RCE Tasmania - 2020

Waverly Community Skills Cafes
CSV
Basic Information
Title of project : 
Waverly Community Skills Cafes
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Tasmania
Contributing organization(s) : 
Northern Early Years Group
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Varunjani Jayaseelan
Organizational Affiliation: 
Facilitator for Education for Sustainability Tasmania
E-mail: 
varunjani.jayaseelan@utas.edu.au
Format of project: 
manuscript
Language of project: 
english
Date of submission:
Thursday, September 10, 2020
Web link: 
https://mailchi.mp/1ad3b3fcb79c/education-for-sustainability-tas-september-news-7986521
Does this project link to any education and/or sustainable development policy or policies?: 
No
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Asia-Pacific
Country: 
Australia
Location(s): 
7250
Address of focal point institution for project: 
Waverley Primary School
Ecosystem(s):

Target Audience:
Community, Primary
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Tasmania is an island state in Australia, located 240 km to the south of the Australian continent. Tasmania has a unique natural heritage with almost 45% of Tasmania protected in reserves, national parks and World Heritage Sites. it is the most mountainous state in Australia with dense old growth temperate forest and a a high level of species endemicity.

The main populations hubs in Tasmania is in the states capital Hobart in the south and Launceston in the North, however 58% of the population live outside the capital city area. In recent years Tasmania's economy has been on the rise but it still has around 23.6% of the population, including 15.8% of children (15 and under) living in poverty. Tasmania also has a high unemployment rate, mostly prevalent in the West and North West of the State (20.3% unemployed youth)

Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
Regional and remote areas face challenges such as access to quality education, quality nutrition, personal issues such as social isolation, finding a job and access to health care.

Contents
Status: 
Completed
Period: 
October, 2019 to November, 2020
Rationale: 
With the onset of COVID-19 the families and young children in the Waverly region of Launceston were vulnerable to the aforementioned sustainability challenges. The Northern Early Years Group modified their ongoing projects skills cafe to support the needs of the community during difficult times while still ensuring and supporting the healthy development of the most vulnerable demographic, young children in Tasmania
Objectives: 
The objective of the project was to help build intergenerational community connection that invigorate learning, support wellbeing and healthy development for young children in the State’s north.
Activities and/or practices employed: 
pre COVID
21.10.19 A ‘Welcome to the school term community barbeque’ with art and music making activities shared with children and families.

29.11.19 Waverley Primary Christmas Carols – community skills café activities with family members helping children in various craft activities.


post COVID
mid march 2020 - Providing Covid-19 resource bags for all children at Waverley Primary School to take home when the pandemic caused the school to close for an extended period in Term 1.

March/April 2020 - Delivering Recipe Boxes containing fresh food provisions and recipes to all families with children in the prep year at Waverley Primary School to support young children in developing skills of food preparation and cooking and increasing their consumption of healthy food.

May/July 2020 - Installing street libraries in Waverley containing new books for young children to encourage reading together in families and support the development of early literacy skills.

Sept/Oct/Nov 2020 - School arranges parents to prepare menu/recipe boxes to send home with pre-kinder, kinder and prep students on two occasions during term 4.

25.10.2020 - Waverley Wallaby Picnic - a community led morning of fun activities and skills held in the park at Waverley Lake.

Size of academic audience: 
depending on events min 15 - max 137
Results: 
The community building activities in Waverley brought together groups and community members with a vested interest in the growth of children’s wellbeing. Parents and community leaders were empowered and given the opportunity to run activities designed to build skills and increase interactions between younger and older members of their community.

Lessons learned: 
The project adapted to be able to deliver outcomes during COVID-19 times and respond to the needs in the community.
The team was about to adapt and evolve the project to benefit the children in the community while still achieve target outcomes of supporting physical health, wellbeing and oral language development of students (SDG 3 & SDG 4).
Key messages: 
Capacity building and working with members of the community, bringing together younger and older community members and giving them the opportunity for intergenerational enrichment towards a sustainable future. Also the importance of keeping the central focus of the project in sight but being able to adapt and evolve from the original plan to incorporate any changes or hurdles and transform them into benefitting the project instead.
Funding: 
grant from the Australian Early Development Census

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon image4.jpg (88.74 KB) Drumming at the Welcome to term barbeque at Waverley Primary School S Emery
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere 
Indirect
SDG 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture 
Indirect
SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages 
Direct
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 
Indirect
Theme
Arts 
Direct
Curriculum Development 
Direct
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 1 - Advancing policy 
state: 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 3 - Developing capacities of educators and trainers 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 4 - Mobilizing youth 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
state: 
Indirect
Update: 
No