Anglican Community Care, SA

$36,000 to The Out Door Classroom Project

Graham Holloway, Programme Coordinator

www.accinc.org.au

A grant from The George Alexander Foundation is helping to deliver an ‘Out Door Classroom’ project that recognises traditional methods of education do not suit all young people. The project, delivered by Anglican Community Care, is providing nine young people from Tenison Woods High School in Mount Gambier with an opportunity to engage in local environment and conservation work. The hands-on learning opportunities provide the participants with the opportunity to achieve units of their South Australian Certificate in Education. Participants include students who may not be getting the most out of the traditional education system, are disenfranchised and those who would benefi t from skills based learning.

“Students benefi t from encouraging their further education, renewed motivation and increased self-esteem.”

Graham Holloway, Programme Coordinator, Anglican Community Care.

From his own experiences of working on farms, coupled with his personal business involvement in water supply, George Alexander is acutely aware of the problems facing rural Australia. The Environment & Conservation objectives of the Foundation very much reflect George’s own desire to repair much of the damage done to our natural environment since 1788.

The Foundation is particularly interested in funding projects which have a local partnership focus and involve private landholders, local community groups and where possible government. A wonderful example of this type of local partnership initiative can be seen in Bush Heritage Australia’s Kosciusko to Coast Project, which received funding from the Foundation. The project looks to engage local land owners, volunteers and local environmental community groups to work collaboratively to protect high conservation value land between Bungendore and Bredbo, in NSW.

The Foundation has a continued commitment to supporting programs which enable students the opportunity to gain practical experience in conservation and land management. Funding from the Foundation is assisting Anglican Community Care in the delivery of an Out Door Classroom project which provides environmental management learning opportunities to young people at Tenison Woods High School in Mount Gambier.

Involvement is the key to the Foundation’s Environment & Conservation objectives, and the Governors welcome applications from organisations delivering projects with a strong focus on volunteer, student and wider community participation in the protection and maintenance of our natural environment.