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Kia ora koutou
Welcome back! We hope you’ve had a relaxing break and are ready for an exciting Term 1. This newsletter is an opportunity to share the many awesome opportunities offered that engage the heads, hearts, and hands of our children and young people. We are always so inspired by the passion and commitment in communities to equip young people to be actively engaged citizens. We’re here to help. Thanks for all you do and best wishes for the term.
Ngā mihi nui
The Youth Engagement and Education team
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Highlights from the team
Introducing our new team member
Matt Stanford joins us from the Canterbury Enviroschools team and brings with him a wealth of experience, and passion in, action-based learning. Matt has a degree in Environmental Science along with a post-graduate qualification in teaching and taught in primary schools in the United Kingdom and New Zealand before joining the Canterbury Enviroschools team in 2013. His style is highly engaging supported by a sound knowledge base and a range of practical skills; Your students will love working with Matt. He can be contacted via email: matt.stanford@ecan.govt.nz.
With all the disruptions the pandemic brought to our 2020 programme, particularly the cancellation of our annual Youth Voices Hui in April, the Youth Engagement and Education (YEE) team decided to hold a youth hui at Tūtehuarewa Marae, Koukourārata in early December. Rather than the intensity of our usual Youth Voices programme, we scheduled plenty of ‘downtime’ where our young people could get to know each other, swim and relax.
The YEE team of Jocelyn, Debbie and Matt, led a workshop reflecting on the impact of COVID-19 and how to look after our personal and collective wellbeing. The small group discussions were insightful, wise and powerful, leading to some great suggestions regarding support and action. Matt and Debbie also led a wonderful exploratory session along the Koukourārata stream and beach area. Another two workshops were led by members of the Youth Rōpū who helped the other young people understand the role of the Rōpū and the work Environment Canterbury does, as well as exploring with them their power as influencers of behaviour change.
 Youth hui at Tūtehuarewa Marae, Koukourārata
The location of the hui aided in the creation of the friendly and affirming ambience. This ensured the two-night event went off without a hitch and all participants returned home safe in the knowledge they had made new friends, becoming part of a network of young people keen to make a difference.
Koukourārata
Environment Canterbury Youth Rōpū (EYR) and Youth meetups
Youth meetups tend to happen from 4.00pm-6.00pm every sixth week on a Friday, in Environment Canterbury’s Wharekai, 200 Tuam Street Christchurch, and every fourth Thursday, 75 Church Street, Timaru. These will be starting up again this month in Christchurch: Friday 26 February and Friday 9 April, 4.00pm-6.00pm.
Youth meetups are for interested young people (12-24 years of age) to gather, network, learn, be heard, and develop action on issues such as: freshwater quality, public transport, environmental action and conservation, the youth voice in decision making, air quality, climate change, biodiversity, education and much more.
The format includes two hours connecting with others, kai (food), and a series of discussion topics and workshops based on youth interest and opportunities presented for youth participation by Environment Canterbury.
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Connecting the dots
He waka eke noa - ‘we are all in this together’ – is the key concept driving the New Zealand Government’s response to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our Government is committed to ‘leaving no one behind’ as it seeks economic development that is productive, sustainable and inclusive. New thinking is needed to achieve the vision. Rather than measuring progress in purely economic terms, the New Zealand Treasury is developing the Living Standards Framework that puts sustainable intergenerational wellbeing at the centre of policymaking and resource management.
As the SDGs are interconnected, they cannot be achieved by governments alone. It requires a holistic approach and the participation of all sectors of society - individuals, businesses and community groups. You can find out more about the New Zealand Government response report here.
In terms of education, the New Zealand Commission for UNESCO has identified global citizenship as a target area. In 2018 it launched a national award in Global Citizenship Education, recognising education sector or community groups who were doing outstanding work to encourage New Zealanders to become responsible and active global citizens. The award also encourages the sharing of good practice in the global citizenship education space.
In terms of education, the New Zealand Commission for UNESCO has identified global citizenship as a target area. In 2018 it launched a national Award in Global Citizenship Education, recognising education sector or community groups who were doing outstanding work to encourage New Zealanders to become responsible and active global citizens. The award also encourages the sharing of good practice in the global citizenship education space.
The Civics Education resource kit launched in 2020 and is a really useful resource for schools. It can be found as part of the school leaver's toolkit, providing resources for teaching civics across the year levels. Schools are also encouraged to partner with organisations, such as Environment Canterbury, to create significant learning experiences for their students.
Over the next 6-12 months, our Youth Engagement and Education team will be working on updating our civics outreach material and are keen to partner with schools. Please get in touch if you’re interested education@ecan.govt.nz.
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World Wetlands Day
Tuesday 2 February
This is a great opportunity for learning about the importance and value of wetlands. Particularly as Christchurch will host the World Wetlands conference in October. We have a number of resources that can support learning, including Wild, Wonderful Wetlands. There’s also a children’s book written by South Canterbury local, Angela Cushnie, A Change if Gonna Come. To order a copy check out their Facebook page.
Seaweek 2021
6-14 March
Connecting With Our Seas Toi Moana ~ Toi Tangata: This annual celebration of our marine environment will focus again on our connections with the sea. The theme aims to highlight the diverse connections and interactions we have with the sea, which makes our lives so intertwined with the health of our ocean environment.
There is plenty of time to plan some activities and events with your school community to celebrate our beautiful moana. We’d love to hear what you’re planning to do and to see some follow-up news stories and photos. The regional competition this year is poetry. For details of how to enter please visit our website.
Write On, the School for Young Writers, is offering workshops and other support for schools and students interested in entering. Check out their website for more information.
This national event is coordinated by the New Zealand Association for Environmental Education (NZAEE): Details, resources and connections can be found here and via their Facebook page. Here at Environment Canterbury, we coordinate and collate a calendar of events. If you wish to have a hard copy of the calendar please contact jocelyn.papprill@ecan.govt.nz.
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Parks Week 2021
6-14 March
Parks Week is about hundreds of organisations across Australia and New Zealand holding events to celebrate the vital role parks play in creating liveable cities and thriving communities. Parks Week will focus on how spending time in our parks and open spaces positively influences our wellbeing. #ParksWeek2021
Science Fairs
It's our team’s intention to once again support schools undertaking science fair projects. We offer 45 to 60 minute sessions with your class or larger syndicate to stimulate interest in scientific research that meets the requirements of our Resource Management Awards. This section is judged by our science staff with prizes awarded to students whose exhibits take an innovative, investigative approach to solving an environmental issue facing Canterbury.
Two fairs are held in Canterbury: one in Timaru supported by Sanford, and the Canterbury-Westland Fair supported by NIWA. The fair organisers encourage all schools interested in entering to use supporting materials provided through the Science Award Trust, which offers science badges across a range of areas. Another really useful site for great science and technology activities is Curious Minds.
Every year, the winners of the Environment Canterbury School Award in both the junior and senior categories at the Christchurch and Timaru fairs present their exhibits at a special council meeting at our Christchurch office. The overall winner is awarded the Wrybill Trophy. It was not presented in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Speaking 4 the Planet 2021 competition for Canterbury Schools
Sustainable Ōtautahi will again partner with the local branch of NZAEE to run the Speaking 4 the Planet speech and art competition for schools (Years 7-13). In 2020 it was held as an online event with a virtual prizegiving at the end: You can view winning entries here.
The likely date for the live event is Friday 11 June. The theme will again reflect the World Environment Day (WED) theme which looks likely to launch the Decade of Restoration. Keep an eye on the WED website. To find out more or to express interest in your school taking part, contact Jocelyn at chchnzaee@gmail.com or Kate at info@sustainablechristchurch.org.nz. |
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Recommendations
Books:
Children, Citizenship and Environment #SchoolStrike edition (2020), by Bronwyn Hayward.
This is the second edition of Bronwyn’s thoughtful and constructive contribution to our understanding of how children develop environmental citizenship. This edition includes powerful first-hand stories of youth engagement on issues that matter, and the skills and opportunities to engage that help them become the best active citizens they can be.
The Future We Choose, by Global Optimism Co-Founders, Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac.
An inspiring book about tackling climate change head on with outrage and optimism. The authors argue that we can move beyond the climate crisis into a thriving future.
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Podcasts/digital media:
Force of Nature, a series by Clover Hogan who interviews people leading the charge.
Our Changing World, from Radio NZ National. Quite a random selection, but check them out and listen to the ones that interest you.
A Perfect Planet, Sundays 7.00pm, TV1 or OnDemand. In Sir David Attenborough's most breath-taking series yet, he explores our planet's power and fragility, the natural forces that drive, shape and support such diversity of wildlife.
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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 information and issues in your classroom, our team are here to discuss the options with you.
- In-class and field teaching by trained teachers.
Other useful resources
- NIWA have a range of fabulous resources for both teachers and students, covering such topics as air, climate and weather, estuaries and coasts.
- Marine Metre Squared: The team from Otago Marine Studies Centre provides awesome resources for this citizen-science project – perfect for schools and community groups, particularly if you have a shoreline easily accessible from school.
 
Linking MM2 projects to iNaturalist NZ - Mātaki Taiao, means you have the capability to monitor the entire ecosystem of a particular site, creating a powerful ongoing action-learning process for all.
- Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao: This is a nation-wide project funded by the government to make examples of New Zealand science, technology and engineering more accessible and visible. It links NZ scientists, students, teachers and the community, with over 9,500 resources curated into topics and concepts for easy searching.
- Curious Minds – He Hirihiri I te Mahara: This is a New Zealand Government initiative with a ten-year goal of encouraging and enabling better engagement with science and technology for all New Zealanders. The initiative is designed to support the development of questioning skills that lead to solving local problems by uncovering innovative science and technology solutions.
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