Youth is clearly not wasted on the young in the case of the dynamic Jess Kavonic!
Jess is the speaker for the University of the Third Age (U3A) meeting at the Strand Town Hall on Wednesday 4 June at 10:00. She will tell the audience what it’s like to row across the Atlantic Ocean from Tenerife to Antigua in the Caribbean with 11 fellow rowers. This trip took all of 44 days.
How did they do it? Why did they do it? What about stormy seas, whales, containers, enough food and water – and space for 12 people on a craft for 44 days of intense physical activity?
Having earned a Master’s degree in Climate Change and Sustainable Development from the University of Cape Town, Jess is no stranger to long adventures as she has also completed the Pacific Crest Trail, a 4 600 km hike from Mexico to Canada. Then she heard about crossing the Atlantic from a work colleague and that became her next challenge. She says she enjoys pushing herself “physically, mentally and emotionally – that’s where you find out about yourself the most”.
Jess started working with local governments in Cape Town and later the International Council for Local Environment Initiatives (ICLEI) Africa where she spent seven years involved in climate change, energy and resilience matters. Currently, she heads up implementation for Africa of the C40 Cities, a global network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities united to confront the climate crisis. She manages various climate programmes in African cities that aim to improve the urban environment, manage climate challenges, strengthen local sustainability and protect the natural asset base in cities by influencing development policies and planning systems. She works closely with other C40 teams and climate organisations in the region, and oversees all C40-led delivery programmes. She finds her work fulfilling as it has impact and purpose.
Jess was born in Durban and schooled in Westville, then transferred to the Cape for her university years. She has always been an adventurer and played “almost every sport”. Her family hiked regularly, so when her Master’s was done she headed for a break in the (Pacific) hills. Since then she has planned an adventure every few years.
You will want to hear what this energetic young woman has to tell of her adventures and experience the joie de vivre of someone who enjoys and cares deeply for our planet.
Entrance for members is free; visitors pay R20. For enquiries, call Denise on 072 211 1173.
