Lower Hutt students line up for environmental summit

HUTT CITY COUNCIL NEWS RELEASE

15 August 2016
Lower Hutt students line up for environmental summit

Lower Hutt’s young people continue to have a passion for sustainability, with more than 90 students from 20 schools attending Kids Connect 2016 on Thursday.

The Kids Connect event is a mix of discussion and activities about sustainability and protecting the environment. The first event, held in 2012, was inspired by Hutt Intermediate School students who wanted to connect with students from other schools who were also keen to protect the environment.

Hutt City Council and organisation Enviroschools, which promotes sustainability programmes in schools, will host Kids Connect at Eastern Hutt School on 18 August, 9.30am-2.30pm.

Enviroschools Facilitator Micheline Evans says, “This is a fantastic opportunity for young people to learn more about the issues that are important to them and feel empowered to do something about them.”

The 90 young sustainability leaders will participate in a range of science and arts activities, under the theme of this year’s event “The Hidden World”. Students will focus on parts of the environment we can’t or don’t usually see, such as electricity and microscopic organisms that live underground.

Kids Connect includes a strong arts component. With the support of Creative New Zealand’s Creative Communities Scheme, three artists will work with students to develop waiata, a short film and a mural that will explore sustainability themes.

Other supporters include The Dowse Art Museum, GNS Science, Hutt Science, Wellington Water and Zealandia.

ENDS

Notes for editors

• Since the first Kids Connect in 2012, more than 30 Lower Hutt schools have sent students to the event.

• Former Enviroschools Facilitator Jean Pugh co-ordinated the first event. She designed it to be hands-on and accessible to all schools.

• Activities are run by individuals and organisations sharing their expertise and enthusiasm.

• Activities have included waste, upcycling, electricity, stream biodiversity, native plants and birds, water conservation, mapping and healthy food.

• In 2015 students made things out of used materials, and took away important messages about sustainability.

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