STEP Programme alumni · Cape Town
Meeting of
the Minds.
A young person pulls up a chair beside someone they might never have met. As a story unfolds, there’s room to ask an honest question, rethink an assumption and find common ground across generations, cultures and lived experiences.
Saturday, 6 February 2027
Activist Café at Bertha House, 67–69 Main Road, Mowbray, Cape Town, 7700
After STEP,
the alumni lead.
Skills Towards Empowerment & Productivity (STEP) is the flagship youth development programme of Connected Development, a Cape Town nonprofit rooted in Ubuntu. At the heart of STEP is a belief that what we learn about ourselves can strengthen the communities we belong to.
Over 12 months, young people aged 20–30 learn in a small group. They reflect on the experiences that have shaped them, visit places they might otherwise never encounter and take on a project together. Along the way, they practise speaking up, listening across differences and taking responsibility for work that others depend on.
That learning continues after the programme. In June 2025, STEP alumni planned and facilitated the first Meeting of the Minds at Bertha House. As they bring people together again, they keep developing the skills of coordinating a team, working through disagreements and making space for someone else to speak. Each storyteller and young guest brings another perspective into the community that began in STEP.
Learn more about STEPThe first gathering
June 2025
The first gathering planned and facilitated by the alumni took place at Bertha House in June 2025.
Young guests sat down with storytellers to hear about the experiences that shaped them. The small circles gave guests time to linger over a detail, ask a question in their own words and hear the person behind the story.
Thank you,
Bertha House.
We’re grateful to Bertha House for sponsoring the first Meeting of the Minds in 2025 through the Community Reserve Fund, and for sponsoring the 2027 gathering through the same fund. Your continued support gives STEP alumni the opportunity to bring another group of young people and storytellers together.
Contact the STEP alumni
Get in touch.
Have a question about the gathering or an idea for how you could support it? Write to the alumni planning team.
step@connecteddev.org