Hundreds of local primary school students gained a better understanding of how to create a greener future for themselves and the region thanks to an innovative new program.
Delivered by The Brainary and funded by a $20,000 grant from City of Greater Geelong, a series of sustainable design workshops was held throughout the year at 10 schools across Geelong and the Bellarine.
Using professional architectural model-building kits, students worked in small groups to design, build and present solutions to sustainability challenges.
The Brainary’s program coordinator Emma Hardaker said students participating in the workshops often had a “lightbulb moment” regarding the impact they could have on the sustainability of their homes and community.
“It’s not just a tick-the-box (exercise), reading through a book on climate change; the participants get to do a fun, hands-on activity that really brings these ideas to life for them,” she said.
“The idea is to spread awareness for youth in the region, given they will find themselves in more of a climate crisis that we are in now.
“It’s about how they can help in everyday tweaks to their environment, now and in the future.”
The Brainary director Hugh Kingsley said the importance of children’s ability to drive change should not be underestimated.
“Children can be quite influential on their parents, they come home from school and they want to implement what they’ve learnt,” he said.
“And you’ve got to keep it rolling so it becomes embedded. If you’re getting it into the kids in the early ages, you’re setting them up for success in the future.”
