Future problem solvers take centre stage

STUDENTS from Canadian Lead Primary School have been given a two-thousand-dollar grant to bring ideas developed during a community improvement project to life.

The initiative is part of the DASH program, which stands for Dynamic, Active, Safe and Healthy.

The eight-week program for students in grades 5 and 6 engages with different community groups who act as learning partners with the students.

Run by Blue Light Victoria and Victoria Police, the program aims to guide students to build a positive connection with their local community.

“We became aware of DASH at the end of last year and registered our interest in the program to increase our community engagement post-COVID,” said teacher Abbey Frew.

“We wanted experiences for our students to get involved in the community and this was a great way to do so.”

The eight weeks culminates with a project where students create a solution to a real problem in their community.

Students then had to pitch their idea their idea to an audience where two groups were selected to bring their idea to life.

“We had the Poverty Project, and their project was to sell comic books to raise money to create and sell a cookbook for the school community with healthy, low-cost recipes,” said Ms Frew.

“There was also Save the Trees, and their idea was to collect our schools lunch order bags and put soil and seeds and instructions and deliver them to people’s doors where they can plant them in the community.”

Students will now work with DASH program coordinators to implement these ideas in the community.