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YACCA

YACCA is an environmental youth group that teaches young people about the protection of the environment. It connects youth with community groups and encourages the development of projects that protect and maintain environmental welfare.

The group, which is run by the Willunga Environment Centre, started due to a need for young people to have an environmental education and input in their community. It is ever present that there is a gap in the environmental field, where young people lack the ability to participate in environmental activities. YACCA aimed to solve this issue by creating a group for kids that would be led by young people ensuring that the group supported the objectives of the youth.

YACCA aims to connect youth to environmental projects in a way that allows them to learn about environmental issues, make a positive contribution and feel a sense of worth and importance. By empowering the youth with these skills we are not only instilling positive environmental habits, we are ensuring that young people grow up with a sense of connection to their natural environment.

YACCA’s activities so far have included:

  • Animal trapping and handling
  • Flora and fauna surveys
  • Plant identification workshops
  • Water testing
  • Camps
  • Re-vegetation
  • Coastal surveys
  • Training in caring for sick and injured wildlife
  • Developing Nature Play locations
  • Creating management plans
  • Seed collection
  • Propagation
  • Removal of invasive plants from sites
  • Fish trapping for mountain galaxious
  • Hosting a mock Climate Conference

YACCA continually encourages working with the community to teach youth about environmental sustainability. It not only allows members to reach educational outcomes but also influences the community to include and value the opinion of young people and their capabilities within the environmental field.

Currently YACCA has worked closely with community groups such as:

  • The Willunga Environment Centre
  • Natural Resource Centres
  • Trees for Life,
  • Landcare,
  • Local landholders,
  • Local councils
  • The NRM
  • Reefwatch,
  • Fleurieu Birds,
  • The Native Animal Network and Fauna Rescue
  • Arid Recovery
  • The Conservation Centre for Ecology