Executive+Summary+028

The General Education and Equity Services faculty of NSWTAFE New England Institute has established a number of networks stemming from an initial instigation of a program in Gunnedah consisting of environmental and sustainability focused modules titled ‘Envirolearn’. This has grown to be a developed state wide approved Statement of attainment in Learning for Sustainability. Students involved across New England Institute have included farmers, rural land owners, town’s people, indigenous students, learners with disabilities, and varying age groups from all works of life. So far 4 campuses have taken on this program and adapted to the local needs, there have been local connections with Catchment Management Authorities and various local organisations such as the Liverpool Plains Land Management Committee and Indigenous elders. Our key business partners want to work with us to increase the potential of empowering students, teachers, partnering organisations, community groups, individuals and the wider community to work towards better knowledge and practical solutions for sustainability. This project will enable participants to improve people’s recognition of and attitude to Natural resource management issues and appropriate management practices through and alongside developing skills in online connection and collaboration. We are focusing on tools that are easy to work with and are cost effective for the not for profit community organisations we are working with. Use of their skills and learning beyond the life of the project is an essential goal of our project. Aiming to enable participants to continue being effective members of online communities and for many to consider capabilities of establishing their own online communication hub if needed. e.g. Our partnering organisation, LPLMC or for smaller land care groups. We are utilising an open source wiki [|www.wetpaint.com] as our key online hub because it fosters collaboration and community. Use of Virtual conference rooms that are affordable and effective beyond the life of the project for those on lower band width is one of our key concerns. Whilst we will initially use tools to connect staff and participants such as Adobe Connect there are concerns for those connected by satellite and dialup as stronger tools often don’t work on lower bandwidth. Our project will utilise a small number of Virtual conference rooms that could be considered within the budget range of clients beyond the project if they choose to go down that path. Through this project, partnerships could be taken to greater levels with skills and knowledge developed to enhance the communication and collaboration within, between and beyond the involved community groups to the wider community with the goal to continually increase the level of participation in appropriate natural resource management activities