What a productive and rewarding year it’s been for River Detectives. With nearly 100 schools, youth groups and environmental education providers taking part, thousands of students and their educators have become more connected to their local waterway and enjoyed meaningful, practical, engaging activities in the great outdoors to achieve key learning outcomes. Our Annual Achievements Report will be published in the new year and it will be jam-packed with highlights big and small; from schools winning ResourceSmart Schools awards to restoring wetlands on site at their school; and from running Kids Teaching Kids events to speaking on local radio and installing community signage to share their knowledge and advocate for their local waterway.
Statewide coordinator, Nicole Howie, was humbled to attend the Australian Citizen Science Conference in October and represent the program. She shared the way that citizen-science and the River Detectives program is a catalyst for change with colleagues from around the nation and the world.
River Detectives is a FREE, fun and flexible program connecting your students to local waterways, involving them in hands-on citizen science activities, teaching them about sustainability, culture and care of country, and inspiring them to be leaders and have a voice in advocating for their local environment.
It’s multi-age, cross-curricular, links well to the ResourceSmart Schools program and can be adapted to your unique situation.
If you are a teacher, student, parent, Landcarer, or passionate community member keen for your town’s school to get involved, please encourage them to sign up by heading to www.riverdetectives.net.au and clicking Apply Now to register or going straight to this form.
To find out more about the program and how it could work in a school near you, watch this animation, visit www.riverdetectives.net.au or email riverdetectives@nccma.vic.gov.au