I shall be at St George's House, Windsor on Thursday and Friday, at a consultation with a focus on young people and the sustainable development goals. I have worked with Jamie Agombar from the NUS to organise this. There will be around 30 people there drawn from schools, environmental and development NGOs, educational NGOs, government, religious organisations, UNESCO, the OECD, and the NUS and universities. All parts of the UK will be represented and there will be a significant input from the global learning programme. After presentations about what goal-related work is trying to achieve there will be inputs from NGOs and schools about how they go about this work. There will be reflections, an input from research, and, it is to be hoped, lots of room for thought and discussion. If there isn't, the fault will be mine as I am charing it.
This is the detail:
Young People and the Sustainable Development Goals
The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals are hugely important for the future wellbeing of all people, and for the integrity of the biosphere. It is clear that education has a key role to play, not only in helping people understand the significance of the goals, but also in helping to ensure that the goals, and their targets, are achieved. We already know that a number of schools have programmes focusing on this, but if goal-related learning by students can help increase the likelihood that the goals will be valued, supported and hence realised, is it also the case that a critical study of the goals can enhance the focus, and help raise the quality of student learning? This Consultation will examine these twin propositions. We will look in depth at what good goal-related outcomes might be; and we will explore what more can be done to embed a focus on the SDGs in work with young people both in and out of school.
The consultation is considering two propositions:
- Goal-related learning by students can help increase the likelihood that the goals will be valued, supported and hence realised
- A critical study of the goals can enhance the focus, and help raise the quality, of student learning
You'll have your own views on these, and I'll say more about them over the next few days.
Respond