Food and Fibre Great South Coast acknowledges that our region is on the traditional lands, waterways and skies of the Peek Whurrong, Kirrae Whurrung, Gunditjmara, Eastern Maar Nations, Jardwadjali, Boandik, Djab Wurrun and Buandig people.
We recognise the important ongoing role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have in our community and pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.
16 June 2023
MEDIA RELEASE
Suite of educational resources brings Victoria’s food and fibre industry to southwest classrooms
Food and Fibre Great South Coast today released a comprehensive suite of interactive classroom resources designed to build school students’ exposure to Victoria’s diverse food and fibre sector.
Drawing on a wide-range of resources from leading industry and education bodies, these free classroom resources have been selected and aligned with key areas of the Australian curriculum for teacher ease and direct student relevance.
Food and Fibre Great South Coast CEO Natalie Collard said that Victoria’s food and fibre sector was pertinent to much of our community’s daily life and had a lot to offer both primary and secondary students for an enriched learning experience.
“Whether it’s about understanding where our dairy comes from, building connections with land or learning about sustainable farming, there is so much to explore and these resources work hard to bring that to life,” Natalie said.
“Some like ‘George the Farmer’ include songs, entertaining stories and performance activities for primary school students, while others like Smart Farming Virtual Classroom involve 30 minute live and scheduled curriculum-linked sessions with quizzes and opportunities to interact directly with passionate farmers.
“These truly are wonderful resources for the classroom and I’m incredibly passionate about getting them out there and into our classrooms. Many of them include comprehensive lesson plans and further areas of science, geography, technology and design.”
This initiative falls under the representative bodies’ wider advocacy commitment to promote the diverse range of rewarding career opportunities in the food and fibre sector, and support more integrated learning approaches to do just this.
“Established in December 2022 our Careers Advisory Panel have worked hard to profile the incredible career and leadership opportunities that exist in the sector, for women and men alike,” Natalie said.
“When people think of food and fibre, they of course conjure images of shearing and planting crops, but they often miss the science and biosecurity expertise, the sustainability roles, the business and export development and the emerging technology solutions that drive innovation.
“We have an incredible industry with ambassadors who are proud and generous enough to share the experiences they’ve had. It’s about us now finding the platforms to do just that with our school students and emerging young professionals as they explore what career avenues they wish to take.”
Access the Food and Fibre Curriculum Align Educational Resources at: foodfibregsc.com.au/educator-resources
Media contact:
Natalie Collard
Chief Executive Officer
0413 009 373 | natalie@southcoastfoodfibre.com.au
About Food and Fibre Great South Coast:
Food and Fibre Great South Coast (FFGSC) is the representative body for South West Victoria’s $4bn agriculture sector, and $12bn food and fibre value chain, which is responsible for 60% of our gross regional product and 21.6% of all regional jobs. South West Victoria is Australia’s largest agricultural production region by value, dominated by dairy, beef and sheep industries and supplying 14% of Victoria’s fresh seafood. FFGSC is an incorporated organisation administered by a volunteer Board and one FTE Chief Executive Officer.
Twitter: @GreatFibre
Instagram: @food.fibre.great.south.coast
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/food-fibre-great-south-coast-inc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greatsouthcoastvictoria
Website: www.foodfibregsc.com.au
