Leaderlife Dubbo

LeaderLife new program Aquaponics Dubbo. Daily Liberal 19th October 2023.

Transcript

00:00 Yeah so we've got an exciting new program starting in Dubbo, an aquaponics system as a way to engage

00:06 kids that are having a hard time, who aren't meeting, you know settling into the classroom

00:11 setting and disengaging from school. So we've started off a couple weeks ago thanks to

00:16 some funding from the Newcastle Charitable Foundation and we have our first lot of trout

00:23 that went in so we're growing trout in Dubbo and we hope to put some barramundi in next week

00:29 and with an aquaponics system it's all around growing fish and yabbies and also growing produce

00:35 so we're growing lettuce and tomatoes and yeah it's a pretty exciting time for our young people.

00:40 My name is Matt March, I'm with the Royal Flying Doctors Service, our mental health, alcohol and

00:46 other drugs team. Part of my role with the Royal Flying Doctors is that I'm the Grow Program

00:51 Coordinator. Our Grow Program stands for Guiding Rural and Outback Wellbeing and it's one of our

00:57 school and community support programs across the west and far west. The particular system that we're

01:02 around today is part of our aquaponics programs. Joan Leader and her charity are affiliate program

01:08 partners with us where the kids are getting to not only learn about the operational side of where

01:14 this food actually come from and how to produce marine animals in line with having hydroponics

01:20 out here for green vegetables and things like that but also we utilize it as a conduit for

01:27 engagement so we're also going through mental health, alcohol and other drugs, early intervention,

01:32 early education offerings. As part of that they're also getting this sense of achievement, this sense

01:38 of value that they're part of a team, something bigger than themselves and they're contributing

01:42 back to their own school and their own communities as well. Hopefully one day our young people

01:48 and our kids will be able to sell produce all across Dubbo which will be pretty cool for Dubbo,

01:53 I reckon.

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