AAEE Newsletter Chapter Update April 2024

Dear Australian Environmental Educator ACT community

It’s been an exciting start to the year with 3 successful events in the ACT thanks to Bonnie Johnson upskilling us with the Communication and Strategic Planning event, Monty Nixon’s inspiring ‘Country as Teacher’ and Kate Rhook’s very engaging tour of the Icon Water facilities. Thanks so much for joining us. There is more news from Australia wide in the latest OzEEnews. 

We're looking forward to meeting new and familiar faces at these events and others throughout the year. Let's work together to strengthen our connection for education for sustainability and environmental education in our schools, universities, our workplaces and the wider community. It is such an important foundation for all of our lives. Please invite your colleagues to join the Australian Association for Environmental Education through this link.

Click read more for all the updates including our picks of events, local, national, regional and global EE calendar updates, with links.

To receive these updates in your inbox, contact aaeeact@gmail.com and say hi!

Autumn Mingle at UC FREE BUT BOOK NOW Tuesday 14th May

Connect with like minds to enjoy and grow in your EE journey...with some therapy, drinks, and nibbles on the side

Like what you see? JOIN AAEE THIS YEAR! 

Climate Change Education Summit Speaker Series

24th April 2024 - Next speaker is AAEE President, Dr Lisa Siegel 

Read more and register here: Speaker Series - Australian Climate Change Education Summit and Action Plan (deakin.edu.au)

The First Australian Nature Journaling Conference Brisbane May 2024

Be there!

Member group NatureArt Lab are thrilled to announce the first Australian Nature Journaling Conference, which will be held in Brisbane from May 23rd to May 26th! This is an incredible opportunity for anyone who loves nature journaling to connect with like-minded individuals and immerse themselves in a wonderful networking event.

Meet the 2024 ACT AAEE chapter team

A New Year and a FAB New Committee!

 

President- Julie Armstrong, artist, ACT for Bees founder, national AAEE Environmental Educator, to list but a few of Julie’s skills and interests. 

Vice-President -Glenys Patulny OAM, long term community, education and environmental activist, President Tuggeranong Community Council and Deputy Chair Southern ACT Catchment Group.

Secretary – Monty Nixon, PhD education student University of Canberra (U.C) and winner of the AAEE 2023 Brian Foreman Scholarship, which enable him to attend and run a workshop with fellow U.C student Jordan Harrison at AAEE 2023 conference on ‘Country as a Teacher’. 

Treasurer and Public officer - Jodie Green, National AAEE Treasurer and Public Officer, ACT Senior Secondary teacher.

Executive members 

Vivienne Pearce OAM (V.P. national AAEE, Educator Australian National Botanic Gardens-ANBG) Donella Johnston (secondary teacher and part-time educator at ANBG) 

Vacancy- if you are interested in joining Executive, contact us at aaeeact@gmail.com , we are interested particularly in help to assist our secretary in the area of member communications, help and mentorship to learn new skills are available. 

Previous Executive members, who will still be advising and helping this year’s executive: 

Tarun Whan, Secondary Teacher and SEAACT (Science teachers) member. 

Karon Campbell, Primary Sustainability Teacher and SEAACT member 

Julia Landford, founder NatureArt Lab, immediate past V.P. AAEEACT, winner 2024 Telstra Best of Business ACT State Award for Building Communities.

Dam to Tap World Water Day 2024 - Tour of The Cotter Dam, Pumping Station, Stromlo Water Treatment Plant

It's Kate Rhook, so it's going to be AWESOME

When: Wednesday 20th March 4:30pm-6:45pm
Where: Cotter Dam
Who: Kate Rhook ICON Water Community Engagement Officer

RSVP’s or changes to bookings close COB Friday 15 March 2024

Booking details below

 

Tour venues	Cotter Dam – Cotter Avenue Cotter Pumping Station, Cotter Road Stromlo Water Treatment Plant (SWTP) Stromlo Road.
Date:	Wednesday 20 March 2024
Time:	Time: 4:30 for 4:45pm -6:45pm
Attendees         Bookings and Registrations	Maximum 24 participants All participants are required to wear long pants, long sleeves and flat, fully enclosed sturdy shoes.   For the safety of our community Icon Water will not be able to accept participants who do not wear the correct attire to the site. We will supply the required PPE (Hard hats, High Vis vests, safety glasses, where required). Carpooling for parking at Cotter Pump Station and Mount Stromlo is recommended. Possible to carpool and park at the bottom of Stromlo Road, to Cotter Dam.   Pre-registration is required from all participants attending this tour event for Icon Water operational sites and guard notification. Please register through this pre-registration booking form link.   On the form, select the following tour name for your group in the drop-down tab: ACT Australian Environmental Educators Association: Cotter Dam, Cotter Pump Station, Stromlo WTP @ Wed 20/03/24 4:45pm -6:45pm (0 of 24 Bookings - Private Guided Tour)

Country as Teacher Workshop March 5 - Book now.

Country as Teacher Workshop with Monty and Ben

When: Tuesday the 5th of March, 4:00 – 6:30pm

Where: The Crosbie Morrison Room, Australian National Botanical Gardens

Who: The session will be co-run by University of Canberra PhD student Monty Nixon, and Dr Ben Wilson.

 
Event Information:
For many Indigenous people of Australia, indeed across the globe, Country is and has always been the central knowledge-holder. 

For Millennia, direct learning with Country taught people how to live in relational reciprocity, seeding social and ecological harmony and balance. 

This workshop invites you to consider the pedagogic opportunities of reinvigorating a way of knowing, being and doing in the teaching and learning of Environmental Education that honours this old wisdom. In the workshop, we will explore the foundational understanding of a Country as Teacher pedagogy, based on Senior Custodian for Karulkiyalu Country, Damu (Grandfather) Paul Gordon’s re-interpretation of an old way of learning, the 6L’s: Lore, Love, Look and Listen, Learn and Lead, an insight into the growing body of research into the enactment of this approach in schools and how to cultivate a Relating with Country Practice.

A Country as Teacher pedagogy offers all Australians an authentic opportunity to decolonise educational practices and promote a greater understanding of and care for the place in which we live.
More information about Country as Teacher can be found at this website: Country as Teacher
Priority given to AAEE members and teachers.

Book HERE

Like what you see? JOIN AAEE THIS YEAR! 

Members ONLY! Strategies for growing environmental education

Strategic Planning with Bonnie Johnson Saturday 2 March 9am-1pm. Dickson Room, Australian National Botanic Gardens

Bonnie is a highly experienced communications, marketing and PR professional who has worked in NGOs and Govt NFP sector for over 15 years. She will facilitate an introductory strategic communications and marketing workshop for AAEE ACT members so that we may be best placed to sustainably increase the impact and reach for committed environmental educators and EE advocates in the region.

Happy New Year!

A New Year and a New Committee! 

AAEEACT elected a new Executive at December AGM,at  NatureArt Lab.

Julie Armstrong, (founder of ACT for Bees and national AAEE Environmental Educator) was also officially awarded the ACT Environmental Educator for 2023. How lucky are we as a Chapter of AAEE to have such a talented community educator within our ranks! 

Julie has been a driving force both in ACT and nationally promoting and advocating the importance and need to support bees and other pollinators. Read here about Julie’s many achievements. The Covid surge prevented Julie and others from attending AGM, as a result positions were finalised at the January Executive meeting. Drum roll the 2024 AAEEACT Executive!

 

President- Julie Armstrong, artist, ACT for Bees founder, national AAEE Environmental Educator, to list but a few of Julie’s skills and interests

Vice-President -Glenys Patulny OAM, long term community, education and environmental activist, President Tuggeranong Community Council.

Secretary – Monty Nixon, PhD education student University of Canberra (U.C) and winner of the AAEE 2023 Brian Foreman Scholarship, which enable him to attend and run a workshop with fellow U.C student Jordan Harrison at AAEE 2023 conference on ‘Country as a Teacher’.

Treasurer and Public officer -Jodie Green, National AAEE Treasurer and Public Officer, CIT teacher.

Other Executive members

Vivienne Pearce OAM (V.P. national AAEE, Educator Australian National Botanic Gardens-ANBG)

Donella Johnston (secondary teacher and educator at ANBG)

Vacancy- if you are interested in joining Executive, contact us at aaeeact@gmail.com , we are interested particularly in help to assist our secretary in the area of member communications, help and mentorship to learn new skills available.

Julie finally receiving EE Award, January ANBG.               

 New Executive Team Glenys, Julie, Monty January, ANBG (Jodie and Donella apologies) 

Australian Climate Change Education Summit and Action Plan 

Speaker Series starts January 2024 - Professor Tim Flannery - Register here: https://ccesummitaustralia.deakin.edu.au/connect/

1-day online Education Summit - October 2024 

More info here: https://ccesummitaustralia.deakin.edu.au (Centre for Regenerating Futures) 

AAEE Visioning Event - 14th February 2024

AAEE National Visioning Workshop 14 Feb 2024

There is a lot going on in the world and AAEE has some serious work to do! Come along and join your National Executive Committee in a VISIONING WORKSHOP to collectively imagine what our national organisation can be in 2024 and beyond. The workshop will be facilitated by Lisa Siegel, AAEE National President with the support of members of the National Exec.

The Workshop will be held via Zoom on WEDNESDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2024 from 3:30-5:30pm AEDT (NSW/VIC/ACT/TAS), which is 3-5pm in SA, 12:30-2:30pm in WA, and 2:30-4:30pm in QLD!

This will be an interactive, guided process where you will be asked to share what you think we should RECOVER from the past, REFUSE to keep doing, CHERISH from the present, and CREATE for the future. Come prepared to share, to listen, and to collaborate!

All AAEE members and allies welcome. We hope to have representatives from every State/Territory chapter, as well as educators from every sector.

A Zoom link and schedule will be sent out the week before the workshop. Please email president@aaee.org.au with any questions.

REGISTER HERE:

https://events.humanitix.com/aaee-national-visioning-workshop