Hi. I'm Kexin and I'm 14 years old.
I like animals and nature. I like to see how they're going.
And I moved to Australia one year ago. I'm Chinese.
Kexin comes here on weekends to enjoy the parklands.
She also comes here to help restore them.
I volunteer with my mum to the parklands.
We do some weeding and checking some bird boxes. I love that.
Oh, have a look, Kexin.
They work alongside Peter, a park ranger.
We're trying to recreate the original vegetation
and habitat of this area, which was a mallee box woodland.
Look, you can even eat these wonderful fruits.
Do you want to have a go at that? It's got a big seed in the middle.
So, the main thing we do is plant species
that would have been here prior to European settlement.
How does it taste? It's a little bit sweet.
A little bit sweet?
Today, Kexin's showing me how she contributes here.
Hi. How's it going? I'm Amelia. Hi. I'm Kexin.
We're doing some volunteering today, so you might need this one.
Thank you. Alright, cool! Let's put this on.
Alright. Hat...fits my head. That's good.
Hi-vis. Alright. Where are we going?
Oh, we're going that way. Let's do it.
Yeah, let's go.
So, Kexin, what are we doing here?
Oh, we're testing the water. OK. So, we're testing the water.
What are we testing it for? Oh, we need some data.
OK.
And to make sure the water is safe and clean.
OK. Cool.
So, Kexin, tell me, why did you start volunteering?
Because I think I can help someone. Yeah.
And a lot of animals. Do you see any interesting animals?
Yeah, birds and spiders.
Spiders? Yeah.
Oh, no. I'm scared of spiders.
Same. You are too?
Yeah, but I like to see them.
Do you? But I don't want to touch them.
(LAUGHS)
Yeah, maybe we can just stay away from any spiders.
So, seven is normal pH. OK, so that's good.
Yeah. Good.
This one definitely...
Kexin loves being out here, and since she started volunteering,
she's made some new friends.
She wants to help people,
and that's a feeling lots of kids around Australia share -
kids who help out in their community, at school or at home.
A 2014 survey found 42% of kids
between the ages of 15 and 17 are volunteers,
so helping people is clearly something
that's very important to you guys,
which is why we want to find out a lot more about the different ways
you all contribute.
So we're launching the BTN's Kids Contribute Survey.
It asks you all the different ways you help out,
whether it's doing chores at home, volunteering at school events
or getting involved in special projects, like Kexin's.
OK, so what are we doing here?
Oh, we are now collecting the seeds.
So, why do we do this, Kexin?
Because we need more seeds to plant, like, other places.
OK, cool.
Kids can do this now. They don't wait.
They don't have to wait till they grow up to adults.
She's been terrific.
We've only had her, I guess, for about five or six months,
but she's so enthusiastic.
She wants to learn about all the Australian native plants
and animals and get her hands dirty.
No problems there.
Digging up weeds, climbing up ladders,
looking at our fauna boxes, and getting very excited
when she sees some interesting new animal.
There's no doubt about that.
Having volunteers to help out really is fantastic.
It's clearly having a big impact,
but Kexin says there are lots of other ways
you can make a difference too.
Well, they can help, like, their parents do some housework,
or they can volunteer in any way.