My Projects

SHAPE is Prof. van der Westhuizen’s flagship initiative – a comprehensive youth entrepreneurship development project that she founded in 2013. Its goal is to “shift hope and activate potential” in young people by connecting them with the resources, networks, and mindsets needed for successful entrepreneurship. This project operates as a support network (YES: Youth Entrepreneur Support) for university students and recent graduates, offering workshops, mentorship, and real-world engagement to nurture entrepreneurial skills​.

Approach: SHAPE uses the SALAR model (Systemic Action Learning and Action Research) as its backbone​. Participants go through iterative cycles of learning and action – identifying community problems, designing entrepreneurial solutions, implementing them, and reflecting on outcomes, in a cyclical manner. Over 11 cycles of public engagement (grounded in Theory U principles), students interact with various stakeholders (from local communities and government agencies to corporations) as part of their development​. This approach is depicted in a custom framework Prof. van der Westhuizen developed, aligning with Theory U’s stages to ensure deep learning at each step.

Activities: SHAPE runs an array of programs such as entrepreneurship bootcamps, innovation challenges, field visits, and networking events. It established the SHAPE YES Network, linking student entrepreneurs with eight categories of “publics” including educational institutions, SMEs, large corporates, government bodies, and international. By engaging with this network, students gain exposure, mentorship, and potential partnerships. For example, SHAPE organized community hackathons where students co-created solutions with local NGOs, and corporate mentorship circles where industry leaders advised student startup teams.

Achievements: The impact of SHAPE is significant. It has directly trained over 120 student entrepreneurs (through multi-week programs) and reached hundreds more via public events and online platforms. Notably, SHAPE was recognized as the Best Youth Development Organization in KwaZulu-Natal, a provincial honor celebrating its contribution to youth empowerment​. Participants of SHAPE have gone on to launch start-ups or community initiatives, and many report increased confidence and entrepreneurial skill (outcomes documented through research surveys). The project also yielded academic outputs – two books authored by Prof. van der Westhuizen (see Books section) encapsulate the theory (“Youth Entrepreneurship: An Ecosystem Theory…”) and practice (“Practical Tools for Youth Entrepreneurs”) of SHAPE, ensuring the knowledge is shared globally​.

Support and Partnerships: SHAPE has been funded by multiple grants, including two prestigious NRF Thuthuka grants which supported its development from 2017 through 2022​. It has partnered with entities like the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation and university entrepreneurship hubs for resources and outreach. The project’s success also led to further funding explorations, such as a 2024 proposal to the Botnar Foundation (in collaboration with NRF) for scaling SHAPE’s impact nationally. SHAPE maintains an active online presence – see the official SHAPE website and YouTube channel for videos of student entrepreneurs in action. (YouTube: SHAPE - Shifting Hope, Activating Potential Entrepreneurship short documentary).

In 2021, Prof. van der Westhuizen led UKZN’s participation in the British Council’s Innovation for African Universities programme. The project was a collaborative venture titled “Agri-Entrepreneurship Curriculum Co-Development for Social Innovation”, involving partners in South Africa, Ghana, and the UK. Its aim was to address youth unemployment and climate change through entrepreneurship in agriculture – developing curriculum content and pilot projects that equip students to create sustainable agri-businesses.

Consortium & Funding: This project was one of the awarded IAU network grants, with a total budget of £100,000 (approx. R2.09 million)​. Prof. van der Westhuizen assembled a strong consortium: Swansea University (UK), University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Cape Coast (Ghana), the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and LIV Agriculture (a social enterprise farm in KZN). Each partner brought unique strengths – e.g., UKZN and UCC focused on curriculum design, Swansea provided entrepreneurship pedagogy expertise, and LIV/CSIR contributed practical agri-tech and climate-smart farming insights. She acted as the Institutional Lead and Principal Investigator for UKZN, coordinating across partners.

Outcomes: Together, the team co-created a module on Agri-Entrepreneurship for undergraduates, incorporating systems thinking (inspired by SALAR), climate resilience, and social innovation principles. They also developed toolkits for student field projects (like establishing small community gardens with business plans). An interim pilot was run with a group of students from each university, and their feedback helped refine the materials. Prof. van der Westhuizen wrote the interim report showcasing these successes, which secured the continuation of funding​. Although the formal project term ended in 2022, the partnerships formed continue to thrive – there are ongoing exchanges and the curriculum is being offered at the partner institutions, empowering hundreds of students with agricultural entrepreneurship skills.

Significance: This project exemplified South-South and North-South collaboration. It enhanced UKZN’s curriculum by embedding global perspectives and created a replicable model for universities to partner with industry in curriculum design. It also extended Prof. van der Westhuizen’s impact to the agricultural sector and rural communities, aligning with national priorities of food security and job creation. (For more, see the British Council’s summary of the IAU partnerships, or UKZN’s press release on the Agri-Entrepreneurship project.)

While not a traditional academic project, Paddle for the Planet (P4P) is a signature initiative in Prof. van der Westhuizen’s portfolio that demonstrates her leadership and commitment to global causes. P4P is a non-profit movement uniting paddling communities worldwide to raise awareness and funds for marine conservation.

Role: Prof. van der Westhuizen served as an International Director on the three-person global leadership team of P4P​. She helped expand the event from its inception to involve participants from over 23 countries annually​. Each year on World Environment Day, paddlers around the world – from surf-ski kayakers to stand-up paddlers – would paddle in a 24-hour relay, passing a virtual “baton” across time zones. Thea’s responsibilities included global coordination (scheduling and connecting events across countries), fundraising strategy, and partnership outreach to sponsors and NGOs​. Her background in communication and management was instrumental in P4P’s growth.

Impact: Under her directorship, P4P became recognized as the official environmental flagship project of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the period 2016–2018​. This was a huge honor that put P4P on the international stage and boosted its credibility. The funds raised by P4P supported various marine conservation projects such as reef restorations, turtle habitat protection, and educational programs for coastal communities. The initiative also fostered a sense of global camaraderie – uniting athletes, conservationists, and the general public in a common cause. Thea often leveraged her academic networks to bring students and staff into P4P events, blending her community engagement with environmental activism.

Legacy: Although the global relay events concluded in 2020, P4P left behind an active community of environmentally conscious paddlers. Prof. van der Westhuizen still channels this spirit at UKZN by promoting sustainability in campus initiatives. For instance, she has advised student clubs on organizing river clean-ups and integrating sustainability into business ideas. P4P stands as a testament to her ability to run large-scale projects beyond academia and achieve international impact. (See Paddle for the Planet’s Facebook page for photos and stories of past relays, and a feature story on how it became an IOC flagship​.)

As an entrepreneurial venture early in her career, Thea founded the Garden Route Tourism Academy and TESEN Strategic Planning Services in the Western Cape of South Africa. This project holds historical significance in her journey:

The Tourism Academy was a private training institution aimed at building skills in the local tourism sector along South Africa’s Garden Route. As founder and manager, Thea developed curricula, secured Training Authority accreditations (THETA), and trained over 250 learners in hospitality, tour guiding, and small business management​. The academy’s courses were tailored to unemployed youth and community members, providing them with qualifications and experience to find jobs in the growing tourism market.

TESEN Strategic Planning Services was her consulting arm through which she worked with municipalities, tourism boards, and colleges​. She undertook projects such as drafting tourism development plans for towns and designing training programs for municipal staff, all with an emphasis on community upliftment and sustainability.

This dual venture is where Prof. van der Westhuizen cut her teeth as an entrepreneur and educator. It not only delivered tangible community benefits (skilled graduates, improved local tourism initiatives) but also taught her valuable lessons in business management, curriculum design, and stakeholder engagement – skills she later transferred to her academic projects like SHAPE. The entrepreneurial spirit of this project continues to influence her work, reminding her of the challenges young entrepreneurs face and the importance of mentorship and structured support (which she now provides through university programs).