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15th Biennial National Conference

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Charles Darwin University 9th – 12th July 2008 Northern Territory

15th Biennial Australian Association for Environmental Education Conference - Environmental Education up the Track: Hot Topics for our Community

9th – 12th July 2008, Charles Darwin University, Northern Territory

The Conference is sponsored by

First Published 2008

This publication is intended to be distributed to as many people and organisations as possible.

Published by AAEE National Conference Committee.

Contact Dr. Jennifer Pearson on [email protected] if you require further information

Introduction

The National Conference at Charles Darwin University in Darwin July 1-5 chose the title of Environmental Education up the Track: Hot Topics for our Community to provide an opportunity to extend discussions build networks and improve understanding of topics in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) on local, national and international levels. This was achieved by engaging a broad range of community members and visitors in experiences that stirred complacency and extended commitment to best practice strategies for environmental education. A significant feature of the conference was the engagement and involvement of Indigenous Australians and isolated communities across Northern Australia. There was also the facilitation of developing links with the Asia region through sharing experience. Another feature was the Youth Conference, lead by Millennium Kids Inc that connected youth organisations and groups across the nation using video link ups.

Hot topics included climate change, trans-cultural eco-literacy, water issues, green business, waste management, ecological footprint and biodiversity. Thematic presentations, skill-based workshops and field studies facilitated smaller groups and presenters were encouraged to be innovative in the way they engage participants. A strong focus on intercultural and inter-generational perspectives directed the conference with opportunities for special interest groups to network and develop projects that work towards ESD for the rest of the decade.

The collection of articled in the non peer reviewed collection represent some of the many rich discussions that occurred over the conference.

Editorial Committee

Dr. Jennifer Pearson (Editor), School of Education, Edith Cowan University Australia.

Contents As the files are sometimes large the non referred collection has been presented in books for ease of downloading. The first book follows the content page.

Presentations Book One 1 Fun, food and (shhh don’t tell anyone) learning!

Lauren Appleby 2 Tomorrow’s leaders for sustainability – an innovative leadership program for

primary & secondary students. Pat Armstrong & Jane Stewart

3 OtherWISE Youth: Leadership for Sustainable Consumption. Iris Bergmann & Cameron Neil

4 Our land, our water, our life. Emma Bliss & Senior Arrernte Women (Veronica Dobson, MK Turner, Marie Ellis & Roseanne Ellis)

Book Two 5 Capacity for What?

Grahame Collier 6 Saving the Planet by Sinking your School.

Glenn Davidson 7 Working Together for Successful (and fun) Experiences.

Carolyn Gillard Book Three 8 Living with uncertainty. (PowerPoint)

Greg Hunt 9 Living with uncertainty. (Paper)

Greg Hunt 10 Satellite remote sensing: A tool for Environmental Education.

Xiuping Jia 11 Earth Day Expo: Showcasing Environmental Education to Primary School

Children. Dr Jennifer Pearson

Book Four 12 City of Wanneroo adopt a bushland.

Sharon Rose & Dr Jennifer Pearson 13 Taking environmental education to diverse communities.

Annette Salkeld 14 Enterprising education in natural resource management.

Rhonda Scoullar and Mary Rowland 15 Live It Up. It’ll cost you the Earth. The truce cost of consumer lifestyles.

Syd Smith & Jillian Cupitt Book Five 16 The recreational scuba diving industry: environmental protectors or pests?

Hazel Storey 17 Catchments, Corridors and Coasts: Community interaction with sustainability

initiatives. Dr. Catherine Baudains, Mr Michael Burke, Ms Amy Krupa, Dr Jennifer Pearson, Mr Wayne Walters (Australian Association for Environmental Education: Western Australian Chapter)

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Paper AAEE Tomorrow's Leaders for Sustainability Aug 2008 1

AAEE

15th Biennial National Conference

Environmental Education up the track

Hot topics for our community

Paper: Tomorrow’s Leaders for Sustainability

PresentersPat ArmstrongTel: 03 9846 4928 Mobile: 0419 381 790Email: [email protected]

Jane StewartTel: 03 9817 7722 Mobile: 0411 838 033Email: [email protected]

Abstract

Tomorrow’s Leaders for Sustainability (TLfS) is a new initiative that helps young peopleunderstand and appreciate the key principles and issues of sustainability, while also gainingthe knowledge and skills to become leaders in their chosen career. The main objective ofthe program is to help young people to understand the world around them, to develop theability to think for themselves, to communicate their thoughts and feelings, to act on their ownbeliefs and to help others act in an ethical, environmental and socially responsible way. Apilot of the program, which was undertaken in a Melbourne secondary school during 2007,produced some excellent results and has been instrumental in the ongoing development ofthe program’s content. Training for teachers commenced with teachers in Victoria in May2008. This paper will describe the background, approach and content of the program andour early learnings from the pilot programs.

1. Background

Disturbing global trends continue to evidence that human activities threaten our ability tomeet the needs of present generations without compromising the needs of futuregenerations. However, according to Sir Nicholas Stern, “With strong and urgent action,governments, businesses and individuals, working together, can safeguard our future growthand prosperity. We must not waste this opportunity. The future depends on what we decidenow” (Stern, 2006).

The time has come for new generation of leaders to step forward and move society onto amore sustainable path. But where will these leaders come from? How will they know what todo? How will they gain the knowledge and skills to guide others? How will they maintaintheir resolve to work through difficult situations?


Recent research in the American Journal of Career and Technical Education shows thatformal youth leadership training is sadly lacking in our western society and that anyleadership skills gained by adolescents is often by default through participation in youthorganisations. This research concludes that all young people have the potential forleadership and that formal instructional training needs to be delivered to successfully prepareyoung people for moving into the modern working environment (Ricketts and Rudd, 2002).

How can we maximise a student’s readiness for their future workplace? Australian researchclearly describes the key skills needed to increase one’s employability, but how can studentslearn these skills in the context of a globalised environment? (ACC, 2002). Vocationaltraining needs to be embedded within principles of sustainability and correct dealings toequip all future workers with the knowledge and skills of a changing world. However, thesedisciplines are rarely combined and taught within the school environment. AlthoughAustralian industry leads the world in terms of many systems of sustainable production andassociated research and development, it often does not advocate this success within schoolsand communities. Curricula are often out of step with the latest industry developments, andmiss opportunities to inspire students to consider a range of industries and career pathways.

It is with this strong desire to combine leadership training with principles of sustainability andto deliver this through hands-on vocational activities that our project was created.Tomorrow’s Leaders for Sustainability (TLfS) is a new initiative that helps young peopleunderstand and appreciate the key principles and issues of sustainability, while also gainingthe knowledge and skills to become leaders in their chosen career. The program’s training insustainability leadership is based on an holistic and interactive approach to learning thatrespects the student’s prior experience, knowledge and skills.

The main objective of the program is to help young people to understand the world aroundthem, to develop the ability to think for themselves, to communicate their thoughts andfeelings, to act on their own beliefs and to help others act in an ethical, environmental andsocially responsible way. The end result will be a group of young politicians, scientists,engineers, farmers, fishermen and business people with a shared vision and the knowledgeand skills to change their own daily actions and to lead others onto a more sustainable path.

Our ultimate goal is to have hundreds of students gain a deeper understanding of the worldaround them, and the ability to apply their new knowledge and skills in sustainabilityleadership in their daily lives and eventual workplaces. Rather than bombarding studentswith the doom and gloom views of the world, we believe they should learn positive andpractical ways to handle current issues in a supportive learning environment.

2. Approach

Over the past 20-30 years there has been a growth of curriculum-based programs, followedby student / teacher programs and more recently by whole of school programs, such asWaste Wise Schools and Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI). One of themissing links in school programs has been student leadership programs, but over the past 8-10 years, there has been a slow emergence of excellent youth leadership programs, such asYouth River Conference, Youth Environment Council, Youth LEAD, Millennium Kids, LEAPand others. Tomorrow’s Leaders in Sustainability program has four unique features amongthe student leadership programs: it covers both upper primary and middle secondary years; itprovides a course that can be delivered by either a trained facilitator or a trained classroomteacher; it comes with a range of support services; and it provides strong vocational linksthrough student projects to future careers.


Youth leadership programs can contribute to school sustainability programs in a number ofways as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. The place of leadership programs in school sustainability programs

A pilot of the Tomorrow’s Leaders for Sustainability Program was undertaken in a Melbournesecondary school during 2007 and in a Melbourne primary school in 2008. These pilotsproduced some excellent results and have been instrumental in the ongoing development ofthe program’s content.

A group of teachers from four Victorian schools, with well-advanced sustainability programs,participated in a two-day training TLfS program in May 2008. The training uses best practiceGuide Beside approach to professional learning.

Since the training workshops, some of the teachers have commenced implementing theprogram in their schools. In one case, for example, the teacher, from an urban secondaryschool is using the program in an elective with Year 9 students. This teacher providesregular feedback on the progress of the program in her school. So far it is “going well” andthe class is working with rangers at a local wildlife reserve about possible projects. Inanother case, an education officer from an environmental education centre is planning towork with three secondary schools and two primary schools in her municipality, with theschools networking and working on locally relevant projects. We are also holdingdiscussions to conduct a pilot with a cluster of secondary and primary schools in westernVictoria, with land management and biodiversity as major themes.

3. ContentAll the TLfS educational materials have been designed to assist students achieve learningoutcomes in the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) and can readily be aligned tothe relevant learning standards of other states and territories.

3.1 Secondary ProgramThe TLfS Secondary Program is made up of three integrated components – EducationalActivities, Supervised Experiential Activities and Leadership Activities. The followingsections give a brief description of each component. Note that it is planned to run a fourthcomponent, Sustainability Youth Forums, in the future.


3.1.1 Educational Activities

A thorough literature review on the development of youth leadership was the starting point forthe design of the TLfS Training Activities. An understanding of adolescent development wasfound to be an important precursor to the design of a youth leadership instructional program.To this end, we used research from the American Journal of Career and Technical Education(Ricketts and Rudd, 2002) to adapt a five-dimension model as the basis for the TLfSProgram. The five dimensions include:

(1) Leadership Knowledge and Information(2) Leadership Attitude, Will, and Desire(3) Decision-Making, Reasoning and Critical Thinking(4) Oral and Written Communication Skills(5) Intra and Interpersonal Relations

In the TLfS Educational Activities, each dimension of the conceptual model are conceptuallyaligned into a holistic integrative perspective on learning that combines experience,perception, cognition and behaviour so that students can thoroughly grasp the concepts ofleadership on several levels. These concepts are then woven into activities that are basedon principles of sustainability so as to engage students in real issues of today. The TLfSProgram introduces participants to the idea that everything they eat, drink, use and wearcomes from natural resources and that there is a full chain of production and consumption forevery product and service they consume. As part of this chain, whether as a consumer now,or as a producer later in their lives, each participant is encouraged to think how they canlessen their impact. The ultimate message is that we must all take responsibility for ouractions, and that as graduates of the TLfS Program, these students must apply their newknowledge and skills now and in the future.

ModulesThe curriculum associated with the TLfS Educational Activities is delivered through a 15Module Course. Each Module has been carefully developed to cover a range of issues fromleadership and sustainability issues and related topics, project management and career andvocational information. The Modules have been developed in such a way that they can bedelivered in a short time frame over consecutive days, or over a longer time perioddepending on the time available in participating schools. In addition to these Modules, it isrecommended that an extra program called CSI Challenge, based on a full day experientialactivity, be undertaken away from the school grounds and set in a natural environment. Thisis a key component of the course and highlights both aspects of sustainability, leadershipand teamwork principles.

Guest SpeakersDepending upon availability, the Modules can also include guest speakers from localgovernment, local businesses or local environmental organisations. The purpose ofintroducing these guest speakers is to give participants in the TLfS program the opportunityto listen to different points of view on a range of topics and to question community andindustry leaders about topical issues and situations.

3.1.2 Leadership Activities

Leadership activities are included in the first four Modules of the Educational Activities, andare also integrated into the remaining Modules, the full day Experiential Activities and theSupervised Experiential Activities.


Research (Roach et al, 1999) has shown that young people are more interested indeveloping leadership within their groups than in individual leadership. This research alsosuggests that for young people, there are some important things to keep in mind:

Making wise decisions in situations – It is important to be able to “assess situationsquickly and step forward or backward in taking direction of the benefit of the group.”

Teamwork and relationships – One young leader said: “What it boils down to is that thereal power isn’t whether you're being a leader or a follower. The power comes fromworking as a team.’’

Chance and willingness – One young person described this as – “… we're all leaders.Basically, everyone just brings something. We’re all just one leader.”

Caring about others in the group – This is about self-knowledge and “building helpfulrelations”.

Changing nature of leadership – “Leadership arises in response to specific situations.Youth repeatedly emphasise how today's leader maybe tomorrow’s follower.”

Consultation and collaboration – asking other people’s opinions and working together Effective communication – in all forms

3.1.3 Supervised Experiential ActivitiesFormal instructional education in Australia is faced with the challenge of providing youngpeople with more opportunities than ever before in leadership and personal development forcareer and societal success. Research from America has found that students who receivedformal leadership training scored higher than students who had not received leadershiptraining on seven of the top ten personal qualities that employers seek (Ricketts and Rudd,2002).

According to an Australia Report titled “Employability Skills for the Future” (ACC, 2002), thekey skills needed to increase one’s employability include the following:

“communication skills that contribute to productive and harmonious relationsbetween employees and customers;

team work skills that contribute to productive working relationships and outcomes; problem-solving skills that contribute to productive outcomes; initiative and enterprise skills that contribute to innovative outcomes; planning and organising skills that contribute to long-term and short-term strategic

planning; self-management skills that contribute to employee satisfaction and growth; learning skills that contribute to ongoing improvement and expansion in employee

and company operations and outcomes; and technology skills that contribute to effective execution of tasks.”

With this important research in mind, one objective of the TLfS Supervised ExperientialActivities is to engage the participants in real life situations so as to develop the personalskills described above. The TLfS Supervised Experiential Activities are based aroundprojects of the participant’s choice and are carefully supervised by trained TLfS Facilitators ortrained classroom teachers.

These projects can be undertaken in the following ways: Research – conducting research and then analysing information to discover new

knowledge in regards to sustainability. Entrepreneurship – planning and operating a business activity that encompasses

elements of sustainability. Placement – working in an organisation to get first hand experience in the career of

their choice and tackling some sustainability issues on the ground.


All these projects should be geared towards getting first hand knowledge and/or experiencein sustainability related issues. Ideally these projects should also challenge the participant toconsider their own career pathway and how they might use this information and skills in thefuture workplace. By researching, experiencing and/or working in a career related project, allparticipants will be able to apply their TLfS learnings to a real life situation. They will also beable to test some of their leadership skills and knowledge through these supervised practicalactivities.

In order to maximise the value of the Supervised Experiential Activities, our intention is towork closely with government, industry and community organisations to develop meaningfulprojects that not only benefit the student, but also open up opportunities for importantpartnerships between different sectors of the community.

3.2 Primary ProgramThe program for primary schools is shorter and more hands-on than the secondary program.It is focused on giving students the essential knowledge, skills and confidence to design,plan, implement and promote a locally-based sustainability project of their choice. It is basedon an enquiry learning model that is used in most primary schools. This involves thefollowing stages:

Tuning in Students identify and define the issue

Finding out Students collect data, not as an end in itself, but as a means towards developing

understandings

Drawing conclusions Students draw conclusions to express their understandings and communicate these to

others

Consider social action Students consider social action and are active in decision-making during the enquiry and

its conclusion

Reflection and evaluation Students reflect on the outcomes of the actions and use this information for further

planning and enquiry

(Reference: Australian Government, 2006)

The primary program includes the following major topics:

1. Leadership What is leadership? What are the admired qualities of student leaders?

2. Sustainability What is sustainability? How can we all act to live more sustainably? How can our school be more sustainable?

3. Personal development How can I work well in a team? How can I communicate effectively?


How can I give impressive presentations?4. Sustainability projects

What are some ways to select a project that will engage all the students? What are some tools to help us plan a project effectively? How can we complete and promote the results of our project?

Discussion

Since we developed the first drafts of the TLfS programs, we have been on a long journey oflearning from the students and the teachers in our pilot schools and continuousimprovement.

From the secondary students, we learnt that they are very concerned about environmentalissues and that they are seeking ways to do something positive. Their maturity astoundedus. Their transformation from a group of shy individuals to a class of well-spoken, well-informed young leaders was quite astonishing and immensely rewarding. However, we alsolearnt that they all needed constant encouragement and close guidance in their selection anddevelopment of their projects. We have consequently strengthened this part of the program.

In the words of the young people:

Being a leader in sustainability means having the power to motivate people to help make abetter and more sustainable world. Leadership, in most cases, involves making harddecisions about the future of the group that you are leading. To be a leader you must havethe initiative to think differently and make a few changes, while keeping your group or team’sbest interests at heart. To be a successful leader you must have confidence in yourself andbe sure about what your priorities and values might be.” Year 9 student

“I think Tomorrow’s Leaders for Sustainability is one of the most enjoyable programs that Ihave (been) involved in. Throughout this project, I have learnt to work in a team, respectother’s opinions and be confident in myself. I also learnt how to give an effectivepresentation in front of people.” Year 9 student

(Note the second student told us that before he started the TLfS program, he wanted tobecome a dentist, but after the program he now wanted to become a sustainable dentist andto spend some of his time working in developing countries.)

From our pilot with primary students, we were again amazed the perceptiveness of so manyof the students. We learnt that the concept of leadership fits well with the values that areadvocated by most primary schools. When asked to tell us the qualities they admired inleaders, the students gave us quite sophisticated responses such as:

Honest Responsible Imaginative Organised Resilient Confident Make wise decisions Make recommendations Problem solve Make good suggestions Allow others to have ideas

Compliments others Listens Goal set Inform others Always do their personal best Reliable Creative Dependable Make people feel special Give care and provide assistance Never give up


Our favourite answer was – “They do the right thing most of the time.”

However, we observed that the students need a great deal of guidance in democraticallyselecting a meaningful project, choosing one that would have a real impact and actuallydesigning, planning and implementing their project. The role of the teacher is paramount.

ConclusionsTLfS is a new program that fosters youth leadership in the context of sustainability. Thecontent of the TLfS Program is based on the latest research and best practice in educationfor sustainability and leadership. It is delivered by either TLfS trained facilitators or by trainedteachers. The main purpose of TLfS is to help young people understand and appreciate thekey principles and issues of sustainability while also gaining the knowledge and skills tobecome leaders in their chosen career. Course materials have been developed for havebeen successfully trialled in secondary and primary schools. Several models forimplementation are currently been trialled in Victorian schools.

The key to the success of the TLfS Program will be the strong partnerships it can createbetween schools / communities and government departments / industry groups throughoutAustralia. It is anticipated that these partnerships will not only guarantee a high level ofexposure of the program to all new and participating groups, but it will also help to maintain ahigh level of applicability of the TLfS Program content to local issues of the day. Mostimportantly, it will help raise awareness of the need for leadership in sustainability and givethose groups dedicated to this idea the opportunity to showcase their commitment to thebroader community.

References

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Business Council of Australia(2002) Employability Skills for the Future (2002) Accessedhttp://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/4E332FD9-B268-443D-866C-621D02265C3A/2212/final_report.pdf , Commonwealth of Australia.

Australian Government, (2006). Educating for a Sustainable Future, a NationalEnvironmental Education Statement for Australian Schools. Commonwealth of Australia

Hocking, C. & Armstrong, P. 2008. The Guide Beside coaching manual on facilitation foreffective learning & change for sustainability. Victorian Association for EnvironmentalEducation, Palmerston St, Carlton. Funded by Dept Sustainability & Environment,Victoria.

Ricketts, J.C. and Rudd, R.D. (2002). A Comprehensive Leadership Education Model toTrain, Teach and Develop Leadership in Youth. Journal of Career and TechnicalEducation, 19 (1) Fall.

Roach, A.A. Wyman, L.T., Brookes, H., Chavez, C., Brice Heath, S. and Valdes, G.(1999). Leadership Giftedness: Models Revisited. Gifted Children Quarterly, 43 (3,)Winter. pp 13-26

otherWISE

www.rmit.edu.au/dsc/otherWISEhttp://ozotherwise.wordpress.com

Presenter: Dr Iris Bergmann, RMIT UniversityCo-authors: Cameron Neil, Prof John Fien and Dr Anthony Bedford

otherWISE


Youth Leadership for Sustainable Consumption

A Community Capacity Building Program for Australia

Supported by an ARC Discovery Project at RMIT University 2006 – 2008

otherWISE


The otherWISE National Team:

IYPF(International Young Professionals Foundation,

CEO Cameron Neil)

otherWISE Working Groupwith individuals across the nation

RMIT University

otherWISE


PurposeHelping young Australians to discover for themselves the changes

which are most meaningful for them and helping them to develop the action skills or competence to actually change their consumption

patterns and that of their community.

AimTo inform, inspire and equip young Australians to take action and

demonstrate leadership towards more sustainable local communities with the support of their community. This includes personal actions (i.e. lifestyle changes), individual projects, and

collective projects.

otherWISE


Background

2003 – 2004: NYARS(National Youth Affairs Research Scheme)

funded research on:

enabling young people as effective change agents for more sustainable consumption (SC) in their communities

Collaborative research between IYPF & Griffith University

otherWISE


Background: NYARS Research /1

1. Literature reviewIncluding a review of

- techniques to empower young people and of SC tools and strategies

Jensen, B.B., & Schnack, K. (1997). The action competence approach in environmental education, Environmental Education Research, 3 (2), 163–178. (Reprinted in 2006)Fien, J. & P. Skoien (2000). Towards Sustainable Consumption Among Australian Young People, in Youth, Sustainable Consumption Patterns and Lifestyles, Paris: UNESCO, 2002, pp. 49–72.

2. National youth survey (224 respondents) & face-to-face discussions with key youth reps and young Australians

otherWISE



3. Review of good practice case studies

4. Discussion of SC policies and implications for youth sector policy implementation

5. Design, implementation and evaluation of a program for capacity building for SC change agents in Australia

otherWISE


Capacity Building for SC Change Agents Program 2003-2004

• 5 locations: Sydney (Pilot), Adelaide, Bendigo, Brisbane and Mornington Peninsula (Vic)

• Approx. 15-20 participants in each workshop• Program consisted of 2 major components:

1. facilitator workshops2. youth Workshops


otherWISE


• Report published by the NYARS in 2004:

Young Australians as Agents of Change

• The researchers at Griffith University moved to RMIT

• Formation of a working group of young people, other supporters and organisations by the IYPF


otherWISE


What we have learnt /1

For effective engagement of young people in leadership towards more SC in Australian communities, we need to:

• Address young people’s ambivalence and lack of clarity about how to make positive change

• Create processes for overcoming barriers to more sustainable consumption

• Put young Australians in a position of leadership in their communities

• Support young Australians to develop ‘action competence’

otherWISE


What we have learnt /2

Action Competence• = Missing Link in moving from awareness to action for

sustainability• most significant factors in changing consumption

behaviour:• Intrinsic motivation• Awareness and knowledge of appropriate consumption

actions• Skill in practising such actions

• Need to connect learning and skill development with SC content area (active citizenship / youth development)

otherWISE


“I came here not knowing what this was about and left

knowing a lot and also knowing how to improve to become more

sustainable in consuming”(female, 17, Bendigo)“I think it was really good. I

learnt a lot of things that I didn’t know and it involved

everyone” (male, 16, Mornington)

Feedback

otherWISE


What is otherWISE?Phase 1- Community engagement and planning

1.1 Initiation of an otherWISE project1.2 Identify key stakeholders1.3 Planning sessions/ action planning

Phase 2- Facilitator workshop

Phase 3- Youth workshop3.1 Contextualisation of resources3.2 Youth workshop3.3 Project partner meeting/review

Phase 4- Youth action support program (YASP)

Phase 5- Awards and celebration

Phase 6- Review and future planning

otherWISE


Phase 3 Youth workshop /1

• Flexible and to be tailored to suit the needs of groups and local content

• Opens with EFA and finishes with action planning (1.5-3hs)– Concept and calculation– ways of reducing– from the individual to community level, barriers to change and

solutions– action planning

otherWISE



• Optional modules– life cycle analysis (1hr), – CFA (2hs), – media and culture jamming (1-2hs), – changing larger groups and communities (2hr)

otherWISE


Media Module: Culture jamming - the critique of consumerism

otherWISE


• Include – site visits to local sustainability projects, organisations or homes– case studies of youth sustainability leaders– introduction to international initiatives, e.g. UNESCO YouthXchange

project– discussion of sustainability related resources

= Interactive, fun and experiential

– action reflection, connection and planning (up to 2hs)


otherWISE


Projects in the ACT 2007-2008:

• a uranium documentary by youth for youth • Carbon- and waste- neutral rock gig• a clothing and sewing skills initiative including a clothes swap event • undertaking of further sustainability leadership training offered by

OzGreen

Joint application for funding: Foundation for Young Australians (one of only 8 from a field of 61!) $10,000

Presented at World Environment Day to the public in the ACT

Phase 4 YASP

otherWISE


Welcome to‘My Sister’s Wardrobe’

otherWISE


4. The search begins

otherWISE


“It was gr

eat to see

other guy

s take

pleasure i

n the clot

hes I cont

ributed”

otherWISE


Many young people want to do the ‘right thing’ but are not sure how and they are battling against procrastination and times feelings of guilt

• “…So, there is a feeling of almost guilt or something like that to do with what you are doing… It is not a constant thing but it will recur at least once a day, or at least a few times a day whenever you notice that you are doing something that could be done better but you are not sure, just at that instance, how to do it, or, it is not convenient, right at that point, to look for another option, …”(male, 25, Canberra)

otherWISE


“My last electricity bill was about 5.5 kWh a day… and Suzanne told me that a friend of hers was using about 4, so,… well - I am very competitive, we were going to beat him –and in our last bill that came in… we were using 3.4 kWh a day.” (male, 25, ACT)

otherWISE


Youth – ACT February 2008

• “I now have the knowledge which changes make the most difference and are cheap; I can prioritise the changes I can make. Before, I vaguely knew that if I did this, it had that impact or this impact and is just as cheap, e.g. switch to green energy – it has a great effect and was so easy to do, no effort at all – transport, food – local and organic, eating out less, water.”

otherWISE


• “I felt validated and more confident. It didn’t feel like such an odd unusual thing to be interested in sustainability. That gave me some sort of validation.”

• “… there are cool people involved, they are not just dreadlocked hippies. …it lets you get in touch with others so making change is easier. You are not just the greenie freak.”


otherWISE


• “[I have] nothing implemented, but I always talk about it. I have more ideas now to convince other people… I can convince others that lots is free, it is not really expensive, like reducing your carbon footprint. You also realise it is about your own health, it is all better fun and that it is not a huge ask.”


otherWISE


Coalition Member – representatives of supporting organisations

• “We have expanded our reach in terms of our sustainability message to a sector with the community we otherwise couldn’t reach.”

• “The program fills a gap. If we would try and get our message into that group, we would fall on deaf ears because we are not saying it the right way. We can reach young people by way of the project in a way that is meaningful to them and they listen and understand … “

• “[ACTotherWISE] gives young people a mechanism to have control over their own future.”

otherWISE



• “The program helps to reconnect young people who are otherwise disconnected. Their involvement gives them a sense of belonging and meaning, it gives them a voice and puts them back into the community by them tackling what the adults have stuffed up…. It gives them a sense of meaning greater than themselves.”

• “It produces environmentally savvy young people, and mobilisesthem in a meaningful way, and the community builds the program itself.”

otherWISE


• “Primary schools are fine, but finding a forum for youth is another story – there is nothing at high school or college level other than theenvironmental club. The problem is not that then young people are not interested … , it is just because of the way high school is organised. Before, we were floundering how we could get to these students.”

• “This [age group] is the trickiest audience, and ACT otherWISE offered us access to this target audience. Young people feeling valued, they are provided with skills that are of benefit to thecommunity, and they gain skills for life.”


otherWISE


• “[What is needed is] consistent support of pro-active and supportive non-government and government organisations and from senior level of the organisation.”

• “The broader agenda is about engaging, and giving hope for the future, then we see other avenues for support.”

• “Good for Business which needs to be seen as a good corporate citizen.”

• “Good for the Government who needs to get their message to the people.”


otherWISE


• What are 3 things you would like to get out of your participation in the program?

ACT:

• “New friends (young people) who care about the planet and want tomake a real difference.

• Ideas for concrete solutions to effect change. • Positive shifts in my thinking - as I know that I am being inspired,

stimulated and challenged when this happens”

Youth Workshop Participants

otherWISE


• “A greater knowledge and understanding on how to deal with environmental issues.

• I would like to use the knowledge I had gained from the program to help lead my community into a cleaner and more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

• Innovative ideas on how to deal with different environmental issues and different ways to deal with environmental issues.”

• “Ideas – Connection – Action”

ACT cont’d

otherWISE


• At the end of the youth workshop, the participants write down 3 action commitments on a postcard which will be sent to them 6 months into the Youth Action Support Program.

“G’day Sam. How’s it all going?

Is your eco footprint under 3.7 global hectares yet? Is the veggie garden up and going yet? How about that procrastination

problem? Under control yet? Hope all is well. Bye” (ACT)

otherWISE


postcards

“Oi Ella, have you:Made a club at uni?

Spoken to the council?Made a herb garden?

ROCKED FOR RECYCLING?Do it, Punk.” (ACT)

“Hello EC, This is for you!Hope you have fulfilled your promise to do these 3 things!

If you don’t, then…. Yes! 1. Reduce shower times and save more water used around the house.

2. Only buy Australian owned /made food products. 3. Don’t get junk mail!” (ACT)

otherWISE


Recent implementation site: Hamilton in the Southern Great Grampians, Victoria, 4 hours drive west

of Melbourne, a community with strong farming background.

• Cohort of 34 young people– 3 participants in open workshop– 31 VCAL students (VCAL - accredited secondary education with

practical work-related experience)

• Why do you come to this workshop?– Although some (3) students expressed “[the school] made me”, others

were enthusiastic saying “Sounded pretty awesomely cool”.

Results from Hamilton, VIC

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• What would you like to get out of it?– Many (27 out of 34, 5 not responding) expressed the wish of wanting to

learn more about the world around them and what they can do to help:

• “To know what needs to be fixed”• “To become more sustainable”• “To encourage others to do likewise”• “Understand how to use less resources”• “To learn how to care for the environment”• “To understand the environment better”• “Find out ways to stop global warming”• “How to reduce my consumption”• “Awareness of my impact on earth”• “To find out more about pollution”• “To help with agriculture and horticulture”• “How I live a better life”

Results from Hamilton, VIC – cont’d

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Data comparison between Hamilton: 34 youth - 31 VCAL (accredited secondary education with practical work-related experience ) youth and three from open workshopACT: 28 youth from open workshopsNote: Due to the small sample presented here, data below show trends only. 95% error bars are included in some instances.

Both Hamilton and ACT youth found the workshop useful for showing them ways to achieve moresustainable consumption in work, play, study, life (left) and the wider community (right).

Useful in work,play, study and liveVery UsefulQuite UsefulNot Very UsefulTotally Useless

Perc

ent

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

13%

77%

7%3%

21%

61%

18%

Error bars: 95% CI

HamiltonACT

Group

Useful in wider communityVery UsefulQuite UsefulNot Very UsefulTotally Useless

Perc

ent

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

17%

63%

17%

3%

29%

57%

14%

Error bars: 95% CI

HamiltonACT

Group


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Rate 1-8, 1 (0ne) = the most useful; 8 (eight) = the least useful

- Ecological Footprint Analysis*- Life Cycle Analysis- Media & Culture Jamming- [site-specific activity]

Ecological footprint analysis87654321

Perc

ent

60.0%

50.0%

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%

HamiltonACT

Group

Action Reflection Connection Planning87654321

Perc

ent

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%

HamiltonACT

Group


- Action Reflection, Connection & Planning*- Networking with others interested in this topic*- The Workbook- The resources handed around during the workshop

Networking7654321

Perc

ent

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%

G

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How do you rate your general level of interest in the above issues?

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Ability to explain sustainability?

Have learned enough to

confidently explain what sustainability is and know how this is related to

everyday life

Feel that I could explain what they

mean

Have gained some knowledge and

would have a go

No, dont feel that I know enough yet

Perc

ent

50.0%

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%3%

43%

37%

17%

50%

32%

18%

HamiltonACT

Group

In a community with a high level of meat consumption and a strong reliance on individual transport, the following individual

action commitments are noteworthy: Out of 34 participants, • 11 stated they wanted to eat less meat • 5 others made statements to eating

healthier, organic, self-grown food, and to not throw away food

• 6 committed to using public transport or the bicycle more, or driving a smaller car

Action Commitments within the community: • Fashion Clothing Swap• Negotiations are underway between a group of young people and the

Iluka Resources Community Relations Specialist to establish a native vegetation corridor linking the Glenelg River to the Douglas mine site plantation

otherWISE


Contacts• Research Coordinator : Iris Bergmann• Research Fellow, RMIT University, Tel 03 9925 9891, [email protected]

• Lead Facilitator: Cameron Neil• CEO of IYPF, Tel 0402 072 452, [email protected]

• Chief Statistician: Anthony Bedford• RMIT University, [email protected]

• ARC Chief Investigator: John Fien• Innovation Professor of Sustainability, [email protected]

• Contact in QLD and Member of the National Team: Elizabeth Ryan• University of the Sunshine Coast, [email protected]

• Local Program Coordinators:• ACT: Julia Collin, Conservation Council, [email protected]• ACT: Rachael Millsom and Esther Duffy, Conservation Council, [email protected]• Manningham: Bethany Dunlop, Manningham City Council,

[email protected]• Hamilton, VIC: Fiona Upstill, Community Engagement Officer, RMIT University Hamilton,

[email protected]

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