CoastAct

The CoastAct program was developed in 2004 in conjunction with Gold Coast City Council as part of CoastEd and is an extension of Gold Coast City Council's Beach Care Program.

The objective of the program is to encourage schools and community groups to take 'owernship' of a particular area along a beach or foreshore thereby assisting Gold Coast City Council with improvements to its health and management. CoastEd staff provide facilitation, guidance and direction for groups to develop their CoastAct program as well as education on human impacts to the environment.

Harley Park Swimming Lagoon

The Harley Park project¹ was established with AB Patterson College in late 2003. Throughout 2004 students and teachers assisted with the design of a pilot study with Year 11 Science and Geography students embarking on a year-long project. The objective was to provide a 'real life' study situation for the students allowing them to develop practical knowledge and skills while providing valuable information to the Gold Coast City Council and the local community.

During the past year students were encouraged to develop additional sampling techniques and several students attended to equipment maintenance and visited the lagoon after school hours to collect additional data, thus illustraing the sense of 'ownership' the students are gaining through this project.