In 2011, the Vodafone Foundation Australia and Conservation Volunteers have united to support school communities and their efforts to educate and inspire young Australians to take action for the future of their environment through Green Schools Connect.

Green Schools enables schools to get the extra hands to get the project done.  This may be establishing a sustainable kitchen or bush tucker garden, demonstrating to students how to monitor frog populations in their school yard, creating learning spaces for children or cleaning up a creek line adjacent to the school.

In 2010 Green Schools Connect assisted 50 schools across Australia. Project outcomes included assisting 9 wildlife corridors, 22 sensory and habitat gardens, 8 frog ponds and wetlands, 6 bush food gardens and 8 community gardens and learning spaces. 16,219 students impacted directly by the program and 596 community volunteers joining Green Schools Connect projects

“Green schools connect is a great opportunity for you to make a difference by helping to develop and lead an environmental project for a school you are associated with.  Whether the project is big or small, it all helps to raise awareness of the importance of looking after our environment and inspire our young people to take action for the future.”  Adam Carthew, Head of the Vodafone Foundation.

To join Green Schools Connect a Vodafone staff member will need to tell us about the practical environmental project that your nominated school would like assistance with.

You need to liaise with your school to make sure that they can fulfil their part of the project, provide any materials etc and are actually need this type of assistance.   The school must be able to plan the project, coordinate parents, teachers and students who will participate, and provide all relevant materials, including plants for the project.

Conservation Volunteers will provide a team leader to supervise the volunteers – the people who will get the job done, provide logistical advice on setting up the project, provide insurance while volunteers are on the project and manage and coordinate the activities and volunteers on the day. 

Conservation Volunteers Australia will access all expression of interest and select schools to be part of the Green Schools Connect program.

Schools that are part of the Green Schools Connect program receive one day of practical assistance from a team from Conservation Volunteers Australia to help make their environmental project a reality.

Applications close on 25 July and opportunities to volunteer will be available from 15 September 2011.

Click here to complete the expression of interest form

Click here to read about some of the Schools who are already part of the program

Click here for Entry Terms and Conditions and Application Guidelines

Click here to view a short video on the program