The world needs creative, innovative and courageous young people who can connect, collaborate and act. We know that youth may only be 20% of the population but they are 100% of the future. The time is now to let them share their dreams and design the future they want to see.
“In the long history of humankind those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”
We believe the key to success is collaboration, building communities of practice of organisations and people who share our vision, where we can engage with others, learn from others, share others success and amplify their voices.
In 2019 we will be Shining the Spotlight on our collaborating partners in education.
Leading the charge is Raymond Terrace Public School
After joining the Picture You in Agriculture family in 2018 through their participation in The Archibull Prize, Raymond Terrace Public School is back.
In 2019 they will be part of the Kreative Koalas experience as they delve into culture and koalas around Port Stephens.
Teacher Bernadette van de Wijgaart will be leading 30 students from the Aboriginal Girls Group (Stages 2 and 3) in the program and is looking forward to once again diving deep into project-based learning.
“As a creative teacher with a visual arts background, I seek opportunities to involve our students in projects which I know will allow them to grow academically but also provide them with skill sets which will assist them in future years and employment. Working collaboratively and investigating issues before developing creative platforms to deliver outcomes is hugely important for our students. The Kreative Koalas project offers the ideal project-based learning platform for our students to develop these strengths.” Bernadette says.
Students from Raymond Terrace Public School at Hunter Launch of Kreative Koalas
Raymond Terrace Public School has 400 students, many who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the school has developed cultural groups and programs to meet the needs of these students and their families.
“Port Stephens is the traditional home of the Worimi People. We have strong connections with local elders and the external learning facility known as Murrook Cultural Centre and we were seeking to develop a creative project whose direction/development can be specifically governed by our Aboriginal Girls Group, under the guidance of ‘Aunty Frankie’ and our Aboriginal team.” Bernadette says.
The Kreative Koala project fulfils the needs of this group by allowing them to respond to the sustainable management of the Worimi lands (particularly the expansive coastal stretch of Buribi Beach – Port Stephens, which is under the ownership/management of the Worimi People). Our Aboriginal students are developing their understanding of the relationship, history and custodianship they inherit of their lands and the responsibility to protect and manage the environment.”
As well as connecting to their cultural background students are looking forward to investigating the decline of the koala population in what was once known as the New South Wales koala capital.
“Through this program our students will increase their knowledge of the effects that urban changes have had on the natural environment and investigate sustainable outcomes, and they will also make a statement piece to communicate the situation they are inheriting.” Bernadette says.
Raymond Terrace Public School understands the benefits of participating in high-calibre programs such as The Archibull Prize and Kreative Koalas – external partnerships, life-long learnings, skill sets for the future – and as Bernadette says:
“Knowing that it is supported by Lynne Strong and her team…we simply MUST be a part of this initiative!”
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Mega shoutout to our Kreative Koalas supporting partners Hunter Local Land Services and Holcim Australia – we couldn’t do it without you
Today we held the Western Sydney launch of Kreative Koalas at Penrith City Council Library
Community Champions and students and teachers from Penrith schools participating on Kreative Koalas-Design a Bright Future Challenge
One of the highlights of the program is supporting the students on their journey with Community Champions and helping the schools build collaborative partnerships between government, business and the community.
At each of our launch events local Community Champions share with the schools exciting environmental stewardship projects happening in their backyards that aim to make local communities places where people can work, live and play
Today I was memorized by the presentation by Andrew Hewson and Justine Vella from the Sustainability Team at Penrith Council. Andrew and Justine shared with the teachers and students how Penrith City Council is helping Australia meet its commitment to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11
Check our some of this fabulous stuff the sustainability team and Penrith City Council are doing
The latest addition to Council’s vehicle fleet is a 100% electric Renault Kangoo, which will not create any greenhouse gas emissions while being driven, and will be recharged using renewable energy.
The delivery-style ‘eco car’ has been purchased to trial its suitability and real world running costs, and if it proves successful we can look at purchasing more in future when our cars need replacement. The Kangoo will be used by staff to transport items around the city and will be on display at various community events so local residents can learn more about this technology and see the car for themselves.
2. Commitment to clean energy technology
Council has installed 37 solar panel systems on their buildings, with a total energy generating capacity of 346kW (a typical home system is about 3-5kW). In the 2017-18 financial year they achieved a 62% increase in the amount of solar power generated and used across their facilities compared to the previous year, and they are always looking for more opportunities to go solar. They also purchase 10% greenpower for all Council sites.
3. Installation of a Possum and Fauna Crossing Bridge
“Every part of the Hub has been designed with the community in mind, and it has the highest standard of accessibility. It is the first public building in NSW to be constructed from cross-laminated timber, a lightweight and strong engineered wood product, and also includes a sustainable geothermal heating and cooling system.
6. Cooling the City
As part of council’s Cooling the City strategy . Living Places is an exciting new project that will see around 400 beautiful street trees planted on nature strips across the southern section of St Marys. The tree planting project will improve the look of these streets, making them nicer places to live, walk and ride. Importantly trees also provide much needed shade and cooling in summer, creating a cooler place to live.
And this fabulous upgrade ( with before and after photos) that involved mass plantings of native vegetation and installation of a bike track
Council has established a Resilience Committee to play a key role in shaping and future-proofing Penrith City. The Committee will look at how to respond to risks, and contribute to long-term environmental, social and economic outcomes. It will also advise Council on opportunities to improve the resilience of Penrith and how to integrate resilience with our decision making.
Resilience is a relatively new concept that is receiving attention from cities and communities across the world as they face growing challenges and pressures from increasing urbanisation and globalisation. At the same time cities are also facing significant impacts from climate change. Addressing the risks, opportunities and challenges as these issues interact requires a shift in our thinking and planning.
Urban resilience is defined as the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses and systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience. Taking early action to manage challenges and reduce impacts to individuals, the environment and the economy can offer access to multiple benefits including cost savings, cost avoidance and other benefits across systems and communities.
A comprehensive project is currently underway for Metropolitan Sydney to identify the key shocks and stresses the City is likely to face into the future and to start to develop a strategy for how we deal with these in coming years. Most, if not all, of the shocks and stresses that have been identified as part of the Resilient Sydney project are relevant to Penrith and should be considered in our long-term planning for the City, and our decision-making processes. Source
You can watch Andrew and Justine’s presentation below
Speaking of imaging a great future. Students from Penrith schools participating in Kreative Koalas have envisioned their 2040
Each year Picture You in Agriculture conducts extensive research into our two schools-based programs The Archibull Prize and Kreative Koalas. Our research has shown the environmental issues of most concern to young people are ensuring Australians have access to clean air (95%) and clean water (93%) and that we all work together to reduce the amount of waste we generate (90%). Also highly ranked by young people is using clean energy (87%) and knowing what food is bad for you (85%).
84% of young people surveyed believe it is everyone’s responsibility to look after the planet and identified farmers as the main partners they want to work with to achieve this. Our programs, The Archibull Prize in secondary schools and Kreative Koalas – Design a Bright Future in primary schools, open students’ eyes to the world of agriculture, particularly the variety of STEM-based careers. The programs also offer students one-on-one access to their very own farmers with the Young Farming Champions.
This year our Young Farming Champions will Google Hang Out with students in the 15 primary schools participating in Kreative Koalas, sharing their career in agriculture with a strong focus on the impact of the fibres they choose to wear and use to reduce the impact of their fashion choices on the planet.
Twelve Young Farming Champions from the wool, grains, dairy, horticulture and eggs and poultry industries will be delivering The Archibull Prize in 20 schools. Our YFC have got off to an early start with Google Hangout Meet and Greets which will be followed up with face-to-face workshops in schools. In addition, a number of Archibull Prize schools have indicated they will be getting out of the classroom and taking the students to their local universities and farms where possible.
The Archibull Prize and Kreative Koalas both employ 21st-century learning, which empowers young people to be critical, creative and confident communicators working together to solve real-world problems that have real-world impact. In turn, this creates job-ready employees of the future.
Our research also shows us how we can tailor the programs to meet the needs of participating students and teachers. Using this feedback we supplement the face-to-face visits of the Young Farming Champions with digital technology, for example skyping from a paddock direct to a classroom, or participation in the Paddock Pen Pals program.
Teachers have the opportunity to participate in a professional development workshop held at Tocal College, which is supported by partners Aussie Farmers Foundation, Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal and Hunter Local Land Services. The workshop is led by the Young Farming Champions, including new inductees from the University of New England and their alumni mentors, and a team of coaches.
The coaching team includes Jenni Metcalf, Greg Mills and Gaye Steel and will be strengthened in 2019 with the addition of Josh Farr from Campus Consultancy.
“It’s a privilege to work with this cohort of change-makers and leaders. As the YFC take their stories of personal and career growth into schools, they inspire the next generation to aim high, tackle some of the world’s biggest problems and most importantly, to act locally first, in their own backyards.” Josh Says
Today is World Environment Day, and, with a fresh perspective that comes from something new, it is Josh who clearly sees the connection between this important day and our objectives:
“Working with the Young Farming Champions provides me with the opportunity to empower young leaders who take a proactive stance on environmental sustainability and climate change.”
This week’s top stories from Young Farming Champions across the country.
In the field
This week there is a woolly buzz in classrooms in Sydney and we are thrilled to launch the pilot of our new program Paddock to Plate Pen Pals. Supported by Australian Wool Innovation this new program will see students Google Hanging Out with our Young Farming Champions working in the wool and sheep supply chain.
Skype sessions have been used successfully in the past to take the schoolroom to the field, such as when YFC Emma Ayliffe used the technique with Parramatta Public School for The Archibull Prize. For teacher Esra Smerdon the experience brought a real-world connection to the classroom. “When we skyped with Emma, she was able to show us how they used moisture probes to identify whether or not they needed to water and how they used that data to inform them,” she said. See case study here
Monday morning CSIRO Sheep Researcher and YFC Dr Danila Marini beamed into Carlingford West Public School to discuss all things animal wellbeing, virtual fencing and technology and teacher Zoe Stephens says students were fascinated:
On Tuesday morning it was Riverina Local Land Services District Veterinarian and Wool YFC Dione Howard turn
This is what teacher Zoe Stephens had to say ” What a great connection! The students were so engaged and interested. I think you may have inspired some students to become future vets! The medical equipment you showed the students were amazing, especially as they could identify that we use the same equipment for humans! Thanks for your time and enthusiasm!
Elders Wool broker Sam Wan and sheep musterer Chloe Dutschke will beam into Carlingford West PS later this week. Paddock to Plate Pen Pals will also be supported by blog posts, social media and case-studies.
In the Central Highlands of Queensland, YFC and Secretary of the Central Highlands Cotton Growers and Irrigators Association (CHCGIA) Alexandria Galea and YFC and Cotton Info Extension Officer Sharna Holman worked with a team to deliver a Teach the Teacher Tour to gain hands on experience of agriculture.
Sixty teachers visited an irrigation farm, took a quick agronomy lesson and had a siphon starting competition. The adventure continued to a horticulture farm, to an automotive packing plant for citris and grapes and Fairbairn Dam. Events like this aim to inform teachers of farming practices and give them a positive and fun experience of agriculture so that they can share this knowledge in the classroom. Great work Alexandria and Sharna.
The Archibull Prize is celebrating its 10th birthday this year and the team is looking back over what we have learnt throughout our decade long journey of harnessing the best and brightest young ag minds to take the farm into urban classrooms. Our first Lessons Learnt Blog explores careers in agriculture and offering real world skills to solve real world problems. Elders wool broker and AWI YFC Samantha Wan shines as an example of the calibre of young professionals working with school students to encourage careers in agriculture. Read more HERE
Out of the field
YFC Dr Danila Marini talks sheep welfare and the fascinating new world of virtual fencing with University of New England:
“Since ancient livestock herders began erecting barriers of brush and stone to contain animals, fencing has been a time-consuming and expensive business for farmers. Imagine, then, the virtual fence: an invisible line on the landscape that animals will not cross, which can be created on a map on a tablet, and moved or erased at a touch. After decades of research trial and error — lots of error — the concept is now a reality, at least for cattle. The rapid minaturisation of technology means that the solution may soon be applied to sheep, and that’s where UNE post-doctoral student Dr Danila Marini steps in.” Read more HERE
Climate YFC Anika Molesworth is off to Antarctica this year and has co-authored a story in the lead up to her adventure via The Crawford Fund titled “Farming on Thin Ice.”
“Later this year, two young agricultural researchers who are both former Crawford Fund scholars and now RAID Network members, will be setting off to Antarctica. They were selected to take part in an incredible 12-month program with a cohort of 95 women in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine) from around the globe. The Homeward Bound programme is a global leadership initiative to equip women in STEMM with strategic and communication capabilities in order to influence policy and decision-making regarding the sustainability of our planet.” Read more HERE
Bianca Das (left) and YFC Anika Molesworth (right) will be setting off to Antarctica later this year.
Friend of Art4Agriculture and consultancy guru Greg Mills caught up with Wool YFC Peta Bradley at Zone Junior Judging in Armidale. Peta was meat sheep judge and Greg was the steward. The winner and runner up from Armidale will compete at the zone final at Sydney Royal Easter Show next month.
YFC Meg Rice attended a NSW Farmers workshop last week that was aimed at developing practical leadership skills in women.
YFC and Local Landcare Coordinators (LLC) Erika Heffer and Jasmine Whitten are both off to Sydney this week for the Statewide LLC Gathering. Jasmine checked with the Picture You in Agriculture Facebook Page from the Dubbo airport this morning on her way to the big smoke. She’ll keep us updated on all the Landcare happenings this week, so keep an eye out!
Prime Cuts
Wool YFC Chloe Dutschke is one of six finalists for the this year’s Peter Westblade Scholarship. The Scholarship exists to promote the practical skills associated with the sheep and wool industry and aims to deliver hands on experience and mentoring to young people aspiring to a career in the wool industry. The recipient of the 2019 Peter Westblade Scholarship will be announced at the scholarship dinner on April 4th. Good luck Chloe!
We’re excitedly looking for the next crop of Young Farming Champions to join out team in 2019! Expressions of Interest are now open for University of New England Young Farming Champions. If this is you or someone you know, please share the word! Find our more HERE
Kreative Koalas is an innovative STEM project-based learning program that focuses on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
It empowers teachers to engage young people with a diverse range of academic skills, provides them with teamwork, problem solving and communication skills and a creative vehicle to design real world projects that have real world impact.
Competing for cash prizes and the title of Grand Champion Kreative Koala schools are:
Provided with a blank fibreglass koala for students to create an artwork on or to use as the subject of an artwork which focuses on a sustainable development goal.
Paired with Community Champions, business and community groups who hold the knowledge, wisdom and experience to assist the students to learn about local projects which are already addressing Australia’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commitment.
Contact Lynne Strong E: headkoala@kreativekoalas.com.au to access an expression of interest brochure
in 2017 the NSW Department of Education issued an evidence-based review of the key skills for the 21st century. These skills include critical thinking, conscientiousness, collaboration, creativity, and problem solving. To ensure our young people can meet the requirements of the new work reality, education systems around the world have shifted the goals from teaching knowledge to learning skills about how to use knowledge in real-life situations.
For the last ten years Picture You in Agriculture has been helping teachers meet the 21st century needs of their students and bridge the gaps between agriculture and education by running in-school programs with real world impact that combine art, agriculture, sustainability innovation & leadership
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST ARE NOW OPEN FOR THE KREATIVE KOALAS DESIGN A BRIGHT FUTURE CHALLENGE
Kreative Koalas is an innovative STEM project-based learning program that focuses on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
It empowers teachers to engage young people with a diverse range of academic skills, provides them with teamwork, problem solving and communication skills and a creative vehicle to design real world projects that have real world impact.
Competing for cash prizes and the title of Grand Champion Kreative Koala schools are:
Provided with a blank fibreglass koala for students to create an artwork on or to use as the subject of an artwork which focuses on a sustainable development goal.
Paired with Community Champions, business and community groups who hold the knowledge, wisdom and experience to assist the students to learn about local projects which are already addressing Australia’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commitment.
Supported to empower students to co-create a project that they design, own and deliver either in-school or out in the community with their intergenerational mentors.
Provided with a vehicle for students to communicate what they learn in fun and creative ways to a broader online audience and their local community.
Supplied with a resource kit with curricular connections and Matisse paints.
To receive a copy of the Expression of Interest brochure and the application form please contact the program director Lynne Strong headkoala@kreativekoalas.com.au
Young Public School, aided by a range of partnerships, took out a raft of awards at the 2018 Kreative Koalas- Design a Bright Future ceremony held in Goulburn on November 27, 2018.
National program director Lynne Strong congratulated Young Public School for forging partnerships with farmers and environmentalists, with sponsors and corporate businesses and with not-for-profit organisations and communities.
“Research has time and time again shown that kids who go to schools that have strong relationships with business and the community have a much greater opportunity to thrive.
Businesses and communities who engage with schools can enrich and enhance the delivery of education and students can see their learnings have real-world significance. When schools, parents, business and communities partner together great things can happen in the lives of children and young adults.” she said.
Kreative Koalas, a program designed to create awareness of Australia’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDG), asks schools to design a community project and call to action, and to display their interpretive artwork on a giant fibreglass koala. Class 2/3 studied SDG 12: Responsible Production and Consumption, while Class 4D studied SDG 14: Life Below the Water.
Class 2/3 created Koko Kompost Koala, which won the Australian Wind Services Award for Best Kreative Koala Artwork, and instigated a partnership with Cleanway to reduce and recycle waste at the school. As part of their studies they were also visited by Wool Young Farming Champion and Sustainability Ambassador Adele Smith. Adele spoke to the students about how farmers have an important role to play in responsible production and wool as a sustainable fibre.
Class 4D created Chewy the Choking Koala to illustrate the impact of irresponsible consumption and the damaging effects on life below the water. Under guidance from Finn Martin from Local Land Services students went on an excursion to a local creek. “We have been shocked and saddened by the amount of rubbish going into our waterways and eventually into the ocean,” the school said. The students also participated in the Take 3 movement, which encourages everyone to remove three pieces of rubbish from the environment every time they are out. 4D’s dedicated participation was rewarded when they were named the Holcim Reserve Grand Champion Kreative Koala.
Tallong Public School was declared Grand Champion Koala for their creative efforts investigating UN Sustainable Development Goal Life on the Land to bring attention to the endangered Tallong Midge Orchid, as part of the 2018 Kreative Koalas – Design a Bright Future Challenge, in an awards ceremony held at St Saviour’s Hall in Goulburn on Tuesday November 27.
Principal Ellie Moore and Declan Close from Holcim Australia with students from Tallong Public School
Alongside their giant koala Tallong Public School ran a community concert. “Students either danced in a class dance and/or acted in a play called “Snugglepot and Cuddlepie in Tallong” where the gumnut babies find the rare and endangered Tallong Midge Orchid and together with their bush animal friends and students from TPS, find and protect the little orchid,” the school said. “The concert was well attended and received very positive feedback. The play directly connected to the message given by the Koala artwork; that of a need to protect the local endangered species of plants and animals.”
Tallong Public School Principal Ellie Moore with students and Mary Bonet (LachLandcare) Giselle Newbury ( Southern Tablelands Arts) and Patricia Garcia AO National Program Manager UN Sustainable Development Goals
The students from 4D at Young Public School were awarded runners-up with their evocative artwork named Chewy the Choking Koala. The students studied the SDG of Life Below the Water. “Through our research, we have been shocked and saddened by the amount of rubbish going into our waterways and eventually into the ocean,” the school said. “4D have identified plastic as the most damaging element of our rubbish.”
Students from Young Public School with sponsors Declan Close from Holcim Australia, Tanya Roberts from Australian Wind Alliance and Craig Simon from Acciona Energy with Kranky Koala
Kreative Koalas is a unique example of 21st Century learning linking sustainability and art, pairing school students with Community Champions to create a call to action to help Australia meet its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In 2018 seven primary schools across the southern highlands participated.
Kreative Koalas asks students to communicate their learnings in art form on a giant fibreglass koala and to design an environmental community Call to Action project. More information on the program can be found on the website at www.kreativekoalas.com.au
The Award for Kreative Koalas Youth Ambassador was presented to Goulburn West Public School student Mae O’Flynn by Mayor Bob Kirk
Mayor Bob Kirk with Mae O’Flynn
Special guests at the Kreative Koalas awards ceremony were Australia’s National Program Manager for the UN Sustainable Development Goals Patricia Garcia AO and Mayor of the Goulburn Mulwaree Council Bob Kirk.
Kreative Koalas is proudly supported by Holcim Australia, Acciona Energy, Australian Wind Alliance, Lachlandcare, Southern Tablelands Art and NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. Special shoutout to MC Warren Brown for officiating on the day
All the photos from the Awards Day can be found here
HOW CAN YOUR REGION PARTICIPATE IN KREATIVE KOALAS 2019?
Kreative Koalas – Design a Bright Future Challenge puts students at the centre of the learning experience and empowers teachers to support their students to create the bright future we all deserve.
The Kreative Koalas funding model celebrates the research that shows that kids who go to schools that have strong relationships with business and the community have a much greater opportunity to thrive. Businesses and communities who engage with schools can enrich and enhance the delivery of education. Students can see their learnings have real-world significance. When schools, parents, business and communities partner together great things can happen in the lives of children and young adults.
If you would like to partner with your community to bring Kreative Koalas to your region, please contact Lynne Strong HeadKoala@kreativekoalas.com.au
“With the amount of waste increasing in Australia by nearly 8% a year, it’s time for us, as a nation, to seriously re-examine the ways we consume and dispose of consumer items?’
GERRINGONG PUBLIC SCHOOL IS BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS OF THEIR GRAND CHAMPION KREATIVE KOALA COMMUNITY PROJECT AND TAKING THEIR LEARNINGS NATIONALLY WITH AN INVITATION TO BE A MODEL SCHOOL IN SERIES TWO OF ABC TV ‘WAR ON WASTE’
Gerringong Public School and science teacher Sue Hassler catapulted themselves into the pilot program of Kreative Koalas with an unmatched enthusiasm to learn more about recycling and waste management, and in doing so won the award for best community project.
Their creation combined their artwork, Captain Koala, with a TerraCycle Drop-off point. “Our project is unique because we have combined our koala into our community project,” the school said. “We have turned this object into a purposeful and decorative addition to our school. We hope to inspire better knowledge of and involvement in recycling, especially through the provision of this collection point for hard to recycle items such as toothbrushes, Nescafe coffee pods and pump dispensers.” Last year we collected over 60,000 Terracycle items which the school receives 1 cent per item for, this money comes back into the school to help with our sustainability work.
Gerringong Public School won $500 for their efforts but the longer-term applications of their learnings are what makes this such as successful project.
Gerringong Public School was supported by legends local artist Penny Sadubin and Sustainability Ambassador Jaime Lovell through their Kreative Koala journey
During the Kreative Koalas journey the school participated in a plastics audit and was astounded to collect 822 pieces of plastic including chip packets, snap lock bags, clingwrap, foil and muesli bar wrappers. A second audit found an additional 494 pieces of plastic in the school’s water easement. These plastics became the focus of the school’s war on waste.
“I realized that every syllabus or curriculum had an underpinning in sustainability and nearly every topic had some direct content related to the environment,” Mrs Hassler said. “I showed the students Mission Blue with Sylvia Earle, and then we talked about plastics; their break-down periods, where they come from and why they are a problem. Then we looked at their lunchboxes and how we could minimise plastics in them. We saw a huge change in lunchboxes and there is now a lot less clingwrap, for example, coming into the school.”
Gerringong Public School then overhauled their bin system. Now waste is separated into paper, foil and hard plastics, Terracycle (chip and muesli bar packets)and landfill. “With a school of 430 kids we’ve gone from filling 21 landfill bins each week to four and they are usually only a quarter full,” Mrs Hassler said.
In addition, the students made beeswax wraps as an alternative to cling wrap and Ziploc plastic bags, which can take five hundred years to break down. So successful was this part of their war on waste that parents began asking for after-school workshops to make their own. The school canteen also came on board with eco-cups, metal spoons and a reduction in the use of foil, and recycling bins were put in the staff room and library.
The school has been very successful in educating and engaging their local community using Facebook, school newsletters and their local newspaper The Bugle with Captain Koala now becoming a community teracycle facility
“It’s an ongoing process of watching what the waste is and it takes a long time for people to understand that what you’re doing is important,” Mrs Hassler said. “There’s no point in teaching literacy and numeracy if we’ve wrecked our environment in the meantime. It becomes about starting independent action with nine and ten-year olds and that’s just gold for me. I’ve got kids who’ll come to me and say, ‘On the weekend, we picked up all these plastics on the beach’ and I feel like they do get it and they’re implementing it in their own lives and making a difference.”
Gerringong Public School is a shining example of the power of collaboration to take courageous steps to create change. Though driving of change may start with one champion, it is the movement, and in this case the students who are everyone’s future, who will make it a reality.
Kreative Koalas focus of collaborating with thought leaders who back the next generation of young people who are going to rethink the world and create a better future is something we can all be involved in and be proud of.
See what all our Courageous Kreative Koala schools are doing here
Watch this space for more on the adventures of Captain Koala.
News Flash
The Kreative Koalas program welcomes Sue Hassler as our 2018 Kreative Koalas Ambassador. In this role Sue will be supporting schools in the Southern Highlands of NSW to help Australians meet our commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Sue Hassler shares the highlights of Gerringong Public Schools Kreative Koalas expereince
Continuing our series on the Champions Schools who nailed the 2017 pilot of Kreative Koalas
Today’s blog post features Diver from Keira High School who won the Fair Food Forager Award for Best Kreative Koala Call to Action. Visit the Hall of Fame here
Keira High School’s koala is personified as a diver. It is clothed in a wetsuit, complete with scuba diving tanks and a mask. The wetsuit is a tight fit, symbolic of how the Koala is trapped amongst a myriad of rubbish. Wollongong is a coastal city and the students Koala design reflects the impact of rubbish in their community. They incorporated a mixture of plastics (e.g. scrap fishing wire) with their Koala to represent the natural world and express the suffering of our coastal environment as a result of our actions. The Koala’s marine theme is juxtaposed with the rubbish representative of human impact.
The second part of the Kreative Koalas program was to design a community project.
Keira High School’s Sustainability Ambassador Daniel Simpson talks about Keira High School’s community project
Like the other schools the Kreative Koalas program has had a domino effect with Keira High School students becoming more environmentally aware within themselves and within the wider community. This has led to exciting outcomes and future plans.
“This was one of the first environmental initiatives taken up by Keira High’s student body. In the future, we aim to promote sustainable practices in a way that will have a lasting impact on our school community. This will become an ongoing project that will continue to run at Keira, and we plan to do bigger and better things as we become more experienced with the Kreative Koalas program.” Liz Price Lead Teacher Keira High School
Well done Keira High School looking forward to reconnecting in 2018 and catching up on your waste management call to action success
Created by the clever team at Gwynneville Public School Sam won the Sharon Bird MP Award for Best Kreative Koala Artwork.
The school also picked up the The Gareth Ward MP Award for Best Animation with this phenomenal video highlight the scary stats on clothing waste and merits of up-cycling
Students in years 4 and 5 work on The Kreative Koala Project. Their focus was on “ Waste” and how we could make a difference by reducing the amount of rubbish on a personal level, a School level and at a Community level.
They aim of their artwork is to engage and promote discussions about our stewardship of our landscapes and waterways
The base shows the up-cycling projects the student created to show how we can reuse or recycle products that we aren’t using anymore
The plinth the koala has four milk crates. Three are filled with rubbish from our beach clean- up, from our school clean up and from the packaging from when our koala arrived. The fourth is our target for our next clean- up which is zero waste.
For the community project part of the program the students organised a playground clean up . They found that even though they had bins out, there was still a lot of rubbish being dropped onto the ground or was blowing out of the bins. In their community they went to North Wollongong Beach and partook in a beach clean-up. They found from a distance the beach looked quite clean but on a closer inspection they soon saw that there was a lot of rubbish hidden in the bushes and under the sand. It was easy to see the large bits and discovered large amounts of small pieces of plastic and cigarette butts.
Well done to the Champion team from Gwynneville Public School who also took out the Greater Sydney Landcare Network Award for GRAND CHAMPION KREATIVE KOALA
and dont forget to check out what their Sustainability Ambassadors had to say
