Coming together for World Oceans Day

By Mrs Jane Lilley, Secondary School Teacher and student authors

A group of ten enthusiastic Year 8 and 9 students attended the Round Square World Ocean Day event hosted by Sydney Church of England Coeducational Grammar School (SCEGGS) Redlands in Sydney. The event brought together students from local Round Square schools to learn about ocean conservation, climate change, sustainability and youth-led action.

Students explored the impact of plastic pollution on marine environments. It was a highly collaborative and inspiring day that left students challenged and motivated to find “one small action” to implement in an effort to reduce plastic consumption.

The students heard from Kal Glanznig, one of Australia’s leading climate activists and a member of the World Ocean Day Youth Advisory Council. They watched a screening of Kal's documentary, Rising Up, and had the opportunity to ask him questions afterwards. "From his talk, I took away some important words and advice: 'If you can’t change the world, change your world'," says Georgia S, Year 8. "You may not be able to fix big issues, but you can start by taking simple, local steps. Kal started his passionate journey to help the world at only 16 years old. As the years go on, he continues to be a big influence and inspiration to all young people, Kal proves that age doesn’t matter, you can make an impact at any point in your life."

Another Year 8 student, Mia J, enjoyed meeting like-minded students from other schools, including Oxley College, Newcastle Grammar School, Redlands School and Barker College. "Talking to others opened our minds and created diverse conversations, which enhanced our knowledge and thoughts from this experience."

Year 8 student, Hannah G, took away from the event that we should stop thinking of pollution and rising water levels as distant problems, but rather as immediate and drastic. "We can take meaningful action in our day-to-day lives. Whether it's recycling clothes, picking up litter, using recyclable materials instead of single-use plastics, fundraising and leading movements in your school, sports clubs and neighbourhoods, every small step counts!"

Her takeaway quote of the day was from Kal's address: "While young people make up 25% of the population, we are 100% of our future."