PREPARE YOUR STUDENTS FOR THE GREEN JOBS OF THE FUTURE
Primary and Secondary Schools
University and TAFE applications
The Young Environmental Champions (YEC) are identified young people completing their Australian primary, secondary and tertiary education, who are supported to act on environmental and social issues important to them, their schools and their communities. Through the YEC project, these young people and their communities are connected with the best minds and ideas in government, education, industry, not for profits and the research sector to sustainably translate complex challenges into concrete problems and feel empowered to solve real world issues at a local, state or national level.
This bespoke program supports young Australians to be agents of change creating a movement to embed sustainability thinking and actions in our way of life.
YEC Graduates can:
- Investigate the world beyond their immediate environment, framing significant problems and conducting well-crafted and age-appropriate research.
- Recognize perspectives, others’ and their own, articulating and explaining such perspectives thoughtfully and respectfully.
- Communicate ideas effectively with diverse audiences, bridging geographic, linguistic, ideological, and cultural barriers.
- Take action to improve conditions, viewing themselves as changemakers in the world and participating reflectively.
This 10 week program is open to young people in Stage 3 to Stage 5 in primary and secondary schools in NSW.
How it Works
The program focuses on three key pillars of support. NETWORKING-MENTORING-EMPOWERING .
NETWORK young people with:
- Other young people in their region and other regions across NSW.
- Young people/role models who have successfully transitioned to higher education as mentors.
- Subject matter experts both within their community and outside their community.
- Other young people who have designed and delivered successful community projects.
- Mentors, allies, champions.
MENTOR young people to:
- Develop new skills and knowledge.
- Create and implement their OWN solutions, relevant to their local communities and/or educational institutions.
- Be changemakers and influencers.
- Develop social capital – the friendships, community contacts, mentors and networks that build a sense of belonging now and in the future.
EMPOWER young people to:
- Confidently design and implement action learning experiences that have a genuine impact, from start to finish.
- Build their networks.
- Have agency and voice.
- Develop succession plans and leave a legacy.
What is Involved and Skills Participants Get
Over the course of this 10 week program, the YEC participants will:
Attend ONE regional in-person design thinking workshop for team building exercises, research and reflection on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, project ideation brainstorming, and community action planning.
Identify their unique strengths, opportunities for personal growth, set their goals and begin their journey.
Learn skills to improve their wellbeing, resilience and mental health when faced with adverse events affecting their local community and environment (fires, flood, COVID).
Be trained and mentored on the value of diversity, proactive listening/hearing skills and applied empathy.
Network with experts and mentors, who are current practitioners and volunteers working closely with local community groups such as sustainable food hubs, Landcare, and Bushcare.
Visit relevant local community projects with their mentors.
Forge community connects that build individual and collective resilience of the community to over-coming challenges and adversity such as fire, flood and climate variability.
Participate in a ONE day in-person regional pitch, reflection, and celebration event where they will share their community action plan and project delivery learnings; workshop their next steps as capacity builders for other young people in their communities; developing a pathway for stepping up in leadership; creating a framework for applying what they have learned.
A broad range of regionally based experts, including young role models from the agricultural sector, known as Young Farming Champions (YFC), will ensure the program is youth led, co-designed and actively incorporates the voices of young people from design to delivery as well as act as workshop co-hosts.
Teacher Support
YECs will also be supported by one teacher from their school to bring teaching expertise to the workshops, provide trusted boundaries for behaviour and support students to remain focussed on the problem and solution creation. Teachers can also connect with experts in environment and sustainability, as well as forge new community connects, building their capacity and capability to embed sustainability thinking into their curriculum more broadly.
[Where a school faces any challenges in a teacher engaging in the program, as may be the case with workforce availability, a school may elect to choose at community mentor to support their student’s journey.]
Participant Support
Participants will be supplied with a resource pack to support all workshop activities and connect with each-other through regular online sessions for structured support in the co-design creation of their impactful community action plan.
Mentor Support
In addition to the experiences that the school students complete, the YFC mentors and YEC from the higher education sector will participate in an online workshop to provide them with the foundational knowledge and skills for their mentoring role.
The workshop will explore:
- What it means to be a mentor
- Explore the challenges and potential solutions that mentees may face, including conversations on diversity, what is ‘on the table vs off the table,’ proactive listening skills as well as applied empathy.
The workshop will be completed prior to the first regional immersion workshop.
Where is the program on offer in 2023
| NSW Region | Local Government Area | When |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Sydney | Hawkesbury, Penrith, Blue Mountains | Term One |
| Hunter | Cessnock, Muswellbrook, Singleton, Upper Hunter Shire Dungog, Mid-Coast Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Newcastle, Port Stephens | Term One |
| Riverina Murray | Albury, Berrigan, Edward River, Federation, Greater Hume Shire, Murray River Bland, Carrathool, Griffith, Hay, Leeton, Murrumbidgee, Narrandera Coolamon, Cootamundra- Gundagai, Junee, Lockhart, Snowy Valleys, Temora, Wagga Wagga | Term Three |
| South East and Tablelands | Goulburn Mulwaree, Upper Lachlan Shire, Wingecarribee | Term Three |
Key Dates
TERM 1
Workshop One [In Person]
Identifying Key Stakeholders and Scope of Works
Hunter
21st February 2023
9.30am – 2pm
Hawkesbury/Penrith/Blue Mountains
22nd February 2023
9.30am – 2pm
Workshop Two [Design Thinking]
Hunter
7th March 2023
9am – 10am
Hawkesbury
8th March 2023
9am – 10am
Workshop Three [Project Planning]
Hunter
21st March 2023
9am – 10am
Hawkesbury
22nd March 2023
9am – 10am
Workshop Four [Pitch Event]
Hunter/Hawkesbury
12th May 2023
9am – 2pm
WATCH THE LIVE STREAM HERE!
MEET OUR WINNERS
Champion Primary School
Hamilton Public School
Reserve Champion Primary School
St Brigid’s Primary School
Champion Secondary School
St Joseph’s College Lochinvar
Reserve Champion Secondary School
Centre of Excellence in Agricultural Education
TERM 3
Workshop One [In Person]
Identifying Key Stakeholders and Scope of Works
Riverina
27th July 2023
9.30am – 2pm
South East and Tablelands
28th July 2023
9.30am – 2pm
Workshop Two [Design Thinking]
Riverina
8th August 2023
9am – 10am
South East and Tablelands
9th August 2023
9am – 10am
Workshop Three [Project Planning]
Riverina
22nd August 2023
9am – 10am
South East and Tablelands
23rd August 2023
9am – 10am
Workshop Four [Pitch Event]
Riverina
21st September 2023
9.30am – 2pm
South East and Tablelands
22nd September 2023
9.30am – 2pm
Expression of Interest
Program Flyer
Primary and Secondary Schools
University and TAFE applications
Meet the Judges
Alexa Stuart
Alexa Stuart is a 19 year old climate justice activist who was a key leader in the Newcastle School Strike 4 Climate. Alexa was a co-coordinator of the Gas Free Hunter Alliance campaign and has provided critical insight and leadership for the new iteration of Rising Tide. In 2020 she was names Newcastle young citizen of the year for her environmental advocacy.
Dan Brown
Dan is passionate about supporting sustainable social change that enables strong, resilient, and healthy youth populations across regional NSW.
He is an experienced community development and health promotion specialist with more than 10 years of experience working within the youth sector. He has a demonstrated history working across government, health and education and holds a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Public Health.
Dominic May
Dominic May is the Founder of CoastXP, a nature-based adventure tourism company. CoastXP offers unique boat tours and guided nature walks along the stunning Newcastle and Lake Macquarie coastline. CoastXP is a multi-award winning and accredited quality/sustainable tourism business, and recently Dominic was recognised as Newcastle’s 2023 Young Citizen of the Year for his active contribution to Newcastle’s post-pandemic economic recovery.
Sue Martin
Sue is passionately involved in supporting environmental educators across NSW and is currently chair of AAEE NSW. Sue has worked across tertiary, local government, catchment management and the school sectors in a career that started in 1987 when she graduated as an agronomist from Sydney University. Sue chairs the local Landcare group in Cattai catchment part of Dyarubbin, (the Hawkesbury-Nepean River) . It is about connecting people to their local environment and finding ways to live and work more sustainably, caring for our common home.
Tommy Viljoen
Senior Partner, Cyber Risk Services Strategy and Governance at Deloitte and Founding Member of theBEATS.org Biodiversity, Threatened and Endangered Species.
Testimonials
“So grateful that Action4Agriculture chose the Riverina as the pilot to launch this amazing opportunity for young regional youth. Riverina Local Land Services will be proudly supporting it ! It goes hand in hand with our existing partnership with Action4Agriculture growing tomorrow’s young leaders today.”
– Ray Willis MD Riverina Local Land Services
“Soroptimist International Griffith applauds the incredible work Action4Agriculture does to support young leaders in our communities. The Young Environmental Champions program will be an invaluable, empowering experience for the students, staff and mentors involved.”
“The Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation supports innovative organisations that are ready to take ambitious steps to bring their ideas to fruition and the Action4Youth – Empowering Young Environmental Champions program strongly aligns with our strategy of backing young people in regional communities. It will give youth and young leaders’ greater agency, skills and equipping them with tools and networks to be purposeful and effective in their careers, with an emphasis on important environmental issues.”
– David Hardie VFFF Foundation Manager
The Empowering Young Environmental Champions program is supported by the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation who are Backing Young People with innovative opportunities that advance their independence, social purpose and future security and the Office for Regional Youth
