Local4Global

Sustainable Schools Conference 2006

APPROACH
GEMK identified the opportunities of using the sustainability agenda to introduce the global dimension to local schools in 2002. A pilot project for 5 schools was funded by the Big Lottery. The evaluation encouraged us to use this programme as a strategic way of involving schools in a whole school approach, and to use EES money to do this. The initial five schools has now doubled to 10, with others in the pipeline. One aspect of the BEAM is a conference for children from the participating schools. This took place at the City Discovery Centre, Bradwell Abbey, on Tuesday 4^th July 2006 with support from a number of other groups which together form the Sustainable Educators’ Group (SEG)[1]. Membership of SEG is open to anyone involved with sustainability and education. The group meets every couple of months and members are in touch on an ad hoc basis in between.

OUTCOMES

Participants
Children from each of the eight schools[2] that had at that stage enrolled on the Sustainable Schools programme were invited to the event and those from seven schools attended.
Juggler
James Easton, a juggler and storyteller, provided an excellent introduction to Sustainability by using seven different coloured juggling balls, each one representing one of the seven key themes identified by the Government’s Panel on Education for Sustainable Development:

By engaging different groups with each concept, he helped the children to think about the issues and demonstrated graphically that we need each other in order to progress with all the ideas.

Presentations
Each school produced a short presentation about an aspect of sustainability that they had looked at. These included four PowerPoint presentations, a song, a series of items about Africa and a demonstration of tree planting.
Workshops
A series of eight workshops was devised and each child had the opportunity to go to two. Some children from each school went to each workshop. These are the workshops that were held:
1) Pond dipping – Gordon Redford (Parks Trust)
2) Waste minimisation and reuse – Holly Mills (MKC Recycling Education Officer)
3) Recycle a goat + - Ann Pape (Christian Aid)
4) Story telling – James Easton
5) Sustainable Communities – Sabina (City Discovery Centre)
6) Earth Walk – Mark Jeffreys (BBOWT)
7) Children’s Rights – Jonathan Hart (UNICEF)
8) Energy conservation – Vicky and Brenda (MK Energy Agency)

Comments
One of the teachers said: “It was just fantastic! Very well organised. The lunch was brilliant. All the workshops were really interesting. A really enjoyable day. Our children got so much out of it”

Rosemary Clarke, GEMK, July 2006