A member of Green Adelaide’s Youth Environment Council has rallied a community to deliver on-ground action for her local environment. Find out how you can become a teen environmental champion too.
Keira, a 15-year old from Cleve Area School on the Eyre Peninsula, has been part of the Youth Environment Council (YEC) program for three years. This year (2021) she has taken on the responsibility of being a mentor to other members, and put into practice her leadership skills and strong interest in environmental conservation.
Read on to find out about Keira’s on-ground environmental action, and how to join the YEC.
Teen environmental champion on-ground action
Inspired by her time as part of the YEC, Keira applied for – and won – a grassroots grant from the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board to help protect local marine life.
Following extensive research, Keira created an educational sign for Lipson Cove beach – on the east coast of Eyre Peninsula. The sign has now been installed and showcases some of the iconic coastal species living in and around the ocean, such as little penguins, bottle-nosed dolphins and white-bellied sea-eagles, and details how people can help protect them.
Keira partnered with her community to deliver this project, including the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board who also helped install the sign, Experiencing Marine Sanctuaries staff who assisted with collating information about the marine species, and a student from Flinders University to better understand the local marine life living around Lipson Cove beach.
Apply to join the Youth Environment Council
Are you a teen wanting to learn more about the environment and become a future environmental leader too? The next call for YEC applications will open in early 2022.
YEC is a free program for young people aged 11-17 years old from across South Australia. Members develop their leadership, team building and public speaking skills through camps, workshops and forums, while meeting like-minded people who also want to make a difference for the environment.
The year-long program runs from March until December, and involves face-to-face and online events, as well as ongoing support to deliver environmental projects like measuring the impact of solar panels, or promoting pet adoption.
Find out more on the Youth Environment Council website and subscribe to the Green Adelaide monthly newsletter for the latest on this program straight to your inbox.
The Youth Environmental Council is seeded by Green Adelaide.