Roedean School awards King Constantine Medal to Rachael Guise-Brown

Posted: 06 December 2021

Roedean School S.A. is honoured to award the 2021 King Constantine Medal to Rachael Guise-Brown for her environmental activism, international outlook, and passion for debating.

Rachael has been a real advocate for democracy within and beyond the school, taking a leadership role by representing Roedean on various MUN, debates and policy committees. As Captain of MUN, she participated in several winning MUN debates including JoMun, and a debate hosted by a Round Square member school in India. Through this role she developed research, writing, public speaking, and problem-solving skills. Moreover, she has proven herself exemplary at negotiation, conflict resolution, and cooperation. During lockdown, she initiated online sessions which included weekly MUN meetings, and an ‘ePen Pal’ project where students were able to establish relationships with their sister school, Roedean Brighton.

Rachael actively supports environmental causes. Throughout her Senior School career, she helped at Siyakhana, a landfill-turned-urban food garden by helping to plant new crops. “My passion for climate action and climate justice started when I realized that the way we are living is unsustainable and it will not only make our planet uninhabitable for humans, but it will cause many species to become extinct.” Her activism journey started with her joining Greta Thunberg’s ‘#FridaysForFuture March in Pretoria, South Africa. “My understanding and commitment to climate action grew when I saw the impact of climate change and how it fuels inequality,” she says.

Through debating environmental issues around the Sustainable Development Goals, Rachael joined the Youth @ SAIIA Policy Committee, and played a role in drafting ‘Johannesburg’s Youth Climate Action Plan’. Rachael explains that “the purpose of this document was to bring all of our ideas together, as the youth of Johannesburg, into a policy document stating what we would like our future to look like in regards to climate action.” Their Plans are part of the City of Johannesburg’s climate action plan of June 2021. In September 2021, Rachael was one of the speakers at the launch of the Youth Climate Action Policy Statement.

Praising Rachael’s tenacity, Sandy Murray, Roedean’s Round Square Representative, says, “Through her interaction with professors, city policy makers, and business leaders, she has shown commitment and dedication to this cause, and her leadership is evidence of her proficiency and hours of time which she has dedicated to making a difference for environmental issues and global diplomacy.”

The Youth Committee continues to work with the city in implementation projects and has since worked on a separate policy document called The South African Youth Climate Action Plan (SA YCAP) which outlines the ideas of hundreds of young people (Aged 13-30) for climate action from a national and intersectional perspective, displaying the effects climate change has had on their lives.

Rachael was one of three implementation leaders who successfully initiated a successful high school liaison process encouraging more students to be involved. A local newspaper estimated that more than 200 different high schools contributed to SA YCAP.

The policy process started in March and was launched in October 2021 and was handed over to The South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. SA YCAP is a living document which is currently being planned, implemented, and used to lobby for climate action and planning. Rachael looks forward to her continued involvement whilst she continues her studies at university.

In addition to her environmental stewardship and diplomacy, Rachael has admirably taken part in a number of school-led service activities including meal packing donations for a school that Roedean supports; helping with ‘A Blooming Affair’, an annual garden market which allows small businesses to sell their products. On Mondays she provided creative support by running art projects for students at Jabulani Khakibos School because they did not have access to art supplies, and she helped Grade two students at Johannesburg Girls Primary School with their homework and reading.

Rachael has participated regularly in Round Square Student Committee discussions and played a significant role in ensuring the success of Round Square assemblies and taken part in RS Postcards. Through her leadership and guidance, the Roedean students have become more aware of the Round Square philosophy.

In 2018, she attended the Round Square Africa Regional Conference for 14- 15-year-olds, hosted by St Constantine’s School in Tanzania where she showed leadership and maturity. The following year, Rachael represented Roedean School as a Round Square Exchange Student at Vidya Devi Jindal School, India, and hosted her exchange sister gracefully. Her resilience, camaraderie and support for her peers during this venture was noteworthy. “Both experiences helped me grow … and learn about new cultures. To me, Round Square is about a mindset of trying new experiences, challenging yourself and supporting your community. It represents taking myself out of the bubble that I normally live in to connect with people across the world, to connect with nature and to connect with my values and causes that I believe are worth fighting for.”

Highlighting her achievements Sandy Murray, Roedan’s Round Square Representative and Award Leaders for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, says; “Rachael is a Gold Award holder of The President’s Award (D.O.E.), and her contribution to all the Round Square IDEALS make her a most worthy recipient of The King Constantine’s Medal.”

Rachael will graduate from Roedean School S.A. in November 2021. She hopes to study mechatronics engineering at the University of Cape Town with future ambitions “to work in renewable energy, and use renewable energy to give rural communities in South Africa sustainable and environmentally-friendly electricity”.