Fostering EfS Connections for Community Wellbeing …
441
sity offered small-grant funding to promote and encourage connections between the
university and schools. The SRs, both having a particular interest in sustainability
and environmental education, planned a community-based environmental education
project for primary school-aged children in Tasmania’s North West city of Burnie
(approximately 20,000 people). The SRs were successful in their bid for grantfunding, obtaining approximately AUD $1800 to facilitate the project and to pay
for students’ transportation to the event. This funding allocation exceeded the SRs
initial request, with the University acknowledging the immense value of the event
and its role in contributing to an environmentally sustainable future in Tasmania.
Burnie is an area of high socio-economic disadvantage with one of the highest
rates of youth unemployment in Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016). For
this reason, the SRs purposefully selected this region of Tasmania to host the event
and the schools that participated were those from areas with particularly high levels
of disadvantage as measured by their below national-average Index of Community
Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) rating, a nationally recognised measure of
community social and educational indicators. In addition to the provision of educational opportunities in Burnie, the SRs understood that issues related to the environment and sustainability are of particular relevance to this region. The region’s
economy strongly relies on agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, mining and tourism
(Brindley and Turner 2015). Conservation and effective sustainable management
of the environment, therefore, is critical to the ongoing economic prosperity of the
region. The event aimed to highlight the roles of individuals, businesses, and the
university in ensuring the sustainable use of the region’s environmental resources.
DMWB was designed to speak to the often-conflicting discourses students in this
region are exposed to; that is, economic progress versus environmental protection,
job creation versus job loss (Stratford et al. 2003). Additionally, as the event was
scheduled during Australia’s National Recycling Week, the ‘reduce-reuse-recycle’
message was at the heart of the day’s activities.
5.2 University, School and Community Partnerships
The SRs were particularly motivated to develop positive partnerships between the
University, the Tasmanian Department of Education and its schools, local community members and private industry to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the event.
Through their affiliation with the University and connection with EfSTas, the SRs
were able to connect with a number of enthusiastic classroom teachers and industry
professionals who freely offered their knowledge, time and expertise in supporting
students to develop their understanding of environmental sustainability. While much
of the logistics of the event (e.g. physical space, transportation, organising facilitators, advertising and promotion, liaising with school staff) were organised by the
SRs, the successful outcomes of the event were achieved through the collaborative
efforts of the SRs, teachers, community members and industry professionals.
441
sity offered small-grant funding to promote and encourage connections between the
university and schools. The SRs, both having a particular interest in sustainability
and environmental education, planned a community-based environmental education
project for primary school-aged children in Tasmania’s North West city of Burnie
(approximately 20,000 people). The SRs were successful in their bid for grantfunding, obtaining approximately AUD $1800 to facilitate the project and to pay
for students’ transportation to the event. This funding allocation exceeded the SRs
initial request, with the University acknowledging the immense value of the event
and its role in contributing to an environmentally sustainable future in Tasmania.
Burnie is an area of high socio-economic disadvantage with one of the highest
rates of youth unemployment in Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016). For
this reason, the SRs purposefully selected this region of Tasmania to host the event
and the schools that participated were those from areas with particularly high levels
of disadvantage as measured by their below national-average Index of Community
Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) rating, a nationally recognised measure of
community social and educational indicators. In addition to the provision of educational opportunities in Burnie, the SRs understood that issues related to the environment and sustainability are of particular relevance to this region. The region’s
economy strongly relies on agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, mining and tourism
(Brindley and Turner 2015). Conservation and effective sustainable management
of the environment, therefore, is critical to the ongoing economic prosperity of the
region. The event aimed to highlight the roles of individuals, businesses, and the
university in ensuring the sustainable use of the region’s environmental resources.
DMWB was designed to speak to the often-conflicting discourses students in this
region are exposed to; that is, economic progress versus environmental protection,
job creation versus job loss (Stratford et al. 2003). Additionally, as the event was
scheduled during Australia’s National Recycling Week, the ‘reduce-reuse-recycle’
message was at the heart of the day’s activities.
5.2 University, School and Community Partnerships
The SRs were particularly motivated to develop positive partnerships between the
University, the Tasmanian Department of Education and its schools, local community members and private industry to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the event.
Through their affiliation with the University and connection with EfSTas, the SRs
were able to connect with a number of enthusiastic classroom teachers and industry
professionals who freely offered their knowledge, time and expertise in supporting
students to develop their understanding of environmental sustainability. While much
of the logistics of the event (e.g. physical space, transportation, organising facilitators, advertising and promotion, liaising with school staff) were organised by the
SRs, the successful outcomes of the event were achieved through the collaborative
efforts of the SRs, teachers, community members and industry professionals.