20-Oct-2011

SEQ Catchments’ Regional Landcare Facilitator, Apanie Wood, is supporting the Landcare movement through a new partnership between young business students from Ipswich’s Challenge Employment and Training and local Landcare groups. The Ipswich’s Land Carer’s Project, with support from the Australian Government’s National Green Job Corps (NGJC), launched on Tuesday at Westfalen Parklands in Collingwood Park.

The Ipswich’s Land Carer’s Project partners 17-24 year old NGJC students will work with SEQ Catchments and Landcare groups to promote social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter as a method of embracing new ways of engagement between land carers and the community. The project provides the students with the skills to deliver training, develop websites and use social media as a business marketing tool to enhance community engagement in Landcare.

Apanie, spoke about the importance of social media tools for engagement, which was emphasised at this year’s Queensland Landcare Conferencein Ayr. 

‘‘This year’s Landcare conference had a big focus on social media. It is becoming an increasingly important tool for community engagement. It can play a significant role in the promotion of Landcare activites and as a tool to assist Landcare and environment groups to share information and attract new members. I am really excited about the marketing possibilities that facebook and twitter have to offer the Landcare movement,’’ she said.

Social media has become a huge part of the day to day lives of people under 30, but may be much more unfamiliar, not to mention daunting, for older members of our community.

‘‘Volunteer based organisations such as Landcare groups tend to have a high proportion of members who are above 30 years of age, and consequently many have never used Facebook or Twitter. The Ipswich Land Carers Project is a fantastic way of training young business students and giving them real life work experience, whilst also supporting Landcare groups’’

 As part of the project, these students will be partnering with West Moreton Landcare to set up their social media such as their website, Twitter and Facebook page. The students will gain skills in marketing, website development and training while West Moreton Landcare group members will be provided with the skill and confidence to maintain the facebook and twitter pages.

Apanie hopes that in the near future the Ipswich Landcarer’s project will also be able to work with other Landcare groups throughout the region.

‘‘I’m really looking forward to continuing my involvement in the partnership, and assisting the students involved with the Ipswich Landcarer’s project. I hope that this ‘pilot program’ gets picked up by other Landcare groups not only within South East Queensland but also throughout Australia.’’

SEQ Catchments receives funding from the Australian Government for the Regional Landcare Facilitator (RLF) position for South East Queensland for a period of three years (2010-13). As Regional Landcare Facilitator, Apanie Wood supports community, Landcare and production groups to adopt sustainable farm and land management practices and to protect the South East Queensland landscape.

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Further information: Sibel Korhaliller, Communications Officer, 0488 713 340 or skorhaliller@seqcatchments.com.au