The National Youth Science Forum has made the difficult decision to end Session A of the NYSF Year 12 Program and return participants to their homes as soon as can be safely arranged.
Monday 6 January, 2020
Many parts of Australia are currently being impacted by severe bushfires.
As the health and wellbeing of participants and volunteers is our first priority, the National Youth Science Forum has made the difficult decision to end Session A of the NYSF Year 12 Program and return participants to their homes as soon as can be safely arranged. We have also had to cancel the Canberra session of the National Science Teachers Summer School (NSTSS) that was to run this week in Canberra.
This difficult decision has involved close consultation with our host university in Canberra, the Australian National University. We support their decision to close the University Campus and are grateful for the support they have given us to keep our students indoors and well cared for this past week.
There is no immediate danger to participants and volunteers in Canberra and there are no fires burning in our immediate region. The biggest risk to the safety of participants and volunteers is the significant smoke which Canberra is currently experiencing. Today the smoke has momentarily reduced somewhat meaning we can safely move students while roads and airports are open after widespread closures over the weekend.
Extensive planning is underway to ensure our participants and volunteers return home safely. If we are unable to return participants safely to their homes we will continue to supervise and accommodate them. We have excellent support from both ANU and Rotary to ensure these students are comfortably accommodated while they wait to return home.
We are saddened to cancel the program however safety and wellbeing is our top priority. Given the challenging conditions, we have been impressed by the resilience and understanding of our participants, parents and volunteers, and would like to thank them for their ongoing support and understanding during this difficult time.
This cancellation only impacts Session A of the NYSF Year 12 Program and Canberra NSTSS at this time. If you are participating in other NYSF Year 12 Program sessions or NSTSS in Brisbane, please monitor your emails for further updates.
We would also like to thank our Partner organisations for their ongoing support and assistance over this period.
Please note our first priority and current focus must be the safe return all NYSF Session A participants. As such, further information about next steps will only be available once this initial period of bushfire emergency has passed. We will be getting in touch with participants, parents and supporters in the coming month to discuss future contingency options.
Kind regards,
Dr Melanie Bagg, CEO, and the NYSF Programs Team
For further enquiries please contact communications@nysf.edu.au or call 02 6125 2777.