from yaprap December 2009-January 2010
by Isabel Seidel
YAPRap Feature Writer
By becoming an Eco-friendly Youth Centre, your organisation can lead the way in adopting sustainable practices and showcase to young people and the community the way of the future. The 6 Steps to an Eco-friendly Youth Centre toolkit has been developed by the North East Waste Forum to assist organisations working with young people to integrate waste reduction, energy and water conservation practices into their work practices and programs for young people.
I was so excited about the opportunity to review this toolkit. It’s a good time for youth workers to empower young people to undertake environmental initiatives with the upcoming global climate change convention talks being held in Copenhagen in December. This is where world leaders will attempt to solve the problem of climate change. However, with so much talking happening at a political level it’s really up to grassroots organisations such as youth services to turn the talk into action. The best thing about this toolkit is that it is very grassroots. Its target audience is youth workers and its aim is to explain how to create an eco-friendly youth centre in 6 steps using real life examples of how the Bryon Youth Services and Youth Activities Centre used the tool kit.
An added bonus to the toolkit is a virtual tour of an eco-friendly youth centre as well as a documentary style DVD that is made by young people taking part in a video production course coordinated by Bryon Youth Services. The virtual tour gives you some useful tips on implementing eco-friendly practices and the DVD takes you on a journey into the ‘green’ Bryon Youth Centre and includes youth vox-pops on environmental issues such as waste, water and energy. I checked out the virtual tour and DVD before I looked at the toolkit and I reckon if you’re really wanting to inspire enthusiasm to ‘go green’ at your youth centre then show your team mates the virtual tour and DVD first – this will help showcase what a green youth centre looks like.
When I sat down with my cuppa to take a look at the toolkit on my computer I was firstly impressed with the easy to navigate menu system. It contained an introduction to the toolkit and the 6 steps. I read the intro that briefly outlines why the toolkit was developed. I then clicked on step 1 to begin my 6 step journey… and this is what I found:
Step 1 – Generating Commitment to the Environment
I was pleased to see that the toolkit doesn’t just write about generating commitment but explains how to do it. It explains how to create an Environmental Commitment Statement, how to communicate it and how to involve young people.
Step 2 – Listening to Young People
For youth workers this is the most important step and perhaps could have been put as step 1. This step explains how to run a focus group as well as undertake written surveys, questionnaires and involve young people.
Step 3 – Investigating impacts with waste, water and energy audits
I must admit when first reading this step I felt a little daunted about how to do audits. I felt relieved that it was all explained to me simply and concisely. It explains what questions you need to consider, what an audit is, why you need one and how you can do it.
Step 4 –Taking action by implementing reflection and review
This step gives you a reality check by bringing you back to earth stating that change doesn’t happen overnight but you’re half way there! It explains how you create an action plan, how you bring people together (such as young people, and other organisations) to help you achieve your goals, how you implement your action plan and gives you some ideas on where you can go to get funding and some tips on reviewing the process.
Step 5 – Integrating environmental activities into centre programs
This step explains that it’s not about reinventing the wheel but finding out where environmental activities can fit into already existing programs. It gives you some examples of how you can do it and a list of useful websites with eco-friendly information.
Step 6 – Celebrate
This is the fun step to celebrate your achievements, by holding an eco-celebration and having an open day at the centre.
After reading the toolkit I actually felt that environmental change can occur in youth services by implementing these 6 steps. There is also a resources section included in each step that arms you with helpful support material as well as examples of what Bryon Youth Services did at each step.
It didn’t take me long to read the toolkit as the language was accessible and the steps were explained nice and simply. It also makes it clear that youth workers don’t have to rigidly follow the 6 steps in the exact order; it’s more about adapting the toolkit to suit the needs of the youth centre and of course the young people accessing the centre. However, I do think youth workers reading the toolkit for the first time may feel a bit overwhelmed with the task of implementing the steps. The good news is that the North East Waste Forum is holding workshops in city and regional areas in NSW to show how to implement the toolkit as well as offering support to youth services by providing an opportunity for mentoring with one of their staff.
So, this toolkit really is fantastic and with the opportunity for additional support I do recommend that youth workers out there who are interested in turning their youth centre green should get a hold of this toolkit and register now for the workshops and mentoring support that will be offered.
6 Steps to an Eco-friendly Youth Centre
Hard copy CD-ROM - order from Linda (below).
Online at www.ecofriendlycentre.com:
- Virtual Tour: Come on a virtual tour of an Eco-friendly Youth Centre, and find out how you can reduce your waste, water and energy use in your organisation. The virtual centre is also available on the CD-ROM.
- Multimedia downloadable CD-ROM - takes you through the 6 steps: 50MB (broadband recommended)
- Videos, produced in conjunction with young people from Byron Shire, showcasing what Byron Youth Services have done - waste, water and energy snapshots and interviews about the environment with young people.
- Poster: 6 Steps to an Eco-friendly Youth Centre
- Workshops: Watch this space for locations and dates across NSW, or contact Linda (below).
Contact: Linda Tohver, (02) 6685 3651, education@northeastwasteforum.org.au
The toolkit was developed by the North East Waste Forum with funding from the NSW Environmental Trust.