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Youth Engagement
Youth Engagement
Kia ora koutou

Term three sped by with lots of activities that may have normally been spread throughout terms 1 and 2 being concertinaed into August and September! Our team has enjoyed working closely with schools, community groups as well as with small teams of students.   

Our new updated climate change education resource is now out and available either in hardcopy form or as a direct download from our site. We aim to update our resources on wetlands next. 

This newsletter will highlight what’s been happening and what is coming up in 2021.  

Ngā mihi nui 
Jocelyn Papprill (Christchurch) and Debbie Eddington (Timaru)
Youth Engagement and Education Advisors 

 
 
So what went on in Term 3?

Climate change forum for teachers

The Enviroschools Canterbury team held a Climate Change and Wellbeing workshop for interested teachers focusing on understanding the likely impacts in Canterbury and how to reduce eco-anxiety in young people.

Justin Cope, the Principal Science Advisor - Natural Hazards at Environment Canterbury set the scene by outlining how the likely climate change impacts are downscaled from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) global report and modelled for Canterbury. 

He was followed by writer and educator Sian Carvell who explained the climate change learning resource that she wrote – this Ministry of Education’s climate change resource is available on TKI. To reinforce the power of good inquiry learning she introduced five students from Te kura ō Ōhinetahi-Governors Bay School who shared their learning experiences.

The afternoon was turned over to Dr Emma Woodward, child psychologist, who shared her expertise and knowledge on cultivating hope in the age of ‘eco-anxiety’. The workshop concluded with the Christchurch City Council’s Learning through Action team sharing their new Climate Change - kaitiakitanga.

Should you wish to learn more about climate change issues in Canterbury please either visit our climate change web page or download our new education resource. If you would like a classroom visit focused on climate change in Canterbury, please contact our team. 

Ilam School and their LittaTrap

The wonderful Nigel Marsh, teacher at Ilam School was tenacious in ensuring a LittaTrap was placed in a stormwater drain close to the school so his year 3 and 4 students could monitor what materials end up in the drains and straight into our waterways. His class is now collecting data and will report on their findings later in the year. The photos show the ‘opening’ event to which Christchurch City Council, Stormwater 360, HydroVac and Environment Canterbury representatives were invited too.

    

LittaTrap installation
 
Water monitoring field activities

A few schools booked us in post alert level 2 to run field activities in their local streams. These days are always great fun – lots of great learning on several levels.

Here’s a few photos (below and to the right) of the type of macroinvertebrates found in the Kaiapoi, Selwyn and Liffey Rivers in term 3.

If you’d like your class to have such an experience take a look at our Waitaha Wai learning programme and schedule it in to your 2021 learning experience. Our educators are available to support this programme both in the classroom and out in the field.  



Waterwise: Te Waihora

This annual programme, run in partnership with the Untouched World Foundation, took place from Sunday 4 to Friday 9 October. Sixteen awesome students from five secondary schools and three tertiary institutions stayed at Ngāti Moki marae, Taumutu and engaged in a range of activities and experiences designed to grow their understanding of freshwater management as well as develop their leadership capabilities and confidence. 

This year the programme was again facilitated by Jocelyn from our team, with Raquelle De Vine (Algalita South Pacific) joining her as co-facilitator. The weather played ball, so all planned activities were able to go ahead - two of which involved planting and weeding on rural properties where the students learnt about the amenity, biodiversity and cultural values. A public end-of-programme event was held at Ara on the Friday at which the students were awarded certificates of participation by Mark Prain, Untouched World Foundation chief executive.

Should you wish students from your school to be involved in the 2021 programme please email Jocelyn or visit the Foundation's website.



2020 Waterwise students, with Jocelyn

 
Students beside the main pond but will monitor the other smaller ponds around them also
 
Marvellous mudfish

Year 7 and 8 students at St Andrew's Primary School in South Canterbury are continuing their good work monitoring mudfish populations at a site adjacent to the school.  The site is a spring-fed coastal wetland surrounded by farmland used for cropping and grazing.

There is a thriving population of Canterbury mudfish, a nationally critical species at the site. This project began in 2014 and the senior students have monitored the populations annually in the autumn. They also hope to continue native plantings to further enhance the site.
Planting afternoon at Tūhaitara Coastal Park

The Enviroschools and Youth Engagement and Education teams joined Greg, Tūhaitara Coastal Park Ranger, for an awesome morning in June, assisting with planting heaps (650) of native coastal plants. All part of the Pines Beach wetland restoration project.

Great to see schools like Woodend Primary involved alongside community volunteers.

 
 
Environment Canterbury Youth Rōpū 

Our Youth Rōpū continue to go from strength to strength with one new member recently appointed. They continue to meet regularly with Councillors, organise youth meetups and are planning more outreach in order to engage with a wider range of young people about specific environmental issues. Recently a group of young people involved in a Timaru youth meetup organised a planting day out at the EcoCentreTimaru. Some awesome mahi occurred with students from several secondary schools in the district planting and weeding, making quite an impact on the native planting area being created by Sustainable South Canterbury Trust.
 

 
Intergenerational conversation

One event that arose from discussions at one youth meetup in Christchurch was the Networking for the Environment Intergenerational Hui at which several well-established environmental organisations met with environmentally aware and active young people to explore what synergies may exist and could be leveraged. As is often the case with such workshops, just as the conversations got deeper and more interesting the time ran out. It is hoped that once exams are over and we move into the new year that more events that bring the generations together will be organised to the benefit of all involved as well as the environment. 



Some great kōrero happening between the generations

 
World Rivers and Fish Migration Day (combined event)

Our team, along with other staff from Environment Canterbury supported the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River Network and Department of Conservation in the running of a combined World Rivers and Fish Migration Day. Originally planned for 16 May, the World Fish Migration day was postponed internationally due to COVID-19.

Here in Ōtautahi/Christchurch we thought it a great idea to combine forces to make a truly memorable event. The venue was South Library on the banks of the Ōpāwaho/Heathcote River with displays and activities engaging both young and old. The accompanying photo competition and exhibition gained several fabulous entries from school students and adults with winners taking away exciting prizes. More detail about the event and the photographs can be seen on the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River Network’s website and Facebook page

    
 
 
 
We offer:
  • Teaching resources - these can be accessed on our website (we can also provide hard copies of resources at your request). 
  • Local information and issues - if you’re interested in using local issues and information in your classroom, our team are here to discuss the options with you. 
  • In-class and field teaching by trained teachers.

Other useful resources
  • Canterbury Maps website provides free access to maps, records, information and data from the local government councils in the Canterbury region. Interactive maps provide many easy-to-use ways to look at and find information resources held by the councils.
  • Kā Huru Manu website, the Ngāi Tahu Cultural Mapping Project, is dedicated to mapping the traditional Māori place names and associated stories within the Ngāi Tahu rohe (tribal area). Place names are tangible reminders of the Ngāi Tahu relationship with the landscape of Te Waipounamu/South Island. Over 5,000 place names have been mapped and fully referenced from whānau manuscripts, published books, 19th century maps, newspaper articles, and a vast array of unpublished material.
  • Keep an eye on Blue Cradle, a new organisation focused on communicating ocean science and offering research and educational opportunities. They are concerned that the ocean is not only bearing the brunt of the climate and biodiversity crises, but it is also a fundamental solution to our problems. Blue Cradle’s aim is to enable New Zealand to become a leader in international ocean research and marine conservation so contributing to the UN Decade of Ocean Science.
  • If you missed the TED Countdown Global Launch, a call to action on climate change live broadcast on Sunday 11 October then you can catch up with it on YouTube. The Pope, Prince William, Al Gore and the amazing Christiana Figueres contributed, with Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth as a couple of the hosts!! Really cool stuff.  
  • Save the Children Fund’s content team has put together an information guide with resources to help parents and teachers in New Zealand raise awareness on the importance of continued education. This work has come about due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing unprecedented educational disruption with 1.2 billion students and youth across the planet affected by school closures. In troubling and uncertain times SCF continues to work to ensure that every child receives a good quality education and learns the skills they will need to thrive in the 21st century.
  • We also liked this funky web app that helps you find cafes that support you using your own cup
 
 
World Tsunami Awareness Day

Thursday 5 November 2020
By the year 2030, an estimated 50 per cent of the world's population will live in coastal areas exposed to flooding, storms and tsunamis. World Tsunami Awareness Day came out of Japan, which due to its repeated, bitter experience has over the years built up major expertise in areas such as tsunami early warning, public action and building back better after a disaster to reduce future impacts.  Investing in resilient infrastructure, early warning systems, and education is critical to saving people and protecting their assets against tsunami risk in the future. 

UN Decade for Biodiversity/UN Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

December 2020 sees the end of the UN Decade for Biodiversity and the launch of the UN Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

 
International Buy Nothing Day

Friday 27 November 2020
Buy Nothing Day is where you challenge yourself, your family and friends to switch off from shopping and tune into life. The rules are simple, for 24 hours you will detox from buying 'stuff' - anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending! 


World Soil Day

Saturday 5 December 2020
The 2020 theme is Stop soil erosion – Save our future and aims to raise awareness of the importance of sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being. By encouraging people around the world to engage in proactively improving soil health, the campaign also aims to raise the profile of healthy soil.


 
 
Youth Noho Marae – Koukourārata

Monday 14 to Wednesday 16 December 2020 
This noho is targeted at 14 to 24-year olds who have an interest in things environmental and have been involved with Environment Canterbury programmes this year or in the recent past. Please contact Jocelyn Papprill or Debbie Eddington if you would like to directly receive the promotional material about that noho, otherwise keep an eye on our Facebook page.  
 
Seaweek 2021

Saturday 6 to Sunday 14 March 2021 
Mark this is your diary. Information will be posted on Seaweek's website and Facebook page.  

Grow Ōtautahi

Friday 12 to Sunday 14 March 2021 
This Christchurch Garden Festival showcases creativity, innovation and the region’s love of gardens and outdoor living. More details are available on their website

Speaking 4 the Planet

Friday 4 June 2021  
Keep an eye out for information on Sustainable Ōtautahi Christchurch’s website
 
Contact us

To keep in the loop with when these are happening follow Youth Engagement and Education at Environment Canterbury on Facebook or contact the team via education@ecan.govt.nz

Debbie Eddington – South and Central Canterbury
debbie.eddington@ecan.govt.nz 027 687 5344

Jocelyn Papprill – Christchurch and North Canterbury
jocelyn.papprill@ecan.govt.nz 027 7030 772

Andrea Taylor – Enviroschools Coordinator 
andrea.taylor@ecan.govt.nz
 
Have a wonderful Christmas, New Year and summer break. We look forward to working with you in the new year.
 
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