Students from 30 government schools in Hume, Moreland and Boroondara will take part in biodiversity conservation education programs delivered by  CERES Community Environment Park, with the support of an $80,000 grant from the Ross Trust. 

The Trust’s two-year commitment will see the students establishing their own school native vegetation gardens. There will also be school visits and teacher support. 

CERES delivers environment and sustainability education programs for children, young people, and adults, including excursions, incursions, and a Student Environmental Leadership program for school students. In 2019 CERES was awarded the Victorian Environmental and Sustainability Educator of the Year.

The funded program, called Schools for Wildlife, aligns with the Ross Trust’s commitment to biodiversity conservation, in particular the desire to educate and raise awareness of the environment so children are inspired to take action to conserve biodiversity. 

Students will visit the CERES Community Environment Park in Brunswick East and work with the horticulturalists and landscape architects to develop their school’s own fully planted wildlife-friendly garden. 

The gardens are designed to bring about increased habitat connectivity, biodiversity and awareness of local indigenous plants (and animals) and the species they support, and provide an opportunity for children to experience and spend time outdoors and positively influence their behaviours towards the natural environment.

The Schools for Wildlife program can be integrated into the curriculum with mathematics, geography, science and sustainability, along with cross-curriculum priorities of critical and creative thinking and developing personal and social capabilities. Improving our environment is a key part of improving the health and wellbeing of our community. 

CERES has operated for more than four decades, with visits from more than 1.5 million Victorian school students and adults to learn about connecting with the Earth and each other.

The Ross Trust is very proud to have provided CERES with its first ever philanthropic grant. The grant of $5000 was awarded in 1979. 

Learn more about the CERES workshops and courses for 2021.