An outdoor education program at a remote Queensland Indigenous high school is boosting attendance rates by connecting students with nature. From building shelters to sending emergency signals using the sun and blank c-ds, students are learning some real-life skills in their unique outdoor classroom.
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00:00Taking aim at a brighter future, students at Wadja Wadja High School are basking in
00:08the classroom sun.
00:10Then you find the reflection of the sun against the back of your hand.
00:13This outdoor education program in the remote Queensland Indigenous community of Wurrubinda
00:20is teaching students real life survival skills.
00:23Today I'm going to do positional awareness around geography and mapping and their position
00:30of where they are, how the sun works, natural navigation points.
00:34So it's a blend of fun, academic and just inspiration.
00:40Normally quiet and shy, these students come to life as they embrace the nature around
00:45them.
00:46It is an outdoor ed program, there's no doubt about that, but the skills and respect and
00:53manners that Ty is drawing out of kids, that's the stuff that goes back into class.
00:59From natural navigation using the sun to learning about native bush tucker, since the program
01:05started attendance rates at the school have risen.
01:09It's just such a unique school.
01:11The kids here are remarkable in that when they arrive they want to learn and so Ty's
01:18program is just an addition that we offer that encourages engagement.
01:25Attendance is up thanks to this program.
01:27The small but engaged class of outdoor survival skills graduates agree.
01:34Normally you wouldn't see a class like this at school but the fact that we have it here
01:37is really cool.
01:38Also I'm new here and I like the compass, how you can tell the time, because I usually
01:45tell the time by the sun.
01:47Yeah I've learned a lot and learned a lot about like which way is north and all.
01:54The program also opening pathways for the students when they finish school.
02:00The truth is they're probably never going to find themselves in a survival situation
02:03but they learn to appreciate nature, they learn some concepts around how to connect
02:07with nature and they will learn to find what is their particular passion and their interests
02:11that they want to dig deeper into.
02:13They do arrive here with enthusiasm.
02:17We know that if they arrive here they're ready to learn.
02:20And so it's a delight to be able to put on programs like this.