Year 8 Establish Their Own Island Nations

The Year 8 Islands Connections project, which runs through January, challenges students to establish their very own island nation, complete with a government, industry, media, laws and culture.

“I want you to imagine that you lived in a war-torn country. Your country was once prosperous. With a booming economy and a strong, growing military, it seemed only good things lay ahead. But these very strengths ultimately prove to be your country’s downfall…”

Every decision each group makes along the way has a series of consequences – just as in the real world! Some of these are positive, some are negative. However, to be successful, their island nation needs to develop with a real focus on the principles of ‘sustainability’ and ‘happiness’, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development goals.

The Year 8 ‘Islands’ Connections Project challenges students to show they can work with a diverse group of people and collaborate effectively. They will make choices that have real-world parallels, and develop and apply a wide range of transferable skills. The Connections Project covers a range of subjects; Science, Maths, English, Geography and the Arts. As a result, students bring a range of knowledge, understanding and interests from beyond the classroom.

Here are reflections from some of the students:

“Varit [is] a very good governor who took a good part in leadership and made wise decisions. He helped everyone, even people that were not in his role. He answered all his questions and came up with sensible solutions to problems”

“Raiya is in government, their group got everything done cuz of their leadership and they do extra things for the island outside of class time”