of natural resources.
6. Support nature-positive livelihoods for women, youth and vulnerable households.
7. Integrate indigenous and community knowledge into conservation efforts.
8. Use technology for environmental education, mapping, reporting and monitoring.
9. Promote greener communities and urban environments.
10. Build local leadership and partnerships capable of sustaining the work beyond the project period.

🌍 Four Phases Across the Decade

PHASE I — Discover & Understand

First we establish the foundation.

Activities include:

• Community nature dialogues
• Biodiversity awareness campaigns
• Baseline environmental assessments
• School environmental clubs
• Youth nature ambassadors
• Community mapping of natural resources
• Documentation of local environmental knowledge
• Nature education materials
• Identification of local conservation priorities

Message: Know your nature.

PHASE II — Restore & Protect

Communities move from awareness to practical action.

Activities could include:

🌱 Community tree-growing initiatives
🌿 Restoration of degraded areas
💧 Wetland and water-source protection
🦋 Biodiversity conservation
🐦 Wildlife awareness
🏞️ Community green spaces
♻️ Waste reduction and responsible disposal
🌳 School and community gardens
🌾 Sustainable land-use practices

Message: Protect what sustains us.

PHASE III — Nature & Livelihoods

The programme connects conservation with economic opportunity.

Potential areas include:

• Sustainable agriculture
• Agroforestry
• Beekeeping
• Indigenous plant enterprises
• Nature-based tourism opportunities
• Recycling and circular-economy initiatives
• Youth green enterprises
• Women’s nature-based enterprises
• Climate-smart livelihoods

The objective is to demonstrate that protecting nature and improving livelihoods can reinforce each other when activities are appropriately designed.

Message: Prosper with nature.

PHASE IV — Nature Leadership & Legacy

The final phase focuses on sustainability.

BRACE will support communities to establish:

• Community Nature Committees
• Youth Nature Networks
• School environmental leadership structures
• Local conservation partnerships
• Community environmental action plans
• Digital nature-monitoring systems
• Community-led restoration initiatives
• Local resource mobilization mechanisms

The goal is that communities are increasingly able to continue the work without depending entirely on BRACE.

Message: Leave nature stronger for the next generation.

👧🏿👦🏿 A Special Focus on Young People

One of the strongest components should be the BRACE Young Nature Champions Initiative.

Young people can become:

• Nature ambassadors
• Biodiversity educators
• Tree-growing champions
• Digital environmental storytellers
• Community researchers
• Climate and conservation advocates
• Green entrepreneurs

Each participating school or community could develop its own Nature Vision 2036.

For example:

“By 2036, our community will have cleaner water sources, more trees, protected biodiversity, responsible waste management and young people actively leading environmental action.”

This makes the decade community-owned rather than BRACE-owned.

🌳 The Community Nature Vision

This could become the signature element of the entire programme.

Every participating community develops a simple:

“OUR NATURE VISION 2036”

It answers five questions:

1. What nature do we have?
2. What is threatening it?
3. What do we want it to look like by 2036?
4. What will our community do about it?
5. What will we leave for our children?

This creates a long-term mindset rather than a short project cycle.

📊 Measuring the Decade

BRACE can establish a Nature Community Scorecard to track progress annually.

Possible indicators:

• Communities with Nature Vision 2036 plans
• Schools with active environmental clubs
• Young people trained as Nature Champions
• Community restoration activities
• Trees/plants established and surviving
• Ecosystems under community protection
• Households adopting sustainable practices
• Women and youth participating in green livelihoods
• Environmental awareness activities conducted
• Community environmental action plans implemented
• Partnerships established
• Community-led initiatives continuing after BRACE support

The emphasis will be on survival, behaviour change and community ownership, rather than simply counting activities.

🤝 Partnerships

The programme could eventually bring together:

• Local governments
• Schools and universities
• Environmental organizations
• Conservation organizations
• Community leaders
• Cultural institutions
• Youth organizations
• Women’s groups
• Private-sector companies
• Technology companies
• Research institutions
• Development partners
• International environmental funds

ALL YOUR WELCOME, JOIN HANDS WITH US.

🌍 The 2036 Legacy

By the end of the decade, BRACE will aim to leave behind more than planted trees or completed workshops.

It should leave:

🌱 A generation that understands nature.
🌳 Communities that protect their ecosystems.
💧 Cleaner and better-protected natural resources.
🦋 Greater appreciation of biodiversity.
👩🏿‍🌾 Nature-positive livelihood opportunities.
👧🏿 Young environmental leaders.
📚 Schools that teach environmental responsibility.
🤝 Community partnerships that continue the work.

BRACE NATURE 2036

“We are not building a project that lasts ten years. We are building a culture of caring for nature that lasts for generations.”

Brace Africa International
Empowering Communities, Transforming Lives.