CEFPI’s “Big Day Out” is a big hit!

The Victorian Chapter hosted its first “Big Day Out” on Friday 23rd November 2012 focusing on a number of education themes. The event offered a range of activities spanning all day and well into the evening. Enjoyed by over 70 attendees, the events included a site visit, talk, lunch, Mayfield Project presentation, AGM, cocktails and Design Awards. Here’s a quick summary of the day, but follow the links for plenty more! 

Meadows Primary School

The day started with a bus transfer to Meadows Primary School, Broadmeadows. The recently developed school forms part of the Broadmeadows Regeneration project, a Department of Education (DEECD) initiative that has been underway for many years in the disadvantaged northern suburbs of Melbourne. A tour of the campus and a talk by the Principal, Julie Cook, provided an insight into the very significant education thinking, the planning response by NOW Architects and the significant ESD initiatives that have all combined to make such a wonderful and successful school. It is a truly exemplar facility demonstrating the benefits of collaboration between educators and designers. To read more about Meadows Primary School click here.

Broadmeadows Regeneration Initiative Talk
David Brooks, Assistant Regional Director of the Northern Metropolitan Region of DEECD presented the Department's case at Meadows Primary School. David presented an honest account of the Department of Education's regeneration initiatives in the area and how these translated into the Meadows Primary School development.

The Mayfield Project
After returning to the Asia Myer Centre at the University of Melbourne and enjoying a lunch, attendees settled in to a thought provoking presentation of The Mayfield Project. This year's project was lead by the young professionals from the West Australian, South Australian and Victorian Chapters, each with a presentation chosen around the focus of schools as sanctuaries of hope. The presentations were truly stunning with each group taking a very different angle on the roles of schools in stressed communities and their potential to provide a place of community sanctuary and to deliver a powerful message of hope. 

A very exciting initiative is emerging from this project. Currently, the Mayfield team is formalizing plans for a visit to a school in Tanzania with the view to continuing the Mayfield Hope project in a practical way. Watch for news on the Mayfield Project coming soon to the website. 

The CEFPI Australasia Region AGM
Dashing from the Mayfield Project presentations, the Australasia AGM was again held in the nearby Learning Environment Spatial Laboratory at the University. A past CEFPI award winner, this was an appropriate space to review the past 12 months of CEFPI activities and to formalize the end of the 2012 year for the Region. To read AGM Minutes click here.

The Design Awards
Following cocktails, the Asia Myer Centre provided the venue for the annual Victorian Chapter Design Awards. 2012 was the 9th year of the annual awards for the Victorian Chapter and the increasing quality of the submissions is testament to the intelligence of thinking and the maturity of understanding applied by the CEFPI members in the development of contemporary education spaces. Most importantly, the awards demonstrated the power of educators and designers working together and the creative and highly innovative results that can emerge from that process. View the winners and commendations 

Sponsorship and thanks
The Victorian Chapter wishes to acknowledge the sponsorship of TeamBoard,  as the primary sponsors in supporting the Big Day Out.

Thanks also go to the three secondary sponsors: Above Left, Spectrum and Ampelite for their support of CEFPI at this event.

The Victorian Chapter also wishes to acknowledge Meadows Primary School for their hospitality in opening their facilities. Acknowledgment is also due to The University of Melbourne for their generosity in again allowing CEFPI to utilize their venues.