Veronica Nguyen

On the crisp Sunday morning of May the 17th, over 5000 Australians gathered along the shores of St Kilda to spell out their message on climate change – Our future is in our hands. The human sign was a symbolic collective effort that resonated the opinions of individuals all across the globe who are taking up arms in the battle against global warming. Amongst the crowds braving the autumn chill were year 10 students and teachers from South Oakleigh College, a local school that has taken on the challenge of incorporating climate change into its curriculum.

The human sign against climate change was one of the many initiatives that South Oakleigh has engaged in to actively involve their students in environmental learning. 2009 has seen the introduction of two pilot projects at the school, focussing on environmental awareness and sustainability. The Science and Technology Education Leveraging Relevance Project (STELR), conducted by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), promotes ‘green career choices’ in the scientific and mathematic fields. It aims to introduce inquiry-based learning and increase student engagement in these areas, which over the past few years has failed to appeal to youngsters as an attractive career path. The challenge of reviving Australia’s ailing science and technology industry is a key motive behind this programme, and South Oakleigh is a pioneering school beginning to address the skills shortage for the sustainability of these industries. Science Coordinator, Frank de la Rambelya recognises this issue – ‘challenges such as ensuring a sustainable world and combating the causes of global warming mean that we have to find ways of increasing the participation rates in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics at the upper secondary school level’.

The second project, Think.Act.Green, is run by students from the University of Melbourne’s Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team. It carries a similar objective, that of educating students on the pressing matters of global warming through active engagement with leading environmentally-based companies. South Oakleigh is one of five participating schools, who over the next few months will prepare a proposal for environmental sustainability to be implemented on campus.

Education should not only involve classrooms and textbooks; South Oakleigh’s appreciation of learning outside the Victorian syllabus by providing students with the opportunity to take part in external projects has proven to be a rewarding experience for all. Students have already become more responsive to the issue of climate change, and more concerned about their global environmental impact. South Oakleigh student, Christina Loukos identified the small but effective measures that individuals can take, such as ‘using recycled paper, reducing our use of electricity and using water consciously. We need to take the Earth into consideration. We can’t live anywhere else.’ It is remarkable to witness these students taking responsibility, encouraging their peers and being proactive in learning about the environment at such a young age.

By encouraging students to explore the possibilities of the sciences, and by promoting a ‘greener’ mindset, South Oakleigh is fostering ethical and self-motivated future leaders. This generation will be tackling the most significant global issue of our time. It will require the same collective effort and determination that was displayed on St Kilda Beach. It is reassuring to know that the future leaders of our world are already making a difference and taking the environment into their own hands.