We are Kids in Action

Kids in Action is a Sunshine Coast Council environmental education initiative targeting students in Years 5-8. It aims to increase their environmental knowledge and understanding while inspiring and providing opportunities for positive environmental and sustainability action.

The program achieves this through the active involvement of students in planning and delivering peer-to-peer learning experiences on a student-generated environmental project. It also connects participating classes with local environment groups and mentors, creating genuine learning exchanges between current and future environmental custodians.

The program focuses on a variety of locally-relevant, curriculum-linked environmental themes (such as threatened species, waterways and coastal environments, cultural heritage and sustainability). Through this process, students develop leadership and active citizenship skills. Check out the findings from an evaluation study conducted in 2014 of the benefits to students from taking part in Kids in Action.

The Kids in Action program is underpinned by a kids teaching kids pedagogical model that starts in the classroom and extends to the wider community. The program is delivered through a number of key activities:

Environmental Projects Day – Students are actively engaged in a variety of real-life natural resource management, First Nations culture and citizen science activities. Students will be introduced to a variety of community experts and mentors.
Project development – Students work together, with guidance from teachers and mentors, on their own school project. This will be delivered at the conference as a workshop, interactive display or main stage presentation.
Kids teaching kids conference – Students present their school project and participate in a day-long conference held as part of national kids teaching kids week.
Community Roadshow – Schools are invited to take their presentations on the road to share their environmental messaging with the broader community.