MAKING A POSITIVE CHANGE
An energetic and highly motivated group from Robina State High have an invaluable and inspiring message to share when they host Project: Sustainable Youth in August
YOUNG people on the Gold Coast will have the chance to learn how they can lead a more sustainable lifestyle.
Project: Sustainable Youth is the brainchild of Robina State High’s Sustain a bulls group.
Featuring keynote speakers, interactive activities and workshops, the event on Saturday, August 3, will teach students about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how their actions can make a difference.
Chris Clayton, 2017 Robina school captain, thought up the event along with Sustainabulls president Sam Booth.
Chris, 18, with Robina classmates represented Australia in an international debate congress in Japan in 2015.
Since graduating from school Chris spent a year travelling around the world creating a film on other student debates for the foundation that had sent him to Japan.
“Coming back to the Gold Coast I realised I’d spent last year connecting an
international community and it inspired me to do a similar thing here,” he said.
“I was talking with the current president and thinking what’s the next big project they [Sustainabulls] can do?
“Why don’t we go big and organise the biggest youth symposium the Gold Coast has ever seen?”
Project: Sustainable Youth was born and the committee has spent every spare minute organising the event.
“It’s really exciting coming together as a team to make this happen,” he said.
“This has been really rewarding … and we’ve had incredible community support.”
Chris said he hoped the event would help to educate young people.
“Project: Sustainable Youth is about amplifying the volume on sustainability and bringing a sense of responsibility to young people,” he said.
“Give them a sense of taking things into their hands for grassroots activism and we want to embrace the complexity of sustainability and the UN SDGs.”
Chris said it was important for people to learn this at a young age so as to not fall into unsustainable habits.
“It’s important for young people to have an awareness of it first,” he said.
“Sustainability starts with lots of behavioural change – us taking responsibility, especially young people before we have the curse of years of sinking into a lifestyle that’s not sustainable.”
Chris said students also need to be educated on the SDGs.
“It’s important for us to see just how complex and interconnected the nature of sustainability is,” he said.
“The perception is that sustainability is all about the environment but it’s much more; it’s social justice, rights, the goals encompass so many different areas.
“We want to ring that in, for example, how does fashion and slow fashion contribute to the goals.”
It’s the “by youth, for youth” approach that Chris said would help get the message through.
“As young people we can understand what’s going to be engaging – we’re sick of just lecturing and talking,” he said.
“The event is going to have a huge interactive element so participants walk away with practical applications to start actioning.”
The Sustainabulls group have developed several other initiatives including tree planting, community clean ups, having a community garden plot and an art bin project recognised by Prince Charles in his speech during the Commonwealth Games.
Project Sustainable Youth will be held at Bond University with tickets $5.
For details and tickets go to eventbrite.com.au and search for Project: Sustainable Youth.