Catherine Constantinides (born 27 August 1982) is a

South African __NOTOC__ South African may relate to: * The nation of South Africa * South African Airways * South African English * South African people * Languages of South Africa * Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ...

thought

leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

focused on

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

, food and water security and

waste management Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitoring ...

, a social entrepreneur, social justice

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

and human rights defender and beauty pageant titleholder.

Career

Constantinides established her first business, SA Fusion, a social enterprise, when she was 16. She was involved in the introduction of the Miss Earth concept to South Africa and was crowned the first Miss Earth South Africa in 2003. She currently serves as director of Miss Earth

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Constantinides had tea with

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

in 2003, when she was 21 years old. She said in the Gratitude200K event: "It was a great opportunity when I turned 21 to receive an invitation from him, to have tea with him, before I went to the international Miss Earth in 2003." Constantinides is the co-founder of Generation Earth, a youth-led environmental organisation. During 2013, Constantinides was the youngest of a group of 20 emerging Africans named as an Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellow. Constantinides has written for the ''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' on

climate change politics The politics of climate change results from different perspectives on how to respond to climate change. Global warming is driven largely by the emissions of greenhouse gases due to human economic activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels ...

and the situation in the

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...

. She is an outspoken critic of the actions of the Moroccan government in the

, describing the territory as the "last remaining colony in Africa". She has spoken of the Western Sahara as an "African state in exile, a cause and people forgotten". In May 2016, Constantinides was chosen as one of the Mandela Washington Fellows as part of the

Young African Leaders Initiative The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) is an initiative of the United States Department of State. It was begun in 2010 by President Barack Obama. YALI is a programme aimed at educating and networking young African leaders with activities inc ...

; an initiative of the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

Recognition

Constantinides received the South African Young Woman Entrepreneur Award for Women Empowerment in 2012. She has also been honoured with the South African Youth Entrepreneur award at the South African Premier Business Awards. In 2015, Constantinides was included in the 21 Icons project, a project that celebrates "human achievement through photography, film and narratives". The '' Mail & Guardian'' listed Constantinides as one of its 200 Young South Africans in 2014. Constantinides was recognised with the Ubuntu Youth Diplomacy Award in 2016 at an event hosted by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation,

Maite Nkoana-Mashabane Maite Emily Nkoana-Mashabane (born 30 September 1963) is a South Africa, South African politician who is the Minister of Women in the Presidency (South Africa), Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. She was Minister of Rural Dev ...

. Receiving the award Constantinides stated "I am proud to fly our flag high and will continue to be an ambassador for our country and the causes close to my heart, as we build the South Africa and Africa we believe is possible".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantinides, Catherine Living people South African environmentalists South African women environmentalists South African human rights activists South African people of Greek descent 21st-century South African businesswomen 21st-century South African businesspeople People from Johannesburg White South African people Miss Earth 2003 contestants 1982 births