A History of Educational Leadership

1909-1940: Bird Protection & Conservation | 1930-1960: Nature Study | 1960-1990: Environmental Education |
1990-2007: Sustainability Education | 2009-Beyond: Entering a Second Century

Gould League's Successful Model

During the formative years of the organisation, Gould League developed an effective and successful model of changing behaviours in children and their families through its bird conservation program. This program was so effective that by the 1940's bird and nature study was a part of every school curriculum, and attitudes and actions towards birds had changed profoundly.

We may have broadened our base to include the whole of environment, but our proven approach has not changed. The key elements we focus on include embedding within school's curriculum, interactive education programs and resources, and educating and engaging the community with practical responses.

Summarised below are the key phases in our educational development:-

1909-1940 — Bird Protection & Conservation

The Gould League of Bird Lovers was established to protect Australian birds and to prevent the unnecessary collection of wild birds’ eggs. It also sought to disseminate knowledge regarding our birds, to help children and adults to identify them, to cultivate a more positive attitude towards birds by fostering an interest in them and their habits, and to encourage the formation of bird sanctuaries. As part of this process the Gould League developed Australia’s first environmental education program via schools.

By the 1940s, the study of birds and nature was part of every school curriculum. The Gould League had changed attitudes to birds profoundly over this period. A report on the Gould League in the Emu in 1939 attests to the success of the campaign:

Egg collecting by children reduced to a minimum.
The killing of birds left almost entirely to the sportsman.
The public is definitely becoming more ‘nature minded’.
Laws are passed to protect wildlife as attitudes change.

1930-1960 — Nature Study

During this period the Gould League remained focused on creating increased appreciation and awareness of birds, ran a great many competitions and field days, and produced and sponsored several publications, the most famous of which was Cayleys What Bird is that?

The Gould League widened its range of educational programs to animals and nature studies producing a range of publications and resources which remain in popular demand some forty years later. Hundreds of thousands of children entered competitions, joined the Gould League and signed the pledge; new generations of Australians were introduced to the concept of conservation through the Gould League.

1960-1990 -— Environmental Education

As people began to see the connection between environment, wildlife and humans after the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, the Gould League changed its name from Gould League of Bird Lovers to simply the Gould League. It was at the forefront of the introduction of environmental education to Australian schools with the production of highly original and innovative curriculum materials. Field Studies Centres were created in NSW and many more followed.

Many publications were produced including posters, animal stickers, information materials field guides, school materials and books. Environmental education became part of the school curricula.

The Gould League developed its first sustainability education programs with litter reduction and recycling programs in schools and the mobile Waste Wise caravan in 1986 which was supported by the Department of Employment and Education in Canberra. The travelling Waste Wise caravan toured schools in country areas of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales.

1990-2007 — Sustainability Education

Through the 1990s, the Gould League led outcomes-based sustainability-focused environmental education through its litter reduction, recycling and waste education programs, publications and resources. Its main promotional message was reduce, recycle and reuse which still remains a prominent feature in all sustainability messages to schools.

In 1990, the Gould League of Victoria created and opened Australia’s first Recycling Education Centre in Melbourne. It was one of the first initiatives in Australia to address education for sustainability on the key issue of waste and was recognised as a Project of National Significance. Centre programs were extremely popular. Over 50,000 school children per year on average were visiting the centre to participate in a range of waste and sustainability education programs. These programs were suspended in December 2005 when the Victorian government funding for school excursion programs changed but were relaunched in August 2009 as part of the Gould League’s Centenary Program.

The Waste Wise Schools programs expanded rapidly during this period and ongoing funding was provided by the Commonwealth government, Departments of Education in Victoria and New South Wales, and corporate supporters including Visy. Gould League obtained additional funding support for the Waste Wise Schools program in 1998 from EcoRecycle Victoria to expand the program and provide professional development for teachers.

The original concept of Sustainable Schools in Australia came out of the carefully evaluated successes of the Ecorecycle Waste Wise Schools Program in Victoria and identified other sustainability issues in schools such as water, energy and biodiversity. The Gould League played a key role in developing the original Sustainable Schools program in Victoria and had significant input into the national format which continues to produce measurable changes in energy use, water use, school ground biodiversity and waste to landfill in schools throughout Australia. The Sustainable Schools pilot project went on to win the Eureka Award in 2005 and was also a finalist in the Banksia Awards that year.

In the early 2000s, the Gould League focussed considerable energy into developing innovative whole school gardening programs addressing a global trend towards increasing green spaces in schools for a range of environmental, educational and social benefits.

Following four years of concept development on edible gardens, the Gould League ran a successful pilot program at Sunshine North Primary Schools under the name Multicultural School Gardens. With major funding support from the Community Support Fund and the Department of Education, and funding for one school from the McLeod Family Foundation, the Gould League delivered the program to 42 schools with a low socio-economic and high multicultural demographic between 2006-2008. In 2006, the Multicultural School Gardens project won a National Multicultural Marketing Award.

The Gould League also established a new garden and grounds masterplanning program for schools under the name Schoolgrounds for Learning to help schools transform their schoolgrounds into a greener environment. Funding was secured from Department of Education and Helen MacPherson Smith Trust to evolve the program across Victoria. Schoolgrounds for Learning is now a unique teacher professional development program delivered via an effective combination of face to face workshops, online resources and expert mentoring.

During this time the Gould League changed its name and, as the Gould Group, developed and ran a wide range of sustainability education programs for schools including:-

Multicultural School Gardens
Schoolgrounds for Learning (Masterplanning)
Enterprise Schools
Sustainable Schools and Communities e.g Gippsland Sustainability Project
Sustainable Cities
Sustainability Wiz - created and developed by Gould League in partnership with Etech
Gould League has also managed The Sustainables Challenge for the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment.

In recognition of the emerging elearning market for schools, Gould League has developed an extensive online sustainability education program "Sustainability Wiz". It has been trialled in schools in USA, UK, Asia and Australia before its global launch at BETT in January 2008. This licensed program is now available for schools to purchase and become a participant with schools around the world.

2009 and Beyond -

The Gould League has marked its Centenary milestone by returning to its much-loved name and brand and re-establishing traditionally popular programs and services.

Excursion programs recommenced at the Centre in August 2009, and work is underway to once again offer our immensely popular and much-missed marine and outreach programs. A further round of funding has been secured to deliver Multicultural School Gardens to 10 more Victorian schools and extensive consultations are underway to secure additional funding and partnerships.

The Gould League continues to produce programs that emphasise organisational and systemic change in sustainability. This cultural change approach creates more permanent and effective individual behaviour change within schools and the families and communities connected with them.