The Kids Helping Kids Newsletter Here is the latest edition of the official Kids Helping Kids newsletter, entitled "KidsLink". It comes out once a term and is sent to all past delegates of the conference, sponsors, helpers at the conference and friends. WE'RE BACK Kids Helping Kids is back in 1998, ready for yet another fantastic year. A third conference is being planned by a new panel for 1998 (see page 4 for details). Kids Helping Kids welcomes Gary Butcher, Linda Butcher, Lauren Chapman , Alison Dear, Karen Wickham, Jacinta Dawson, Rebecca Stewart and Kahn Morrison to the organising panel. The new 1998 panel has been structured differently from previous years. The new panel is divided into a series of subcommittees, each in charge of dealing with a certain aspect of the conference organisation, as opposed to the previous years panel dealing with all aspects as one committee. The panel is currently examining last years conference and looking at ways to improve it, as well as looking at potential sponsors to ensure that they fit our environmentally friendly criteria. The panel is also considering a new outlook to the conference, so be ready for some big changes at this years conference. Shortly, the panel will be going to Fairbridge, the venue for this year's conference, to have a look around and work out what we can accomplish during the conference. A final note: if you would like your article on your environmental project or similar published in Kidslink, please send them to the following address: Kidslink P.O. BOX 831 South Perth 6951 Western Australia Look out for the next Kidslink next term. Seeya! CO-ORDINATOR'S REPORT It is hard to believe that Kids Helping Kids is moving into it's third year of operation. The support we have had via sponsors has been enormous and a very special note of thanks must go to our 1996 and 1997 major sponsors Broadwater Resorts, City of South Perth and Clean Up Australia for seeing the opportunity to help young people who are taking a step forward searching for ways to improve our environment. This year the Kids Helping Kids Panel has divided into subcommittees to allow students to direct their energies into specific activities rather than trying to be involved in all areas of the conference. There are now 14 KHK members who work at a variety of different jobs throughout the year to help put together the annual conference. In May this year 5 representatives attended the "Water - Every Little Drop Counts" International Children's Environmental Conference as part of a fact finding tour. Over 150 delegates met in Terengganu, on the East coast of Malaysia for three days to discuss water and how young people can develop a better under-standing of how we use water and why we need to look after it. Given that Malaysia was in the middle of a serious drought it was a timely conference topic. Students participated in a range of inspiring workshops which included canoeing, jungle trekking and snorkelling at a coral reef. The emphasis was on fun, but all the activities reminded us that water is truly a precious thing. Our only access to fresh water at the conference was via bought water in a plastic bottle. The KHK students gathered many new ideas that they hope to incorporate into their third annual conference to be held in October this year. The Malaysian experience allowed the KHK representatives to focus on developing creative ways to explore the value of water. The Malaysian conference was a great success as one young delegate explained: "at the conference I learnt to love water like I love my grandmother!" YOUTH CHALLENGES At the 1997 Kids Helping Kids Conference delegates put together a set of Youth Challenges outlining their concerns about various environmental problems and some possible solutions. These were presented directly to the Hon. Cheryl Edwardes MLA, Minister for the Environment by the KHK panel and representatives. Media attended the ceremony at Canning Tip, in December 1997. A set of responses to the challenges is currently being compiled by the Minister and her government and the panel is hoping to see some positive outcomes result. KHK ON THE NET The newly appointed Newsletter / Internet Subcommittee has given the KHK website a complete make over. Containing new, updated info on the Kids Helping Kids Conference and the upcoming 1998 conference, the page also features EnviroSearch, enabling the user to search the web for environmental-related sites. If you have your own webpage and would like it linked from the KHK website, you can email or write to the Webmaster using the address below. Alternately, if you have a website (in Word or HTML) you can send it to the Webmaster on disk or email, and it will be put up on the web. Happy surfing! Kids Helping Kids Homepage P.O. BOX 831 South Perth 6951 Western Australia or khk@perth.crosswinds.net (this is the webmaster's email address, not the official KHK one) http://edsitewa.iinet.net.au/khk MALAYSIAN CONFERENCE EVERY LITTLE DROP COUNTS Recently, five representatives from the student panel for Kids Helping Kids attended the JEGOM Conference in Malaysia. For delegates who attended last year's conference, you may remember the Malaysian's inviting us during their presentation. The theme of the conference was water - the same as this year's KHK one. It was held in Marang, a beach resort with palm trees and mangrove swamps. The emphasis was on having fun with water, what we can do with it, and the way we take it for granted. Throughout the conference delegates attended workshops, similar to those of ours. Presentations were made later on the evening. Accommodation was in chalets actually on the river in the place we were staying. Some of the KHK representative's who attended gave us their thoughts: All I can say about the conference is that it was FANTASTIC! It was absolutely brilliant! It was a great and worthwhile experience, and nothing could have done a better job at educating people about the environment. The conference has changed my life and I will remember it always. I made many friends and exchanged information and addresses so we could continue developing a network of children from around the world who are working to help our precious environment. --Eva-Marie Middleton The conference was wonderful! It taught us about what water really meant - for example the boy who mentioned "loving it like my grandma". The conference gave the panel members lots to think about for our next conference. On the whole, the conference was a really worthwhile experience. --William Sippe AAEE Conference A group of environmental educationalists recently met at the AAEE Conference at Murdoch University. James Sippe and Sarah Hatton presented a paper on behalf of KHK outlining the project and its aim, and spreading the word about the activity of environmentally concerned youth across WA. AAEE Conference, Murdoch University EnviroTip Every Kidslink, we will be having an EnviroTip. These tips can be found on the homepage. This edition's tip: Install Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL's) in your home, instead of the traditional incandescent globes or tungsten filament globes. Incandescent globes cost around 70¢ and last about 1000 hours. CFL's have a lifetime of around 8000 hours and cost about $20 each, but they use only a small proportion of electricity to give the same amount of light as an incandescent globe (a 15W CFL produces the same brightness as a 75W incandescent). If one of each of these globes was used 5 hours a day, the incandescent would last 200 days, while the CFL would last 4.38 years! After 2250 hours of use by a CFL, the total cost of the CFL (electricity included) is equal to the cost of the incandescent globe; and you still have 5750 hours of use left! So hit mum and dad with these statistics and persuade them to buy CFL's; you'll help the environment, and save money. This tip came from: Katrina O'Mara The 1998 Conference WATER PRECIOUS WATER 1998 will see the third annual Kids Helping Kids Western Australian Children's Environmental Conference held in the City of South Perth and Fairbridge Farm in Pinjarra. One hundred delegates from around the state will have the opportunity to meet at the conference to discuss environmental issues and take part in a variety of inspiring workshops and activities. Three days of fun and exploration are planned for the conference which will be held from 21 -23 October 1998. If you are between 10 and 16 years of age we would like to hear from you. Simply write a poem about this year's topic WATER PRECIOUS WATER or tell us about a water problem that you have in your community. It might be about a wetland that needs rehabilitation or a project that looks at bringing back frogs to your area. Anything that you can link with water. Simply write 100 words or less and send it to: Kids Helping Kids 1998 P.O. BOX 831 South Perth 6951 Western Australia Include your name, age, home address, school that you attend and a contact phone number. Entries must be in by September 5. Winners will be announced 14 September 1998. For more information contact Conference Co-ordinator Catrina Aniere on 08 9368 1219. Edited by the Newsletter / Internet Subcommittee - Sarah Hatton, James Sippe and William Sippe. © 1998 Kids Helping Kids, Inc.