Health and wellbeing
Building water literacy, systems thinking, and global citizenship through education
Overview
The Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series (VCES) supports initiatives that extend learning beyond the classroom and provide enrichment opportunities for students in Victorian government schools.
Through VCES support, Essential Need (EN) is delivering two approved student learning activities that help students explore one of the defining global challenges of our time: universal and equitable access to safe drinking water (UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 6.1).
These VCES activities connect curriculum-aligned learning with real-world data, systems thinking, and interdisciplinary inquiry, supporting high-ability and high-potential students, including those from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, to think critically about complexity and global interconnections.
Why water, why now?
Access to safe drinking water underpins:
Education outcomes
Gender equity
Community resilience
Economic participation
Yet progress toward SDG 6.1 is increasingly complex due to:
Climate variability and extreme weather
Population growth and urbanisation
Infrastructure constraints
Persistent inequality within and between communities
Education plays a critical role in responding to these challenges. By building water literacy and systems thinking, students are better equipped to analyse evidence, understand interdependencies, and consider long-term, equitable solutions.
VCES Student Activities (2026)
As part of VCES 2026, Essential Need will deliver two curriculum-aligned student learning activities, approved by the Victorian Department of Education under the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series.
Student Session
Extreme Water Poverty: World Water Map Masterclass
Exploring global water access through real-world data and systems thinking
Recommended for:
Years 7–12
Format: Online
school-coordinated masterclass
Students explore the concept of extreme water poverty and examine its global scale using real data from the World Water Map. Through guided inquiry and discussion, students investigate how environmental, economic, political, and cultural factors interact to shape access to safe drinking water across different regions of the world.
Key learning focus
Interactive exploration of global water access data using the World Water Map to understand the scale and geography of extreme water poverty
Introduction to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how global challenges are addressed through shared international frameworks
Focused understanding of UN SDG Target 6.1 - universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water and why it is critical for health, education, and development
Student Session
Water vs Human Development: Interdisciplinary Tutorial
Understanding how water access shapes health, education, and income outcomes
Recommended for:
Years 7–12
Format: Online
school-coordinated masterclass
Students examine the relationship between water access and human development, including impacts on health, education, income, and population growth. Using interdisciplinary case studies and real-world data, students move beyond description to analyse patterns, inequalities, and long-term consequences across different global and Australian contexts.
Key learning focus
Analysing the relationship between water access and human development indicators, including health, education, income, and population growth, using the Human Development Index (HDI)
Interpreting real-world data and global case studies to identify patterns, disparities, and causal links between water access and long-term development outcomes
Applying ethical reasoning and systems thinking to evaluate inequality, population pressures, and potential solutions in global and Australian regional contexts
Have access
Need access
Year 20005.5 Million
Year 2024 (Latest data)10.6 Million
24-years Population Change5 Million91%
Participation approach
Schools register and manage student participation through the Department’s Arc platform from Term 1, 2026.
Using the Education Tool in your classroom
In addition to the facilitated VCES sessions, Essential Need also offers a free Education Tool for schools that wish to explore these topics further through teacher-led delivery.
The Education Tool is designed with time-poor teachers in mind and can be used flexibly across Geography, Science, Humanities, and cross-curricular sustainability learning.
Introductory geospatial and mapping skills, using interactive maps and visual data to support spatial thinking without requiring prior experience
Lift-and-shift lesson content that can be integrated directly into existing units
No specialist training required - teachers can use the tool immediately
Real-world data and interactive resources, including the World Water Map
Alignment with Victorian Curriculum priorities and cross-curricular sustainability
Who this is for
These VCES-supported activities are designed for:
Victorian government secondary schools.
Teachers and Heads of Department seeking high-quality enrichment opportunities.
High-ability and high-potential students, including those with strong interest in global issues, systems thinking, and interdisciplinary learning.
Parents and guardians supporting student learning.
Schools are encouraged to support inclusive participation, including students from rural and regional areas, disadvantaged communities, First Nations backgrounds, and students with diverse learning needs, including twice-exceptional students.
Alignment and credibility
Essential Need brings deep systems-thinking expertise to its education and innovation work, developed over more than two decades and grounded in engineering, data, and digital systems design.
This capability underpins the design and delivery of the two approved VCES activities and supports students to understand complexity, interconnections, and evidence-based decision-making.
UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 6.1
Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0
Victorian Government education and engagement objectives
Internationally recognized global water datasets
UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 6.1
Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0
Victorian Government education and engagement objectives
Internationally recognized global water datasets
About Essential Need
About Essential Need
- Essential Need (EN) is a global not-for-profit working to help achieve universal access to safe drinking water - UN SDG 6.1.
- EN’s broader education, research, and innovation initiatives extend beyond VCES and are delivered under separate programs and partnerships.
- Only the two activities listed on this page are delivered as part of the VCES.
Acknowledgement...
Essential Need acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government through the Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series (VCES) in enabling these activities.
VCES activities support excellence in learning while promoting equitable access and inclusive participation.