COMMUNITY ACTION

YEAR 9 COMMUNITY ACTION - ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY FESTIVAL

On Friday 13 September, the Community Action Sustainability class hosted the Footscray Environment and Sustainability Festival. Students from Footscray Primary School visited our Environmental Science Centre where they participated in a number of interactive workshops addressing local environment and sustainability issues, including food miles, bees as pollinators, plastic waste, invasive species and interactions in biomes. Students were also delighted to forage in the garden for fresh ingredients to place on their pizzas which were prepared and cooked by the VCAL students in the wood-fired pizza oven. Delicious! 

Throughout term 3, the year 9 Community Action class spent many hours researching and rehearsing their workshop presentations to ensure facts and figures were accurate and activities engaging for the primary school audience. Feedback from the junior audience, their teachers and parents demonstrate that is was an enjoyable and informative day for all. 

The year 9 students did an excellent job presenting four times across the day. It was great to see their confidence build with each presentation, their caring nature in working with younger students and their ability to adapt the workshops to address the needs of the different groups. We observed many excellent leaders and teachers across the course of the day. Well done year 9 Community Action Sustainability Class - so proud of your efforts! 

Our Environment and Sustainability Festival is part of the National Kids Teaching Kids Program, a program that promotes positive wellbeing and helps build resilience in young people. It raises awareness and drives action on local and global environmental issues, bringing communities together to solve common challenges and help the next generation of leaders who will take collective responsibility for our future. By giving students the opportunity to present a workshop, students see that they can have a positive impact on the world, starting in their own communities. Students are given the tools to manage their own learning and become confident, caring and informed citizens ready to take on new challenges.

Michelle Sanders - Head of Science