Creating Change

The holistic, long-term Enviroschools journey creates fertile ground for a range of learning and action.

When tamariki/ students connect with their place and its people, and then plan, design and take action, they are creating change.

Through this empowering experience, they will become life-long change-makers.  The collective exploration is based in the concept of ako, where all participants are simultaneously learners and teachers, and everybody learns from each other.  It is a process of co-creation between people and all of the elements and energies around us. Caring for our place and the whole planet becomes a living curriculum where skills and competencies are gained through experience and mahi within meaningful community settings.

In the following stories you can see how Enviroschools participants are learning with their heads, hands and hearts – connecting with nature, exploring indigenous wisdoms, forming relationships with tangata whenua, collaborating with people in their diverse communities, and finding out about their own qualities and passions.  Learning and action in Enviroschools does not just have environmental outcomes but social, cultural and economic benefits too.

Nature Connection PLD Awakens Teachers’ Inner Child and Fosters Empathy

Teachers from across Waikato Enviroschools came together for the Teacher Re-Energiser: Nature Connection PLD, hosted at Forest Lake School. The day gave teachers space to slow down, step outside, and deepen their connection with nature — with the intention of taking ideas back into their own...

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Kororā Te Henga share skills with Swanson School students

Kororā Te Henga Conservation group welcomed Swanson school students recently, to share a progress update on their work for the little blue penguins. Ka rawe, Swanson School and Kororā Te Henga! Your intergenerational conservation work enhances the mana of these taonga species, and bodes well...

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Growing Learning for Sustainability in Waikato Secondary Schools

Over the past five years, Enviroschools facilitators have been exploring how sustainability education can genuinely flourish in secondary settings. What has followed is a growing collection of field trips, curriculum collaborations, leadership opportunities and innovative programmes that bring sustainability learning to life for students.

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Growing a Connected, Caring Community at St Teresa’s School in Featherston

A few years ago, St Teresa’s School recognised that part of its grounds wasn’t being used for learning or play. With support from the Enviroschools process, the whole school community came together to imagine what the space could be. Through vision mapping, students and teachers...

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Held by Place, Connected through Purpose – Welcoming our new Facilitators

At Te Māhurehure Cultural Marae, 16 new Enviroschools facilitators gathered for three days of connection, learning, and shared purpose. Whakawhanaungatanga grew, ideas flowed, and a collective haerenga began - connections formed, and the journey continues.

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