Founded in
1996
1995 – The United Nations Environment Program launched Leave It To Us
In 1995 the United Nations Environment Program launched ‘Leave It To Us’, the first children and youth environment conference in the world. Hundreds of young people from around the world met in Eastbourne, UK for 5 days of speeches, workshops and an opportunity to have a say about their environment. Four delegates from Western Australia were invited to represent their schools and communities. James and Sophia represented the Milyu Project at South Perth Primary School – a whole school initiative…
Read more1996 – Kids Helping Kids Western Australian Children’s Environmental Conference
After 12 months of planning, Alicia, James, Sarah, Sophia and their friend Jeremy launched their own environmental conference in Perth, Western Australia, supported by parents, teachers and community stakeholders. The conference, held at Perth Zoo, was opened by the Premier Richard Court MLA, with 180 children from around Australia and Malaysia. The conference was supported and sponsored by Kareelya Property Group, City of South Perth, Clean Up Australia, Water and River Commission, South Perth Primary and Perth Zoo. The…
Read more1997 – Kids Ask Minister to Table Environmental Challenges
In 1997 over 100 young people from across Western Australia spent two days at the Kids Helping Kids Environmental Conference discussing their concerns about the environment, undertaking workshops and planning their future environmental projects. The students spent one day at Perth Zoo and then headed to Rottnest Island for an overnight stay to take part in range of activities looking at managing waste, revegetation, tree planting and caring for native animals. The students met with the Rottnest Island CEO and other…
Read more1998 – TravelSmart to School
In 1998 the Kids Helping Kids Environmental Conference participants set out their Challenges for the Environment and presented them to Government. The Department for Planning and Infrastructure was keen to support their challenge: Young people should walk, ride, carpool and catch a bus to school to reduce air pollution. In 1999 the Millennium Kids team worked with a year 5 class at Kardinya Primary School with teachers Mrs Swan and Mrs Robinson to develop the TravelSmart to School Program. In…
Read more1999 – Millennium Kids is Born
After running the Kids Helping Kids Environmental Children’s Conference for three years the Kids decided it was time to incorporate. Millennium Kids Inc was registered as a not for profit environmental youth organisation in Western Australia in October 1999. Millennium Kids Vision Millennium Kids have a vision for our world. Our world, where all people have access to fresh water. Our world, where there is a safe place for all creatures big and small. Our world, where we care for…
Read more2000 – On the Global Stage
In 2000 Millennium Kids Youth Board members were invited to do the opening presentation at the second United Nations Environment Program “Leave it To Us” Conference in Eastbourne, UK. Watched by hundreds of young people the team, Gary, Tom, Luke, Tom and Lili talked about their passion for caring for the environment and the youth-led programs they helped develop – planting hundreds of trees on Gary’s parents farm in Brookton, helping the Department of Planning and Infrastructure develop the TravelSmart…
Read more2001 – The Children’s Voice
In 2001 hundreds of children from across Australia took part in the Millennium Kids Postcard Campaign. Millennium Kids wanted to know what kids were concerned about and wanted to know how they could help empower young people to be active in their community. Suzanne Johnson helped us out by completing a Masters – Futures Studies Research to ascertain the ideas of today’s young people relating to the environment, with a view to determine likely roles of young people who wish…
Read more2002 – Tunas Hijau Cultural Exchange
Tunas Hijau, Surabaya, Indonesia, a green youth group, led by Mochamed Zamroni, started to visit Kids Helping Kids Environmental Conference annually. Friendships began with kids sharing ideas about environmental challenges and students from South Perth Primary School created a Friendship Banner to show that together we can change the world. Tunas Hijau and Millennium Kids have shared ideas and collaborated on projects ever since. Highlights of 2002: Meeting Dr David Suzuki Nic Lanyon, MK Council Member, facilitated a special opportunity…
Read more2003 – MKGP South Africa
In 2000 our team attended the UNEP Leave it to Us Conference in the UK and met a number of young people from North West Province, South Africa, keen to look after their environment. MKGP South Africa was born with the MK team visiting the young people in Mafikeng, South Africa, sharing ideas and introducing them to the youth voice process – asking kids what they like about their community, what they don’t like about their community and what they…
Read more2004 – Kids Recognised for their Leadership
In 2004 Millennium Kids won the Alcoa Global EHS Achievement Award for their youth led commitment to environmental education and active citizenship. Youth Board Members Megan Hudson, Lauren Chapman, Isabella Taylor, Mary Sippe and Erika Maylam were at the awards night to celebrate their achievements along with other recipients. In October 2004 hundreds of young people once again converged at Fairbridge WA to attend the Millennium Kids Youth Environmental Conference. Young people held meetings, discussed their successes and failures, heard scientists…
Read more2005 – Rapt in Reptiles
Kids were concerned about loss of habitat in the Perth metropolitan area. Working with Perth Zoo, Millennium Kids invited St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Queens Park to join them for a day at the zoo to learn about reptile friendly gardens. The students met Perth Zoo, Education Officer, Brad Kruger, and had the opportunity to get up close and personal with some reptiles to find out about their habitat needs. Using the MK methodology students helped co create a ten…
Read more2007 – WA Youth Award Winner Citizenship – Group
With the Youth Board designing and working on a range of projects it was wonderful to be recognised as WA Youth Awards 2007 Winner of Citizenship Group category. Kids met once a month to plan and deliver a range of programs: – Developed clean up campaigns in collaboration with Clean Up Australia Day in local areas. – Ran TravelSmart to School programs in local and regional areas in partnership with Department of Planning and Infrastructure. – Partnered with Challenger TAFE…
Read more2008 – The Quest
In 2008 our MK Youth Board had the opportunity to take to the road and upskill other young people wanting to make change through a new MK initiative, The Quest. Through a BHP Nickel West sponsorship our crew hit the road and worked with young people in Kalgoorlie – Kambalda, Esperance and Kwinana. Young people had to identify environmental issues in their local community and develop an Olympic style event to bring the community together and raise awareness about the…
Read more2010 – Child’s Rights on the Agenda
In 2010 Millennium Kids was invited to join the NGO reporting process on the Rights of the Child at the UN in Geneva. Kids had been talking up their concerns about climate change and were worried the government of the day wasn’t taking their concerns seriously. Kids were keen to have a say about what they thought should be on the agenda. Kids were keen to have adults listen to their ideas for change and in the pre hearing sessions…
Read more2011 – MK Project Explore
What do you do when the kids are bored and they want to get out of town? You develop MK Project Explore of course! Three hundred young people from Kalgoorlie – Boulder participated in the development of the program which saw schools and community groups of kids visit the Great Western Woodland alongside scientists, elders, artists and poets over a three year period. Through a partnership with BHP Billtion Nickel West students and teachers explored significant sites and mapped a…
Read more2012 – Doing More With Less
Doing More With Less was inspired by young people wanting better waste management systems. Funded and supported by the Alcoa Foundation schools and community groups of kids worked together to solve problems in Mandurah, Kwinana and Geelong, sharing their waste management strategies through a blog and a book published to inspire others to make change. The Millennium Kids Western Suburbs Sustainability Ambassadors team met with Alumni member, Alicia Curtis, at a Doing More With Less workshop series to showcase the…
Read more2013 – Kids on Country
Kids on Country was born in 2013. Elder, Betty Logan, invited the MK team to Coolgardie to meet with the local community of parents and kids. The Sunday drive took over 50 community members 70km out of town to Burra Rock Conversation Reserve and Cave Hill Nature Reserve in the Great Western Woodlands. Kids played, fires were lit and the community talked about that they wanted for their future. Kids wanted to get out of town, learn on country beside…
Read more2014 – Rivers On Our Mind
In 2014 the MK Youth Board had rivers on their mind. With a partnership between City of South Perth, Town of Bayswater, Centre for Water Research, University of Western Australia and the Department of Parks and Wildlife a series of River Forums allowed young people to visit the river, learn from scientists, elders and poets and develop practical action projects to solve some of the river challenges. Youth Board Members met once a month after school to develop the River…
Read more2015 – Speak Out for Change Report
In 2015 Millennium Kids CEO, Cat, was contracted to work with the South East Corridor Youth Partnership Project (YPP) a Collective Impact initiative, promoting collaboration between government, community services and young people to improve outcomes for children and young people in the South East Corridor of Perth, and all of Western Australia. A key foundation of the project was recognising that young people’s voices and opinions are valuable, and it is essential that young people are able to contribute and…
Read more2016 – The Willy Wagtail Project
With kids thinking about funding their own projects, change was in the wind. MK Member, Shay, pitched at the Vic Park Soup, a community event developed to fund local projects. Shay won the pot of coins and was able to start his own turtle bag initiative. MK then pitched in and gave him a loan to get his project up and running. Silk screening calico bags, selling the bags and spreading his plastic free message at Vic Park Markets not…
Read more2017 – Kids Put Climate Change on their Map
Kids have been talking about climate change for some time. In 2017 the language changed. Kids attending workshops were using words like ‘anxious’, ‘concerned’ when discussing climate change and started asking about their future in a world with weather extremes. The University of Western Australia, Medical Scholarly Activity students, helped us with a survey of 100 young people across Australia. The result was a brief report to start a serious conversation about climate change and the mental health and well…
Read more2018 – Vale Ian Kiernan AO
The death of dear friend and mentor Ian Kiernan, Co Founder and Chairperson, Clean Up Australia and Clean Up the World, reminded us that one man can change the world. Ian inspired Millennium Kids to go out into the world and be the change. We will remember Ian and will live up to his expectations – that we can make the world a better place for all! Highlights of 2018 A New Website in the Making Jacob and the MK…
Read more2019 – Waste Free Movement Rolls Out
Kids have been talking about waste since Millennium Kids began in 1996. In 2017 Millennium Kids launched the Waste Free Movement – a campaign to get everyone thinking about the waste they create and develop plans to minimise it. Thanks to Jack Johnson and All At Once for helping out by inviting the Kids to his concert at Kings Park. The MK Crew shared their ideas with the public, got some feedback and created a plan for change. With a successful Suez Grant…
Read more2020 – Our Biggest Year Yet
Chairperson’s Report Well, in 2019 I started my report by saying “What a year it has been”. Who knew that there were much more testing times ahead of us. I would like to thank every Youth Board member, student, parent, teacher, Council member, mentor and MK family member for the huge effort it has taken to shift gears and adapt this year. Time and time again, MK has proven that it is nimble, responsive and resilient in its approach to…
Read more2021 – Banksia Winner Small Community and Charity Award
The Youth Board of 15 young people were magnificent in 2020 – 2021. The team revelled in meeting on line but also sought out face to face opportunities at every turn. Here are some highlights. Patrick completed his Postcard campaign, with four postcards being printed showcasing his bird paintings with information about the plants they need in suburban gardens. The postcards were produced and distributed to 16,000 houses thanks to a Town of Victoria Park grant. The Youth Led Climate…
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