Our focus for 2017 is Creating Catalysts for Change.
The development of Enviroschools was driven by a burning question:
What if school could be a place that empowers young people to design, plan, take action and lead the change – in their classrooms, in their schools, in their neighbourhoods, in their country?”
The issues facing humanity can feel overwhelming; they are complex, interconnected, and global in scale. We often find ourselves saying, ‘every one makes a difference”, but we can just as validly ask “are we really?” How do we really know we are making a difference? You might put out your recycling, compost your food waste, grow your own food, take public transport or ride your bike, but you still wonder if, in the scheme of things, things are getting better. The world’s population will reach 7.5 billion in 2017 and is estimated to reach 11.2 billion in 2100. With only one Earth, the pressures on our planet are ballooning. It’s time to look how we as individuals, schools and communities can really “be the change we want to see in the world”, and how we can influence and inspire others.
Hutia te rito o te harakeke
Kei hea te komako e ko?
Maku e ki ake
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
Pluck the heart from the flax bush – where will the bellbird sit?
Ask me, what is the most important thing in the world?
I will reply,
it is people, it is people, it is people.
The purpose of this focus is to provide inspiration and tools to support teachers to go deeper with existing issues and inquiry and allow classes and students to really explore how their actions can make a difference. Action is a core part of the Enviroschools kaupapa – What actions will bring about the changes that we want? How can these actions go deeper? How can our actions influence others?
The resources materials are available here:
Key Concepts and Questions
Case studies and examples for catalysts for change
Waikato Enviroschools 