Dapto High School joined the
Youth Challenge at the beginning
of 2007 with a project aimed at
making the school a model of
environmental sustainability.
The school is located on 32
hectares of river flat on Lake
Illawarra in the south coast of
NSW. Originally a farming
property, the school was
established 50 years ago and
still has a working farm. The
natural environment has strongly
influenced the school curriculum
and Dapto High is one of the few
agricultural colleges in the
region.
An Environmental Committee was
set up by the school in 2005 to
work towards the school being
ecologically sustainable.
The Youth Challenge program has
helped build on the Committee
plans and the project has
successfully linked the school,
community and environment
together.
Since taking up the Youth
Challenge the students have set
up aluminium and paper
recycling, put energy efficient
light globes into every light
fitting in the school, started a
worm farm and planted native
trees and an orchard. They have
also installed solar panels,
dual flush toilets, water tanks
and spring loaded taps.
Dapto High School Principal
Andrew FitzSimons feels Youth
Challenge goes far beyond the
local community and has helped
the students become global
citizens.
“The students get what I call
‘WWV - a wider world view’. I
talk to the kids about looking
beyond Dapto. What else is
happening in the Illawarra,
around Australia and the world?
Ultimately our graduates are
going to work all over the globe
and Youth Challenge gives them
this wider world view.”
School Captain and project
leader Mitchell James highly
recommends other schools take
part in the Youth Challenge.
“You can achieve so much with
the hard work of all students
and the satisfaction of
completing projects for
community members outweighs any
individual recognition you
receive. EnergyAustralia and
Australian Red Cross have been a
great support network.”
This is just one of many great
Youth Challenge projects. Check
back to find out more about
other projects around NSW in the
coming weeks.
