Youth Lead the Way: CHOICE South Africa’s 3rd Lab Sets Campaigns in Motion
In the final chapter of its first participatory lab series, the CHOICE South African Pilot gathered youth leaders and sustainability advocates from across the country to co-prioritize impactful campaigns aimed at transforming how South Africans eat and think about food waste. Held virtually on May 7, 2025 the third participatory lab built on the insights and momentum of the first two workshops, moving from visioning to action.
From Ideas to Actionable Campaigns
The lab opened by revisiting the shared vision of a food future that is healthier, more sustainable, and inclusive—one where homegrown vegetables are the norm, schools act as food hubs, and food waste is reimagined as a resource.
Participants evaluated 13 campaign concepts developed from earlier labs and chose those they felt could resonate most strongly with their peers and communities. The results were clear: campaigns focused on growing your own food stood out as the most powerful tools for change.
Potential campaigns to amplify public respond to adopt healthy & sustainable eating
The top selections included:
- “Buying food is expensive, growing food is sustainable” – making a strong financial case for food self-sufficiency.
- “Gardening is good for mental health and school focus” – linking food production with youth wellbeing and academic success.
- “Regrow a garden from your grocery scraps” – turning everyday waste into a source of empowerment.
- “Expanding school feeding schemes to include gardens” – transforming schools into nutrition education and community resilience centres.
Tackling Waste with Youth-Driven Solutions
In addition to promoting healthier diets, participants engaged with a second campaign track focused on reducing food waste. All three food waste-related campaigns were endorsed enthusiastically, with suggestions to combine them into a multi-layered approach under the banner #WasteLessMzansi.
The ideas included:
- Awareness-building through data-driven storytelling about the environmental impact of food waste.
- Interactive content and challenges like #RescueRecipes and “Trash Talk SA” to shift everyday habits.
- Youth advocacy to reduce retail food waste, promote imperfect produce, and champion food redistribution.
Potential campaigns to amplify public response to adopt food waste reduction
Stories That Drive Change
What makes these campaigns unique is their foundation in real data and community insight. Participants explored storytelling strategies that could support the campaigns—such as showing how a single wasted apple equates to litres of wasted water, or how a small seed packet can yield a season’s worth of vegetables.
These stories not only raise awareness but also empower young people with tangible actions they can take in their homes, schools, and networks.
