The Importance of Intergenerational Collaborative Spaces

Earlier this year, teachSTEM partnered with the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to create citizen science corners in the coastal libraries of New South Wales. It was all a part of DPIRD’s larger Marine Estate Management Strategy, a guideline on how the region will be managed over the next ten years. Within it, the education strategy had four main objectives. But there is one that stood out. Goal one: build awareness, knowledge and tools. The goal aligned perfectly with teachSTEM’s vision that everyone can observe, learn, and contribute to environmental sustainability.

With the shared objective, the Marine Estate Citizen Science Corner Project was born.

Beginning in June this year, Tweed Heads Library was set up with a pilot version of the Marine Estate Citizen Science Corner, where community members could learn how to observe their local environment, borrow the tools to collect data, and collaborate in a shared space. The pilot project was simple, yet it showed how impactful citizen science corners can be in a community.

The set up

Like any good project, it started with a plan. Rather than having a fixed list of citizen science projects the library had to participate in, it was tailored to the Tweed Heads community.

The projects were selected by people who knew the community the best: the librarian staff. They were given a list of projects to choose from and were asked to pick a few to start off with. The result: BirdData, ClimateWatch, Take 3 for the Sea, Waterbird Tracker, and a brand new project just for them. They knew that people loved to whale watch on the coast and would be hooked in if they could record whale data. But at the time, there wasn’t a project tailored to whales in the region. So, the “Whale Watching in the NSW Marine Estate” project was created in iNaturalist.

By talking to local experts (aka librarians) we were able to ensure the project would be relevant and engaging for the people in the community, setting it up for the best possible chance of success.

With the pilot project at Tweed Heads Library, two vastly different sessions were run where teachSTEM had a conversation with a community members around what citizen science is, the skills, the impact, and how to use the citizen science corner.

Session 1: snakes in the middle of winter

The first group was very knowledgeable. They noticed everything: the patterns and when they were broken. Whether it was snakes outside in the middle of winter, or possums in the daytime, they picked up on the disruptions. When asked what they could do with the information, they referred back to the posters in the citizen science corner said. Responding with, take a photo, record the data, and share it. While the answer was objectively right, these people were so knowledgeable that there was more that they could do.

So, we repositioned it, if they have all the skills of a citizen scientist, they should share their knowledge.

If they can see, they could teach others to see.

If they can infer, they could teach others to infer.

If they can share, they could teach others to share.

That’s the magic with the library. The opportunities are endless.

Session 2: holes in leaves

The second group was vastly different. Rather than sitting on chairs and having a conversation, it was a plastic tub filled with bits and pieces from the ecosystem outside, set up on the floor of a play area. Within minutes of placing the tub of the floor, it was swarmed. Kids began to point out the grasshoppers, bees, and dragonflies and their parents would respond with, ‘what’s that called?’ and ‘is that a ladybug?’. Then we started pointing things out. Asking questions like, ‘do you see the bite marks on the stick?’ and ‘what animal could be eating the seeds?’.

A question as simple as ‘what could be creating the holes on this leaf’ and an answer as easy as ‘a hungry caterpillar’ that seemed basic at the time, led to a boy collecting all the leaves with holes and caterpillars in the tub.

The thing is that kids can spot anything. You just have to guide them with what to spot.

By pointing these things out to engaged minds, we can create a curious generation. While these children are still developing their curiosity, can you imagine what they could do with the all of this knowledge?

The lesson

The Marine Estate Citizen Science Corner in Tweed Heads Library provides a space where the community could gain the tools to learn about their local environment. It’s a place where people can increase their awareness of the environment around them and contribute to environmental sustainability.

In collaborating with the librarians at Tweed Heads Library, we have seen how working together can make a project more impactful.

Rather than only contributing data to larger projects, they could also reuse it to make an impact on their community. Because working together can make little things have a bigger impact.

I hope we can strive towards a future where people can come together, share what they know, and then realise they have time to change the world.

With citizen science, the opportunities are endless.