Schools & Community Groups
Your students and community can help protect koalas.
Koala Clancy Foundation is a unique Victorian koala charity with a proven record for koala habitat revegetation. We are the leaders in koala tree planting and habitat restoration projects, beginning the movement in 2016. Our staff have experience running customised events that spans several decades. Our excursions are available to school, TAFE, university, and other education groups.
We currently offer the You Yangs excursion and are in the process of developing material and in-school activities for teachers to use to further students education and the impact of their experience.
First, let's give you some more info...
The young people of Australia are growing up in a time where, because of climate change and species extinction, their future can feel a little scary. Koala Clancy school excursions aim to inspire hope for the future by empowering students to take positive action.
Our excursions give students the opportunity to spend a day in nature with our highly experienced guides who will teach them about wildlife, climate action, and our koalas. We’ve been working in the You Yangs for over a decade and our team are passionate about sharing this information with the community.
The You Yangs Regional Park is home to our koalas. Our goal is to protect their existing habitat from an invasive weed infestation called boneseed which is ruining their habitat. Boneseed is easy, safe, and surprisingly fun for us to remove, and students love it. After an hour or so of weeding in an open, old-growth forest, the group will embark on a guided bushwalk to see more of, and learn, about the forest.
This is the single fastest way to restore koala habitat in the region and is a really inspiring activity for students as they can clearly see the results of their effort and learn about the impact that they’ve made.
Tree planting excursions are physically demanding and conditions are unpredictable. We plant on farms, which have challenges including fences, livestock, steep slopes, rocky areas and difficult access, and we plant in all weather conditions. Our sites also often don’t have access to bathrooms, which we know is essential for school excursions.
Because of this, we strongly advise schools to participate in the You Yangs Weeding & Wildlife Walk excursion. We’re most passionate about giving students a positive outdoor learning experience while inspiring them to take action for future of our planet, and we’ve found that our Weeding and Wildlife Walks have the best outcomes for everyone.
TAFE, university, and other community groups are encouraged to get in touch with us to discuss the feasibility of tree planting for your group.
We welcome all community groups to get involved with our work and understand that a weekday excursion may not be feasible for you. Your best option is to get in touch with us and we can discuss how we can work together to get your participants involved.
Absolutely! We know how powerful school and community networks are, so it means a lot when that strength is channeled into supporting our mission. It helps fund our crucial work for koalas, while spreading the word.
We are a DGR registered charity and are in the process of developing fundraising material for you to use. You’re also welcome to come up with your own fundraising ideas – sausage sizzle, free dress gold coin day, bake sale.
Important Excursion Details
We will provide all tools and equipment required to undertake the excursion activity: gloves, guides – we’ve got it all covered!
All staff and students should bring a full reusable water bottle, we will have water to top these up if needed. Everyone should come wearing suitable outdoor clothing for all weather conditions – sports uniform is ideal if applicable. Sturdy, closed toed shoes are a must, as well as a hat and sunscreen.
Our school excursions are based in the You Yangs Regional Park in Little River, Victoria. This location is easily accessible by all vehicles including large buses and coaches.
It is recommended that transport is arranged by the school. If this is an issue, please let us know and we can discuss our options.
Below is a rough itinerary for the day, though this will depend on the travel time to/from your school.
10:30am Staff and students arrive at You Yangs Regional Park. Intro and morning tea
11:15am Commence weeding activity
12:15pm Lunch break
1:00pm Guided bushwalk
2:00pm Staff and students depart You Yangs Regional Park
Koala Clancy school excursions cost $20pp with a minimum cost of $400 (20 students). Staff members join for free but are required to meet minimum ratio requirements for the group.
- Full payment is required to confirm your booking or hold your event date.
- Final participant numbers and all relevant information such as arrival method and dietary requirements are required 14 days before the event. Any changes to these details within 14 days of the event may not be accommodated for.
- Cancellation: full refund if cancelled 14 days before the event; 50% refunded if cancelled 7-13 days before; no refund if cancelled 0-6 days before. Cancellation charges apply both to the day as a whole and to reductions in participant numbers.
- Rescheduling is subject to availability.
Questions? Get in touch with us to chat or book an excursion for your school group today!