Victorian College of the Deaf was one of our 2022 TIP award recipients. I consider myself lucky to have been given the opportunity to present the award to the school as it certainly made me appreciate my role at Bank First even more than I already did.

The winning entry was for an Urban Bees initiative - bringing sustainable bee keeping practices to inner city Melbourne, all led by the school’s senior students.

Through Urban Bees, students have the opportunity to establish and maintain a hive in a culturally supportive environment.

Teachers use AUSLAN to engage students in the beekeeping process. Providing students with experience in sustainable horticulture and adding value to the wider school community through alignment with the Foundation to Year 10 science curriculum.

One of the main aims of this project is to build confidence and knowledge in our future horticultural leaders.

There are so many benefits to this initiative - including the sale of honey cultivated from these bees through the school’s Trade Block Café, which is open to the public and run by senior Victorian College of the Deaf students.

It was such a humbling experience being there that day as the kids were so excited including the crew (senior students) who came up with the initiative.