Education and the Fairfield Project

Lyn Rogers tells us about the educational aspirations of the Fairfield Project – within the community as well as with the formal education sector.

Questions for discussion:

• Do you think community projects – like gully restoration – can work if only some of the landowners are involved? Why?

• What does Lyn mean when she says that it is important to give people time to come to new perspectives?

Transcript

LYN ROGERS

Our point of difference at The Fairfield Project is that we want this to be an educational enterprise alongside the restoration project. We want people to learn the skills needed to take action in the environment in their own lives or in other community projects. When we talk education, we’re talking community education and not just in the formal education sector, but most of our engagement so far has been with secondary schools, so we’ll be working in primary schools also.

Only one side of the gully is administered by the Trust, the other side of the gully is owned by multiple landowners. We’re looking to engage the landowners and helping them, supporting them to look after the side of the gully on their land and letting them know what they can do, the trees to use, the plants to use, the science of it all and become involved in what we’re doing.

I’ve learned the value of relationships – of people working together with a common goal, giving people time to come to new learnings, myself as well. Giving people time to work together, understanding different perspectives and spending the time to come up with shared goals. That’s probably what I’ve learned the most – that all good things will come in time if you actually create a space for that to happen.

Acknowledgements

Lynnette Rogers The Fairfield Project Jordan, Lucy, Hannah, Jess and Sam, Waikato Diocesan School for Girls Jake and Sarah, Bankwood Primary School Footage of planting out at Kukutāruhe Gully, and footage of teacher workshop, The Fairfield Project