Young people will take centre stage in Lismore this Friday when the HalveIt Festival brings student sustainability pitches to decision-makers in what organisers are calling ‘part innovation expo, part community festival.’
The event, run by Living School (Australia), takes place at 2A Carrington Street on June 26 from 9am to 3pm, and is billed as a day where young people stop talking about sustainability and start pitching solutions to the people who can actually make them happen.
The school’s Chief Development Officer, Rich Bolus, told The Echo, ‘HalveIt is designed to grow beyond a single school, with a long-term vision of becoming a multi-day event in the heart of Lismore that brings together students and businesses from across the region to solve big problems.’
‘120 students from Living School’s middle school are taking part and students from the primary and academy campuses are attending. Projects being pitched focus on energy, nutrition, pollution, waste, water and wellness.
‘The Innovation Expo and open day will see students pitch sustainability projects and real-world solutions directly to local business leaders, builders, engineers, environmental professionals and community organisations, rather than presenting work for assessment, in the hope of turning classroom concepts into practical community outcomes’, he said.
Living School has been making waves in the Northern Rivers since its documentary The School the Kids Built — which follows middle school students designing their own learning environment — premiered at Lismore Cinemas in March. HalveIt is a continuation of that hands-on, student-led philosophy, this time focused on sustainability.
The program opens with an Acknowledgement of Country before students take to the Innovation Hub stage from 10am to pitch their projects through a series of sessions running throughout the day.
Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.au.
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