Pedagogy of Hope - building resilience in young children for the futures

Children will take responsibility for keeping the creek on campus clean, learn about the life cycles which depend on this water source and learn how to be safe around all water sources. Engaging with local Elders will ensure appreciation and understanding of Country and the sacredness of water for sustaining life. Children will engage in collaborative research with educators, documenting their own learning through creative arts- drawings, paintings, literacy.Engaging local Elders for story telling at the creek, engaging in research with WSU School of Education to develop a resilience program aimed at under 5 year olds, including building advocacy skills. The program, titled a Pedagogy of Hope would then be made available to other educators/teachers via a series of webinars enabling them to embed this pedagogy within their own educational settings, thus building children's resilience and commitment to maintaining clean waterways in other communities. An exhibition of the children's creative works, transferred to canvas would culminate the project, showcasing the learning, potentials and highlighting children's capacity to advocate for waterways which sustain life.

Sydney Water Community grant that uses creative arts-based methods to respond to extreme climate events, such as the recent floods across Australia, through the regular care of a local waterway.