FutureOxford Winners

Tuesday, 13 January 2015 13:05

Photo courtesy of FutureOxford Twitter Account

Oxford's Community Sustainability Committee has a better idea of what residents hope to see in 2030.

INGERSOLL - A grade 3 social studies class from Laurie Hawkins Public School in Ingersoll was the co-winner in the elementary school division of the FutureOxford contest.

The class submitted a video encapsulating all of their ideas for what they would like Oxford County to look like in the year 2030.

Chair of the Community Sustainability Committee Chris Friesen says their video covered all three aspects of sustainability, the economic, the environmental and the social. "You could tell it had the thoughts and energy of a grade 3 class and a lot of wisdom and foresight for maybe what we don't always expect of eight year olds. It was very well done and the students reminded us this morning that in the year 2030, they are going to be 23 and 24 so it will matter greatly to them what Oxford County is."

Grade 3 prep and learning support teacher Holly Powell says the kids were very excited about the win and to see their voices were being heard. "Part of our job here is to encourage active citizenship and this was a great way for them to talk about what their future in Oxford would look like. Doing the YouTube video was a great for us to compile all of the student's work into a way that would convey their critical thinking."

Nathan Hookes of East Zorra Tavistock was the other co-winner based on his poster which showed concepts for future recreation, transportation and business in Oxford County.

Friesen says Ingersoll resident Mike Farlow's entry was very thought out in the adult category which touched on many themes and ultimately earned him the win as well. "He really did a great job of trying to both balance what Oxford could get better at, but also recognizing that there are many things that our County does and has that we don't want to lose because sustainability doesn't always mean growth. It means growth kind of on our terms. The way we want it, how we want it and if we want it."

All of the winners took home a 16 GB iPad mini.

FutureOxford is a community campaign to guide the development of the County's first community sustainability plan. For more information on this or to view the winning entries visit FutureOxford.ca.