Sustainable Schools making an IMPACT
In term 3 this year the Impact for Youth Programme worked with kids from three schools across NPDC. FDMC, Highlands Intermediate and Puketapu school. Each group explored their understanding of environmental issues across the globe and in their own community. They then researched, planned and carried out a collaborative project that would deliver a sustainable outcome for their community. All of these projects were thought up and acted on by the young people involved with guidance provided by our facilitators Mieke & Dave.
Our Francis Douglas Memorial College group set about the lofty task of introducing recycling systems to their school. After research, debate and calling on a ‘Sustainable Taranaki Zero Waste Educator’ for some advice the group decided to run a trial of mixed recycling collection at two busy locations on school grounds. They upcycled old rubbish bins and pallets to create recycling stations complete with wash buckets to ensure the materials being collected for recycling are contamination free. The boys involved are hoping they can demonstrate to their school management that recycling is a viable option for waste minimisation.
Puketapu were a particularly energetic group who quickly identified the schools existing garden and composting systems as their focus. Their aim, to improve their own understanding of how best to maintain these and to apply this new knowledge. They were supported with this through practical lessons on identifying and removing weeds, composting, plant propagation and planting/seed-sowing techniques. An educational session facilitated by Sustainable Taranaki's 'Let's Compost' facilitator gave them knowledge on how to use the existing worm farm and composting bays in the best way. The group successfully transplanted several beneficial plants from an old garden to the school garden club’s new area of operations. They also took cuttings of plants they could not transplant successfully and planted these out in suitable conditions for them to take root in the new garden.
Highlands Intermediate came in with much enthusiasm and in the very first session expressed a desire to turn their school into a community hub that would provide freshly grown healthy produce to give away. Given the time available the group scaled back their project to improving the current school garden/orchard and delivering school-wide education around best practices with their existing classroom compost collection. The passion and ideas of the young people involved had a ripple effect throughout the school. Ideas that couldn’t fit into the IMPACT project were taken back to teachers who incorporated them into classroom inquiry learning. A sustainability group was set up with the vision that year 8s will educate and train year 7s, who will in turn do the same the following year. The hope is that this will ensure the continuation of any sustainable projects introduced by this special interest group.
During these IMPACT sessions, the groups also developed an understanding of their own induvial strengths, talents and preferences when working in a team environment. They were supported to build collaborative skills through team challenges each week and were given opportunities to reflect on what challenges they faced and how best to address these. While working towards a sustainable community project these young people built self-esteem and self-knowledge while also getting a short course in project management.
In the final term of 2022 IMPACT for YOUTH will be working with Waitara Highschool, Manukorihi Intermediate and Highlands Intermediate.
