Australian Student Environment Network

Description

The Australian Student Environment Network, known as ASEN, is a network of student environment collectives across Australia.

It campaigns, educates and trains people to gain the skills and experience to become lifelong change agents on ecological and social issues. Members organise around causes such as ending coal seam gas mining and coal exports, university fossil fuel divestment, indigenous solidarity and nuclear-free campaigns. Individual collectives choose their own campaigns, and the network runs an annual training camp plus the Students of Sustainability conference and a biannual publication called Germinate.

ASEN is structured as collectives that form state networks, which together make up the national network, with each level keeping autonomy over its own projects. Decisions nationally are made by consensus at a National Council open to all members, and any member may use the ASEN name for events that fit its charter. It was formed in 1997 at the Students and Sustainability convergence in Townsville, growing out of earlier state-based student environment networks, and is one of the longest-running youth environment networks in Australia.