The Tweed Shire Council is inviting high school students in the local government area to participate in the national Speaking 4 the Planet competition on the theme: Trees: the guardians of life.
Speaking 4 the Planet is an arts-based sustainability competition for high school students aged 12-18.
The competition asks participants to submit creative entries in one of four categories: speaking, visual arts, writing, or performance poetry.
The overarching topic for this year’s competition is ‘Trees: the guardians of life’ and requires entries to show research and understanding about the importance of trees to Australia’s natural and urban environments.
The council says it’s sponsoring participation for youth in the Tweed as part of its climate action work with the community.
Tweed Shire Council Sustainability Education Officer Jane Moad said media release the competition offers young people the chance to share their connections to trees in a creative way.
‘This is a wonderful opportunity for high school students to speak up about what they value most about trees, whether it’s natural habitats, conservation, shading in built-up areas or health and wellbeing,’ Ms Moad said.
‘With monetary prizes on offer and the opportunity for submissions to be showcased at future Tweed climate and sustainability events, there are plenty of reasons why local young people should consider entering this competition,’ she said.
‘For high school science, English or arts teachers, the competition would work well as a class project aimed at tackling an environmental challenge and expressing ideas in a creative form.’
Ms Moad said the council’s sustainability team would like to hear about individual and school projects entering the competition and the council could help promote the event in schools.
Three students from the Tweed Shire were recognised in the competition last year, representing Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School.
The students were place-getters in the Performance Poetry and Writing categories.
Entries this year close on Friday 26 July with more information via tweed.nsw.gov.au/sustainable-
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