Today, a group of young people involved in the Australian Government’s Green Army program can be proud of their contributions to their community and the environment.
I was delighted to join participants, project sponsors and service provider Conservation Volunteers Australia at one of the many sites that has been revegetated through the Restoring Bushland on the Mornington Peninsula Green Army project.
It was terrific to hear from the team about their experiences in the field and what they have achieved over the past 26 weeks.
The feedback from these projects has been overwhelmingly positive, both from the community groups and from the young people involved.
Many of the participants have already lined up jobs in the environmental sector or are continuing on with further studies to gain formal qualifications.
It was great to see Ben Cox back again for his second Green Army team on the Peninsula.
These graduates have delivered real environmental benefits for the community and have also gained valuable practical training and experience to help them enhance their career opportunities.
The project has improved the condition of indigenous vegetation — reconnecting the landscape through weed control and revegetation across six sites on the Mornington Peninsula.
The restoration has benefited numerous threatened species including migratory birds and listed species.
Right across Australia, the Green Army is making a real difference to the environment and local communities through projects such as restoring and protecting habitat, weeding, planting, cleaning up creeks and rivers and restoring cultural heritage places.
The Green Army is supporting environmental action across the country, building to 15,000 young Australians by 2018.