The below article has been written by Busy Bees Area Manager; Steve Watts.
‘The Researchers children were sitting at the lunch table eating a healthy zucchini slice, when one of the children asked; “What’s the green stuff in this? It tastes really nice”.
Sonia, the Service Chef, replied to him, “That is zucchini, which is actually a fruit related to pumpkin and squash. It is one of the easiest foods to grow”.
“Do you think we could grow some in the garden? We could be farmers and look after the crops,” another child enquired.
“I think that would be a fantastic idea,” Sonia replied. “We could plant some seeds left from my cooking scraps tomorrow, if you like?”
The next day, a small group of children were watering the vegetable garden with an Educator, patiently waiting for the seeds that they had planted recently to become the healthy food that they had been learning about. They couldn’t wait to taste the flavours and were so proud that they were growing their own food.
“This is hard work, being a farmer,” one of the girls said while she filled the watering can again. “Farmers have such a tough job”.
“They do, that’s true,” the Educator said, before asking, “What do you think would be the best way to water a crop as big as our service, or even bigger?”
The children pondered this for a moment.
“A giant watering can hanging from a helicopter!” cried out a boy. The group giggled loudly.
“That might work. Who else has an idea?” The Educator enquired.
“A sprinkler system like in our backyard?” came a voice from the other side of the compost bin.
“That sounds like a good idea too,” exclaimed the Educator.
“What about when it rains?” asked a girl sitting, staring at the dirt intently.
“Rain is a wonderful way to water the crops. What do you think would happen if there wasn’t enough rain though? Would the crops be able to grow?”
The children all pondered for a moment, and then one child whispered, “What would happen to the farmers if they couldn’t water the crops? They would be sad because their food wouldn’t grow. We have to do something to help them because that’s not fair.”
The future of this world depends on the children of today who will be leaders of the future. These same children are current citizens today, and should be treated as such. Often, it is believed that children should not be involved in social justice issues, but without having an awareness of these, how will they learn and improve the world they live in for themselves and future generations?
Children perceive the world from the experiences that they have encountered. Experiences that are largely influenced by those adults that they interact with most. Before the age of 2, more than one million neural connections in a child’s brain are formed, every second, through what they experience. These connections create the foundation of all future learning, behaviour and health for a child as they grow.
The world is large, exciting and full of opportunities, but not for everyone in society.
Across the globe, adults and children alike are disadvantaged due to inequality. Through allowing children to have awareness of inequality, and to be involved in initiatives to combat inequality, adults provide valuable experiences to shape the behaviour and opinions of the future world; To reshape cultural stigma and provide positive outcomes for those who are facing inequality.
At Busy Bees Services, we link with community organisations to assist those in need, and promote equality for all. Children in our Services have previously been involved in collecting donations for local homeless and domestic violence charities, donations to assist Australian farmers who were in need, Care Packages being sent to the Troops, embedded Reconciliation Action Plans and Acknowledgement to Country and Inclusive Practices for children with additional needs.
For more information about what your closest Busy Bees Service does to support their community and social justice issues, please contact your local Service Manager. Find your nearest location here.
