We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019 Grahame Collier Regional Mentoring Scholarship. With thanks to the generosity of donors, we were able to recognise and support two deserving applicants to attend the recent 2019 NSW Environmental Education Conference, ActiveNature in this inaugural year of the scholarship.
Sarah Piat is an enthusiastic outdoor educator at “The Grange” – Barker College’s Environmental Outdoor Education Campus in Mt Victoria. She delivers sequential environmental and outdoor programs to high school students and mentors students as they return each year through year 7, 8 and 9 and explore the ecology, biodiversity and natural beauty of the world heritage listed Blue Mountains. Her scholarship attendance at the conference has allowed her to gain lesson ideas, layer her knowledge and absorb teaching techniques while sharing and networking with like-minded peers. She has returned to her workplace with passion and creative ideas to further engage the students she mentors each week.
Lisa Siegel has been voluntarily co-convening the Mid North Coast Sustainability Educators Network (MNCSEN) since 2016 including initiating and facilitating 3-4 regional gatherings each year, maintaining a closed Faceboook group and regular email newsletters for 100+ members. She has also established a partnership with Southern Cross University to run a research project on the social and emotional effects of being in an EE network, working with 10 MNCSEN co-researchers. Her scholarship attendance at the conference has allowed her to spend important time with the “tribe”, share the work of MNCSEN, and continue to learn.
Congratulations to both Sarah and Lisa – we know they carry their title of scholarship recipients with pride as we recognise and remember the work of Grahame and all he contributed to environmental education in NSW.
About the Scholarship
To continue the legacy of Grahame Collier‘s work mentoring environmental educators in regional NSW, AAEE NSW established the Grahame Collier Regional Mentor Scholarship.
This scholarship supports an environmental educator from regional NSW who mentors others to attend the NSW Environmental Education Conference held every two years.
The inaugural scholarship was offered to support attendance at the 2019 NSW Environmental Education Conference, ActiveNature, held in Kirrawee from 2-5 October 2019.
