About us

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Live & Learn Environmental Education is a network of 11 locally registered organisations across Asia and the South Pacific.

We educate, mobilise people and build partnerships to support the communities we work with to move towards a fairer, more resilient future.

Our vision is for a sustainable and equitable world free from poverty.

Since beginning in 1992 in Queensland, Australia, Live & Learn has continued to grow, establishing locally led offices across the Asia-Pacific. Our programs are funded with support from governments, the private sector and international development agencies.

Local ownership of environmental and development programs, open participation and equality are the foundations of Live & Learn. We always work with communities to design, implement and learn from community-based development projects specific to each location.

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We aim to:

  • encourage attitudes, values and actions that are ethical and sustainable
  • build and encourage networks and partnerships of school, communities, governments, chiefs, elders and families
  • share knowledge, skills and resources for the benefit of all
  • integrate scientific learning with Indigenous knowledge
  • promote human rights, gender equality, nature-based solutions, climate adaptation and peace in all our projects

Development principles

Our development philosophy is key to the success and sustainability of our work. We believe the processes that lead to change are as important as the change itself.

While these processes can be changed and adapted, four key development principles underpin all our work.

Developing programs based on community reality and perceptions

We seek to integrate innovative approaches with existing community knowledge and strengths.
Live & Learn seeks to understand the perceptions of the community, and to start the development of educational interventions from where the community stands, rather than from our own perspective.

Live & Learn encourages communities and individuals to explore and share experiences, ideas and opinions, and to question and clarify environmental problems, their root causes and their links to wellbeing.

Taking an integrated approach

Social and economic processes affect environmental sustainability. To have a meaningful impact, we deliver environmental education with a human focus, with emphasis on governance, human rights, livelihoods, genders and participation rather than biology and environmental science.

We focus on issues communities can relate to, using local culture to address their challenges.

Ensuring full participation in our partnerships

The wellbeing of communities is at the centre of all policies and strategies. Community ownership and full participation are key to successful solutions. Everybody is a stakeholder in environmental education and protection.

We develop targeted strategies of cooperation, communication and action between civil society, NGOs, private organisations and different levels of government. Special consideration is given to Indigenous peoples, whose connection to their environment is crucial.

Making evaluation meaningful to communities

Evaluation must benefit the communities in which the work is being done. Too often, communities do not have the opportunity to use the collected data to improve their own practice and capacity, despite often being the ones best placed to evaluate a given project’s impact.

As communities experience any changes directly, they are well placed to evaluate impact, with some guidance. Live & Learn uses participatory monitoring and evaluation, in which stories of change are collected from the community, ensuring evaluation is both led by and meaningful to the community.

Live & Learn Environmental Education is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct.

The ACFID Code of Conduct ACFID is a voluntary, self-regulatory industry code of good practice. The aim of the Code is to improve the outcomes of international development and increase stakeholder trust by enhancing the transparency and accountability of signatory organisations.

From time to time Live & Learn has opportunities to work as part of our team.
We operate a non-discriminatory employment process and working environment.

We also have volunteering opportunities in our Melbourne office, and in our network field offices.
If you are interested in volunteering please send us an email.