The Greater Rustenburg Community Foundation is proud to announce that the North-West leg of the Barbara Petchenik Children’s Map literacy competition will this year be judged in our very own Waterfall Mall, in Rustenburg.

Through the efforts of Unisa’s Department of Geography, children from all over the Bojanala district will be afforded the chance to display their artworks in the Waterfall Mall, and stand a chance at winning prizes such as laptop’s, MP3 players, camera’s and the like. Finalists will be chosen and the next national round will be judged in Pretoria, where finally, 6 contestants from South-Africa will be entered into the international judging that takes place in France later this year.

The collaboration between the Greater Rustenburg Community Foundation, and the Department of Geography at Unisa, spans across a number of projects, where critical information regarding our region, its communities and citizens are recorded, and translated into workable solutions for a healthy and sustainable environment.

The map competition is no different. Says Melanie Nicolau, Head of Department of Geography at Unisa, “by collecting information from the children’s drawings, we are able to assess how children position themselves in the world, and how they perceive the world around them”.

This competition was launched in 1993, in memory of Barbara Petchenik, who’s life mission it was to promote map literacy and basic geography among children.
The decline in map literacy all over the world has become a major concern for educators and parents alike, and through this competition, it is expected that children will become excited to learn about their world again. This year’s theme is “Our Globalised World”.

For further enquiries or to enter, contact Thembi at the Greater Rustenburg Community Foundation on 014 592 1530 or thembi@grcf.co.za, or bring your artwork to the Waterfall Mall from 16 – 18 February in the Woolworths court. The winner will be announced at 15:00 on 18 February, at the exhibition.
Children from the ages of 4 – 16 can enter, and artworks should be on an A3 size paper, and can use any medium of their choice.