The Cape Craft School
Posted by Justin Van Breda on Oct 23rd 2024
Craft and Community are key banners for all of us at Justin Van Breda, and so we are very excited about Justin's newest, and most ambitious, community project to date.
Justin's commitment to building community, sharing information and empowering makers at a grass roots level has led to the inception of the Cape Craft School, launching in February 2026. Committed to building community and sharing information, he believes that the future of design lies in preserving traditional craftsmanship and supporting the talented individuals who bring these skills to life.
“Cape Craft School is a way to engender positive change on the ground in our communities.”
o
o
o
THE INITIATIVE
Cape Craft School Foundation is a Non Profit Organisation, registered in South Africa, which aims to educate high school leavers through The Cape Craft School. Students will learn a series of sustainable crafts and accompanying business and life skills, enabling them to either enter viable employment or, ideally, empowering them to go into their communities and set up small enterprises, employing a small team and creating a micro economy. At the same time the Cape Craft School will set up a fully fledged sales and commercial platform to service the crafters; creating international exposure and secure buying opportunities for the international community. By closing the circle in this considered way, the funds paid for crafts made will come back to South Africa and stick with the maker of the item.
The initiative was born of the experience that each salary paid in South Africa can support c.5-10 people and the firm belief that, by creating micro pockets of education and growth, a society can transform from within. Creative high school leavers in South Africa have very little further educational avenues and this initiative would give them the opportunity to learn applicable skills and crafts that could be implemented in an enterprise on a grass-roots level. The school will set up continued mentoring programmes, online sales platforms, international exposure, and a continual marketplace for the crafts created by the alumni.
Learn more about the initiative and how you can help.