CHANGE Makers is a new program focusing on youth-driven change launched by OzGREEN.

The first six-week course starts on Tuesday 2 May and runs until 27 June, every Tuesday 4pm-5.30pm at the North Coast Regional Botanic Gardens in Coffs Harbour.

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Running as an after school program for young people between the ages of ten and sixteen, Change Makers gives local young leaders the chance to get together once a week to actively learn new skills in a hands-on way and tackle local environmental challenges to create positive action in the Coffs Harbour community.

The fun, hands-on activities the youngsters will be doing are ones that help create a more sustainable world; such as basket weaving, eco printing and making damper.

“Skill building is the focus of Change Makers and it involves an awesome variety of different activities such as building and cooking with solar ovens, weaving new life into unwanted clothing, diving into the world of waterbugs out at a local creek, plus so much more,” OzGREEN Youth Activities Coordinator, nineteen-year-old Sam Daykin told News Of The Area.

“Young people involved in the six-month program will also have an incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity to lead their own personally inspired environmental project to create positive change in their community.

“There are so many young people living on the Coffs Coast who care deeply about our environment.

“This is such an awesome opportunity for those people to take meaningful action with other like-minded people who care, too.

“Together we will turn our environmental ideas into a reality and OzGREEN will also support and fund some of the items and equipment we need to deliver our projects.

“Young people have so many bright ideas and I’m so excited to see these come to fruition, that’s what changemakers is all about.”

OzGREEN has been running youth programs focused on environmental leadership for almost 30 years.

“OzGREEN listens to the voices of young people and provides a space for them to turn their environmental concerns into a positive vision for the future then break that down into plans for action,” said Sam.

“Change Makers is such a unique program as there is not only space to develop, and share these ideas, but build skills and enact plans to achieve them.”

There is a cost for the program of $10 per week which is more a donation to cover all equipment, materials and afternoon tea.

There is also a two-week free trial for all participants and if money is a problem, OzGREEN also has a number of fully subsidised places.

To register for this program or to find out more information please visit www.ozgreen.org/changemakers or contact sam@ozgreen.org.au.

Change Makers is an OzGREEN initiative that is proudly supported by the NSW Government.

By Andrea FERRARI