Meet our team – boosting Earth Kids taking action for the environment. Embracing education in nature. Developing an ever-evolving teaching platform in the infinite world of change.
We support kids of all ages to think out of the box. We say, “Bring on the Kids for Environment!” We:
- Motivate: spark the passion and keep it burning
- Guide: walk step by step with our kids from beginning to end
- Question: we listen intently, designing questions to challenge our kids
- Build Bridges: link ideas and ensure a safe, open environment
- Use Intuition: to notice stress, fatigue, irritation, anger or feeling powerless
- Keep the Peace: solve conflict, enable working together
- Lead: show how hard work reaps good results; discipline
- Compliment: praise well, praise often, praise for particular reasons.
We are a team, working together to fulfill our mission: to share our lessons on film, worldwide. We record and discuss issues close to our hearts. We allow Nature to lead us to the wonders of science, mathematics, language, arts, drama and music. In a quest to promote global awareness about our Earth’s fragile existence.
Tim Colmer
Born in 1955 and educated in Oxford, UK. Tim chose the IT industry after his studies, working on the leading edge ICL Mainframes as Operations and Support.
A debut visit to South Africa in 1981 for his nephew’s christening, ignited his wish to stay right here. So Tim emigrated in 1983 and pursued his IT career with the introduction of the IBM PC’s. He was involved in the selling of the first ever PC’s in this country! As the IT industry developed, Tim was at the forefront of all the latest technologies, including cell phones in 1994. South Africa needed huge improvements in the education systems and Tim set out to do this using IT. As co-founder and owner of Earth Kids Taking Action, his other passion is the Southern African Virtual School.
“The way forward is to inform people about the enormous environmental problems we are experiencing now.”
Tressa Colmer
Born in 1956 in Howick, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. Tressa is a pioneering entrepreneur in education with a passion for new ideas and innovations to make the world a better place for all life on earth. She has more than 40 years of experience in education, 30 of which have been spent in leadership as principal of a state school and in private education.
Tressa is driven to teach:
- 1996 – she left state education to start her own private school, Noordhoek Private School
- 2004 – as an Education Consultant, she assisted with the set-up of the American International School of Cape Town and Synergy School (now Capella House)
- She founded her own small private tutorial college where she offered the Cambridge IGCSE and HIGCSE syllabus to senior phase students
- 2005 – in Swellendam and Montagu she assisted developing two small country schools following the philosophies of Maria Montessori, Synergy Schooling, Cambridge IGCSE and AS levels
- 2009 – she assisted in the start- up of Africa Soccer Developments in Cape Town, spending the next 5 years as principal, education co-ordinator, teacher and residence manager
- Tressa then set up an Education Consultancy Network and ventured into online schooling, also working for a Russian online language school
- Finally she became co-founder and director of Southern African Virtual School, a global school to Florida Virtual School.
Earth Kids was born out of her passion for teaching and learning outside the classroom in multi-age groups and for taking all lessons from nature and into the environment.
She believes in taking action for nature and in an education process that extends beyond formal education. She wants her students to enjoy life-long learning experiences through hands on, experiential learning designed to cater for the individual.
“When top experts from everywhere keep telling us that the earth is at a tipping point beyond which humanity cannot survive, what do we do? We chose to act, and turn the tide, find those who can implement new systems and – most important of all – call in the kids.”
Simon J Tatt
Born in 1962 in Worcester, England. Simon is our film-maker-cum-educator! He entered film production in 1993, specialising in the camera department as a 1st and 2nd assistant, then later as a 3-axis Remote Head Technician. He worked mainly on TV commercials and TV Series, then excelled in film production.
Not only does Simon boast a certificate in Documentary Film Making from the London Film Academy, but so too is he a qualified TEFL teacher – Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
When he became aware of the negative impact that humanity is having on the environment 2 years ago, he felt that he could do something about it, no matter how small that effort might be. That same year, he started working with the Earth Kids, showing them how to make films.
“This year it has become even more apparent to me how much we need to make changes to how we live, in order to reduce our negative impact on the environment.”
Janis Theron
Born in 1968 in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Janis is a qualified Journalist and Environmental Educator. She currently teaches our kids about the environment, the present environmental crisis and how they can take action for their futures on Earth. She also loves tutoring children in all primary school subjects.
Her love of the written word, the natural environment and children has led Janis to follow careers in journalism, freelance writing, copywriting, tutoring and environmental education. On the way she has developed proficient interaction, networking, communication, research, writing and data capturing skills.
Janis believes that Environmental Education (EE) encourages students to research, investigate how and why things happen, and make their own decisions about complex environmental issues. By developing and enhancing critical and creative thinking skills, EE helps foster a new generation of informed consumers, workers, as well as policy or decision makers.
“Best of all, EE gets students outside and active, and helps address some of the health issues we are seeing in children today, such as obesity, attention deficit disorders, and depression. The bottom line is that our kids start to fall in love with Nature.”
