GOODWOOD, QLD
Ask kids around the Bundaberg region what should be done to protect the environment and they’ll point you in the right direction. Stop buying too much, stop throwing it away and look after where you live.
These ar
e a few of the messages school children from Goodwood Primary School in Queensland conveyed to hundreds of people who came to the Childers Festival last year. The children developed their ideas during workshops at their local primary school in a project supported by Highways and Byways.
The project, run by Creative Regions, sought to educate children about protecting their environment. Traditional Cultural Deliverer, Byron Broome of the Taribelang Cultural Aboriginal Corporation, gave a talk about sustainable, cultural practices in the bush. Wendy Zunker, Creative Producer, said she was delighted to discover that the primary school had their own Yarning Circle and that the students were very familiar with sustainable practices in their local area.
Following Byron’s talk and demonstration using traditional fire sticks, students participated in a stop-motion animation workshop developing ideas to protect their local environment. Their ideas, and those from a community workshop, were then displayed at the annual Childers Festival as part of the Light up the Park evening. Their work was also shown in nearby Woodgate at Music on the Esplanade, which was a highlight of the Woodgate Arts in Spring long weekend. The stop-motion animations were projected onto Mindful Marsupials – large Kangaroo cut outs (pictured) that were displayed along the festival fence.
“Most kids today seem to be mindful and respectful of their natural environment. The focus of the workshops looked at ways the students could share their own message portraying simple ways others can help preserve their local area, especially eliminating litter and reducing pollution to protect local wildlife including turtles that nest on their beach,” Wendy said.
“Seeing these young people aware of, and acting on issues that are important to them, and their community, gives me confidence they will be part of a global solution as they forge their own path in a world they have inherited.”