Pilliga, 105 kilometres west of Narrabri, is home to a thriving little community – not least are of those who attend Pilliga Public School.
Lessons, arts and crafts, sports, performing arts and tennis lessons are all on the agenda for students attending the small primary school, and supporting young leaders is par for the course.
In early May, Year 6 students Claire Wilkins, Tyrell Cashen and Tyleena Smith attended a Young Leaders camp at Warrumbungle National Park Environmental Education Centre.
The ‘Young Leaders of the West’ camp was attended by 14 rural and remote primary schools with 29 enthusiastic Year 5/6 school leaders. Students undertook a project whereby an environmental issue needed to be identified and thought given to how to make a difference.
The chosen environmental issue is taken back to school where the students search for initiatives to implement and achieve their goal.
Goals, objectives and actions to promote the cause are under scrutiny and judged in the competition ‘Young Leaders Creating Change’.
The project must encompass waste, biodiversity, sustainability, and planning, and the three students returned to Pilliga enthusiastically buzzing with an idea.
Focussing on plastic waste, the trio are now embarking on the task at hand – to promote the use of sectioned lunchboxes.
A meal concept originally from Japan, section-style lunch boxes contain internal dividers to separate different foods without the need for plastic containers or disposable wraps and bags.
Claire, Tyrell and Tyleena are aiming to achieve the end result of enough lunchboxes either donated or discounted to the school for the use of all 13 students.
Meanwhile, they are spreading the word and promoting their cause through flyers, radio interviews, and media, working hard to help save the environment with this innovative initiative and worthy cause.
