RASE (Rivers Academy of Stem Excellence) kids involved in the STEM program were given the opportunity to formulate ideas for Lismore's future and share them with organisations that are working to make a difference in the city.

The children were given three topics to choose from: what to do with vacant buyback land, ways to maintain Lismore’s CBD and housing crisis solutions. From there, they developed their ideas with images, sketches and models to present their ideas.

Zane Van den Berg, STEM Project Officer, elaborated on the concept, “We were made aware of what the Living Lab was doing, and we just thought it was a great opportunity. It ties in with the aims of the STEM Academy.

“Offering rich curriculum opportunities and trying to find real-world problems for students to be involved in. So I thought this was a perfect fit.”

The children were consumed by the topics they chose, and the reasoning behind their solutions was complex and multi-faceted.

Damien, Fynn and Seth were working on how to improve a post-flood CBD and focused on mud.

Fynn recalls, “Lismore took so long to get back up and started, and one of the main contributors to that was just the amount of mud and rubble throughout.

“I remember going to one of the main halls in Kyogle, and the entire place was just filled with mud. It was through the cupboards, on the plates, and that it was horrific. And the clean up took a good few months.”

Damien adds, “My parents owned a business in the CBD. When the floods hit the mud-stained walls, and they needed to polish the floors.”

Their idea was to alter the river edges, plant mangroves and create a walkway and barriers that can be used for people to paint and connect with the river.

(Damien, Fynn and Seth and their model showing before and after the mangroves are planted)

Seth explains, “The idea is to reduce the cost and severity of mud and improve the clean up, allowing businesses to get established faster and have less damage to the structure of their buildings.

“Along the river's edge and the surrounding low-lying areas to plant large amounts of native mangroves. That will help hold the soil together and lower the erosion during floods.”

Seth discussed other benefits of capturing carbon in the mangrove forests, “an increase in tourism, shelter for wildlife, and restoring some of the traditional plants that used to be here before European settlers arrived.”

Dan Etheridge from the Living Lab gave them feedback.

"I'm super impressed with this idea. What's really good is you've got real solutions. And what you're expecting of them is realistic. It's good, solid problem identification, problem solving, I can see this really having impact. You even added the layer of connecting people back to the river. You've dealt with a lot of complex ideas."

(The Panel)

Lucie Simmonds selected to develop the land in the buybacks, as did Kaiya, Sebastian and Amiel, as well as Eloise, Yumi and Savannah. Each of these teams was developing a natural environmental solution for a community park, but each had their own take on it.  

Lucie saw a memorial forest “My solution to the challenge is basically just plant a whole heap of trees and make a bushwalk, because it would be better for the environment.

“There'll be signs around saying how it affected the area and how we bounced back from what happened - the history of it, because it was a massive flood..”

(Lucie's team folded, so she was working on the project on her own.)

Amiel said they were considering “a community garden that it will have beehives and flowers and plants; everyone can go there and garden. It would also have water fountains, and little ponds, ducks, fish and frogs.”

Their garden had recesses and sporting facilities that would help take some of the water in times of flood.

(This group made a diorama of their vision)

Eloise, Yumi and Savannah took their community garden to the next level with a community centre and arcades selling eco friendly produce.  

“So there's no cavities in the walls that water pressure can build up in. We have a system to lift all of the shop produce up to the ceiling when there is a flood, and then open everything up so that water can flow through it. Everything is waterproofed with polyurethane.”

(Eloise, Yumi and Savannah made multiple sketches, diagrams and plans of their vision)

Isabelle, Charli, Addison and Keira were working on community housing.

Charli explains, “After the floods, we had such a small amount of homes around. As someone who has gone through the flood, you sometimes feel like a burden having to hang on to other people, because you don't have a house. So this apartment building gives you somewhere you can go.”

The ideas come running, “We want to make it as green as possible”, “We want it to have that rural feel”, “With less carbon emissions” and “In a Flood Free location.”

(Isabelle, Charli, Addison and Keira had a great model complete with a roof garden)

Each group presented their ideas to a panel of people from various organisations looking for solutions. The panel were able to ask further questions and provided feedback.

Sarah from the NSW Advocate for Children and Young People said, “I thought it was so good. I love that all the groups had really different ideas. Everyone took the environment into account, and considered community members where they want to live.

“Affordable housing, green spaces, community spaces, as well as the river which I thought was really important because I don't think the river is celebrated in Lismore. And I love that young people are thinking about that.”

Dan Etheridge, the Engagement Director at the Living Lab said, “We obviously need to put more effort into listening to young people. Their ideas were great, and really rooted in a clear sense of what they want out of the future.  

“There was environmental responsibility and feeling connected to other people and creative solutions around. So my takeaway is we need to listen a lot more to the youth."

 Michaela Wilde from NSWRA Resilience and Adaptation said, “I just think it's really amazing, all of the positive thoughts that the kids are putting into the future, and especially some really technical ideas like nature based solutions, mitigation strategies for floods.

“They're thinking through all of the really complex decisions that we're trying to work through. So yeah, I think it was a really positive message today.”

Zane Ven den Berg was pleased with the outcomes, “ I think the great thing about these sorts of programs is it allows students to have a bit more of a positive frame of mind around some of the problems that we encounter. 

“I think we highlight issues around us. And I think sometimes they can feel a bit weighed down by it all. And this sort of workshop allows them to be a little bit more solutions-focused and feel like they can actually be part of the solution and build a more positive future.”