Students from five schools across the Bellarine came together for an environmental conference at Queenscliff Football Club earlier this month.
The students spent the day teaching peers, embracing environmental leadership and sharing learnings from mentors as part of the Kids Teaching Kids Bellarine Peninsula Conference.
Environmental charity Earthwatch Australia ran the conference to engage schools and the community in the protection of local environmentally and culturally significant spaces.
In the Bellarine, the focus is on local issues like the effects of species extinction, sea walls and harbours on marine habitats, ocean acidification and introduced marine pests and pollution.
As part of the peer-teaching journey, students built nest boxes, discovered how echolocation works, identified dolphin fins, sifted for microplastics in the sand and found ways to reduce their use of plastic.
Students were supported by mentors from the Australian Microplastics Assessment Project (AUSMAP), Bellarine Catchment Network, Southern Ocean Environmental Link, the Marine Mammal Foundation, MangroveWatch and others.
“These conferences raise awareness and drive action on local and global environmental issues, bringing communities together to solve common challenges,” Head of Education Partnerships at Earthwatch Australia Michelle Tripp said.
“We are helping the next generation of leaders take collective responsibility for our future.”
A key function of the conference was to foster inter-school connections and empower students to teach each other about their local environment.
The program has engaged 5196 students, 632 teachers, 278 schools and formed 47 environmental partnerships across the state.
