Last week, the Year 10 Global Perspectives class embarked on their second action-based project of the year to protect our native wildlife.

The Year 10 Global Perspectives class were busy last week spreading some festive magic and filling bellies with delicious homebaked treats to highlight the work of some incredible conservation-orientated organisations.

Earlier in the term, the class learned about the causes and devastating effects of deforestation. We then shifted our focus to reforestation; we loved hearing David Attenborough talk about the natural resilience of trees and how good they are for our wellbeing. We’re certainly fortunate to be surrounded by such beautiful grounds here at Columba.

After our learning, we decided we wanted to embark on a project to support local conversation-based organisations. Students raised awareness about the importance of conservation through the creation of posters and an informative Kahoot to be shared during Whānau time. We also conducted a bake sale (which was very popular!) and two festive craft workshops with the Junior School. The craft workshops were particularly magical and we really enjoyed spending time with the children. The helpers with this particular action deserve an extra special thank you for their hard work and kindness - I think we might have a few budding teachers amongst our Year 10 cohort! We also want to thank the teachers who volunteered their time to make sure the workshops ran smoothly and safely; we really appreciate the support.

The combined proceeds of these actions allowed the class to make monetary donations to The Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, Orokonui Ecosanctuary, and Penguin Rescue New Zealand. These organisations are crucial in protecting our ecosystems and native wildlife and we’re so glad that we’re able to support their efforts. Those involved in the project demonstrated a keen sense of community and a deep understanding of how people and the environment are affected by specific issues, alongside the knowledge that when we work together, we can truly make a positive difference in our local, national, and global communities.

And yes, we raised enough to sponsor a penguin!