As part of the national Target Kids Teaching Kids Week, hundreds of future environmental leaders attended the 2015 Sunshine Coast Kids in Action conference last weekend.
Partly funded by the Sunshine Coast Environment Levy, 320 students and teachers from 22 schools participated in the two-day conference on August 27-28.
The conference is a collaborative partnership between the Sunshine Coast Council, Unitywater, Kids Teaching Kids, Target, and local schools.
Environment Portfolio Cr Jenny McKay deemed the event a roaring success, and said that the kids really enjoyed learning from each other.
“Last year, 95percent of children surveyed after the conference said they wanted to protect the environment more since participating in Kids in Action conference.”
“And 85 percent of respondents felt the method of kids teaching kids helped to improve their learning about the environment.
“These are such encouraging figures for Council because it shows us this conference really is valued.
Unitywater Executive Manager People, Culture and Safety Kenan Hibberd said Unitywater was proud to be a part of the conference.
“The Unitywater Environmental Projects Day really fits in with our values and educates these kids about our local environment and Unitywater’s role in protecting and preserving it.
“Our water sampling and wetland plant identification activities taught the students about the function of the Maleny wetlands and how they naturally help filter the treated effluent from our Maleny Sewage Treatment Plant.
“It was a real success – the students were able to communicate what they had learnt and realised the importance of safeguarding the environment for the future.”
Kids Teaching Kids creator Arron Wood, who was Environmentalist of the Year for his environmental education efforts, said that Australia should be proud of the actions of students when it comes to creating a green future.
“Kids Teaching Kids is a unique education event and if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the last 16 years, it’s that unlike many adults, kids find it easy being green.
“Adults took a back seat during KTK week, with kids teaching each other in interesting creative ways than just the usual classroom format
“They used songs, dance, poems, drama, games, interactive quizzes and craft.
“Most importantly, the kids learnt that they can make a real difference on environment issues, in their communities and globally despite the magnitude of problems facing their environment.”
