School: Wondai State School P10 (QLD)
Partner: BIEDO (Burnett Inland Development Organisation)
Wondai State School is located in inland Queensland. The school has 230 students from Prep to Year 9 including 20 per cent Indigenous students, drawn from the town of Wondai and neighbouring farms and communities. Wondai State School has entered into a partnership with the Burnett Inland Economic Development Organization (BIEDO) to create a community garden in the school grounds. BIEDO is a not-for-profit organisation that provides regional development for the South and North Burnett shires of the Burnett Inland (an area the size of Great Britain). Established in 2007, BIEDO has attracted $14million to the Burnett Inland and delivers 11 annual programs and 15 services, to the value of $1.2million. In 2008, BIEDO prioritised the start up of sustainable futures initiatives as part of its Regional Sustainability Program, which includes the introduction of permaculture gardens throughout the region.
Education Queensland’s Smart Choices strategy led to the school identifying a number of issues, including poor eating habits, lack of knowledge about how to obtain or make healthy foods, lack of energy and engagement in classes (especially boys) and an emerging need to improve the performance and engagement of Indigenous students. In addition, school opinion surveys from 2005-8 indicated parent and student dissatisfaction with the standards of student behaviour.
In November 2007, BIEDO asked the school to become a pilot site for a community permaculture garden. A partnership was formed and the project begun in January 2008. The intended outcomes included the development of healthy eating habits and exercise, strong links between the school and the wider community, and the development of the ability to work effectively in teams. BIEDO was to provide technical expertise; lead planning, design and development; support the monitoring and review of technical aspects; and liaise with various consultants. The school would provide the land, and the principal and staff would engage the students, coordinate labour for maintenance and further development projects, purchase consumables and host technical consultants. The school’s Parents and Citizens Association would help with fund raising and events management, maintain insurance for volunteers, and support community engagement for fund raising and working bees.
The garden became an integral part of the school’s Sustainable Science program in Years 7 to 10 and curriculum materials were developed to enhance the hands on aspects of the garden project. Student surveys confirmed the success of the program, with a big majority of students reporting improvement in their attendance, work ethic, behaviour and so on. Ninety per cent agreed that they had learnt skills that would help later in life, and an overwhelming majority agreed that they valued school more and had more pride in their school and in their achievements in Sustainable Science.
The next exciting stage in this project is to be the construction of an outdoor kitchen/classroom facility. This will provide a community facility for BIEDO and enable the school to run workshops or conferences that would provide cash flow for the project. The Impact Award money will facilitate the achievement of this goal.
