Soetwater Environmental Education Centre

A classroom by the sea. The SEEC is an environmental and social education centre in Kommetjie, Cape Town.

• Soetwater is situated on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula adjacent to the lighthouse at Kommetjie. It is a pristine wilderness area wedged between the mountains of the Slangkop Nature Reserve and the Atlantic ocean.
   
  The Soetwater Environmental Education Centre is a very special classroom – outdoors, by the sea, at the foot of a beautiful mountain, surrounded by pristine fynbos and animals, and right next to a working lighthouse. What a nice alternative to the stuffy classroom at your school, right?
   
  But just like in any classroom, there are teachers, and there is stuff to teach about. We teach about the environment – plants, animals, the oceans, the air – how stunningly beautiful they all are and how they all fit together like pieces of a puzzle. We also share our concerns about how we humans have a way of distorting the natural balance, and teach how we can help nature to thrive by fixing what we have broken.
• We aim to provide an exciting opportunity for children to experience the outdoors first hand. We endeavor to foster self respect, personal growth and appreciation of nature.
   
  Of course, teaching is not all we do … We want you to walk away as a better person. A person that has learned how to work with your school mates, and knows that he or she plays a vital role in the preservation of our environment. That’s why we don’t talk about the environment as if it is some distant cousin living in a foreign country. No no, when we talk about something at the SEEC, we want you to see it, smell it, touch it, hold it, share it. That’s also why we don’t say goodbye after an hour. We want you to live our lessons. We don’t let you go at five … we have a bed for you and your school mates right here at the beach, and we make food together.
   
  We usually teach and accommodate children from grade five to grade twelve, but also offer special camps for adults.

• View our facilities

• View our course options

We are a registered Section 21 NGO and our Programme is OBE based in accordance with the National Education Policy.