When Paul Kooperman created The Field Trip program, he did so with the intention of building something for his six-year-old twins to attend when they grew up.

The program is run on a term by term basis. Each term, the program explores a different theme. 

This term, the theme has been “in their shoes.” The theme has taught participants what it is like to walk in a person’s shoes who live in different circumstances to themselves. 

Each week, the participants, all aged between nine and 12 years old, have listened to guest speakers and learnt about a topic that they would not ordinarily have been aware of.

The guest speakers enlightened the children about issues such as gender, age (both younger and older people), disability, culture and language while teaching them to celebrate perspective, accept and embrace differences.

The older Field Trippers have been speaking about their experiences and voicing their opinions about what they have learnt in the program on Hepburn Community Radio each Sunday.

Last Sunday, 12 Field Trippers and their parents travelled to Footscray to donate food, beanies and blankets to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. 

While at the centre, the children were able to hand over their donations, as well as those items donated by the wider Hepburn Shire community, to the founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Kon Karapanagiotidis.

ASRC, an independent, community run organisation, was created as a means to support people living in the community who were seeking asylum.

Mr Kooperman said the aim of the excursion was to start a conversation about asylum seekers and what the children can do to help to inspire positive change.

“The parents who attended have said it was a worthwhile experience,” he said.

Afterwards, to acknowledge Reconciliation Week, the Field Trippers gained insight into the history and culture of Aboriginal people by creating their own dot paintings and sharing their places, symbols and stories. 

There are currently 30 kids who regularly attend the program at both the Daylesford and Riddells Creek subsidiaries. 

The program is supported by Daylesford Community Op Shop, run by Field Trip mum Michelle Clifford. 

Ms Clifford has supported the program by offering scholarships to people who are unable to afford the payment for their children to participate in the program.

She also helped to collect and deliver the community’s food and clothing donations for the asylum seekers.