Nurturing Earth Nutures Us

Nurturing Earth Nurtures us

How the Flinders University Sustainability & Environment club is making change, and building friendships along the way.

How does your club help foster community in your particular field or area?

FUSEC thrives on encouraging an inclusive and diverse community of environmentally mindful students to engage in environmental projects/activism while at Flinders and during their day-to-day activities. We aim to achieve this by regularly hosting events from social-based night walks and game nights to education-based movie screenings and animal encounters. This wide array of activities, while providing opportunities to engage in projects/ activism, also foster a like-minded community of members from various disciplines/ backgrounds who share the same passion for protecting our environment. Hence, FUSEC fosters this community by providing opportunities to give back to the environment, but also to give back to our members by providing a safe place for connectedness, friendship, and belonging.

Do you have any stories of connection or friendship born from your club?

Our executive team all have experiences of connection and/or friendship born from FUSEC, which we also hope our members have shared. Haylee, our Secretary, knew no one at Flinders when she first joined FUSEC. However, being part of an online, interactive community helped her to build confidence to further make those connections in person. Georgina, our Vice President, was recommended for her former position (Secretary) soon after joining the club, which blossomed her strong friendship with Amy. Their friendship has continued to strengthen over the past 3 years as the two longest standing executive members of FUSEC. Sarah, our Treasurer, learnt about FUSEC through Haylee when she invited her to a tree planting. She eagerly put her hand up for an executive role and since starting has become closer with Georgina and Amy (mostly via online planning of events). She is eager to meet and become friends with other like minded individuals when in-person activities

are allowed once again. Amy, our President, has found it wonderful getting to know the club members more closely through events such as camps, plantings, and clean ups. It has been a privilege for her to be a facilitator in watching friendships bloom and grow over the years, especially during the pandemic when class contact is minimum.

How has your club supported or celebrated the achievements of its members?

During various competitions hosted by FUSEC (i.e, photography competitions, litter challenges), we celebrate our members achievements by providing prizes from environmentally-friendly and locally-owned businesses. We provide opportunities to celebrate the finishing of semesters throughout the year (via events such as nature walks and camps). Lastly, we strongly believe in creating a positive environment where we celebrate our environmental wins to combat the effects of climate anxiety. Every little bit counts! By providing these opportunities, we admire the great effort our members put into both their time within FUSEC and their University degrees.

What could FUSA do to help grow your club?

FUSA does an incredible job of supporting and enabling clubs! They are receptive to our sometimes quite ambitious plans, provide us with training and mentorship, and share any relevant announcements when requested.

What kind of person would you encourage to join your club and how can they do so?

We strongly encourage any kind of person to join FUSEC as a safe place to help protect the environment, learn how to be more environmentally-conscious, or to make new friends. We believe it is important for the world to have a vast array of people who want to give back to the community and the land.

Do you think that building on campus culture is important and how do clubs contribute to this?

Building on campus culture is extremely important and clubs contribute to this in a variety of ways. Foremost, University can be a very different and often challenging environment for new and existing students, so providing a safe community for students to make new friends, share interests, and contribute to the local community is essential. Secondly, ensuring students feel that they belong at University and have a place within its culture fosters healthy wellbeing and success. Clubs also allow people from different academic areas of Flinders to come together and bond through common interests/ hobbies, where they otherwise may not meet. Thirdly, providing an opportunity for students to learn, expand, and practice their skills (i.e., communication and teamwork) within a casual environment helps personal and professional development outside the lecture room.

If you are interested in learning more about FUSEC, scan the QR code below

Interview by Jessica Rowe