Written by Abigail Chifusa, Global Schools Project Officer.
Every month, the Global Schools Program (GSP) recognizes and celebrates the achievements of Advocates. These Advocates are featured and given the spotlight for their endless contributions to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Below are the seven featured Advocates recognized for the month of November.
ELIF SELÇUK (Turkey)
Advocate Elif Selçuk is a teacher at Pınar Baha Abalıoğlu Anatolian High School, Denizli Directorate of National Education in Turkey.
Elif’s school strives to get the students thrilled and take action, as well as to be sensitive to the problems of the world. She became an advocate for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as it has roles such as Advancing policy, Transforming learning environments, Developing the capacities of educators, Empowering and mobilizing youth, Accelerating action at local level, and inspiring institutions, teachers, and students.
The International Day of the Girl Child was celebrated on October 5th. Cards were designed by Alif’s students (messages about the girl child were written on the cards); female students brought pictures of infancy and childhood that were used during the exhibition that was held at the school.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) board game was designed by Advocate Elif Selçuk and was played by her students at the October "Game Festival'' that was held alongside the P4C workshop themed “Healing The World with SDGs.” The Advocate also organized a seminar where she invited community members to discuss issues that bordered around SDGs.
Currently, Elif and her students are taking part in a social responsibility project called “Girls are Talking.” The project is focused on menstrual education, menstrual rituals, menstrual taboo, menstrual leave, and menstrual poverty. In order to raise awareness, at the end of the project, information on menstrual Poverty and the use of environmentally friendly menstrual products as well as the distribution of recyclable pads suitable for the age groups of the students will be shared with the disadvantaged regions.
BAMIDELE ISAAC ITUNU (Nigeria)
Bamidele Isaac Itunu is a Global Schools Program Advocate in Nigeria who is teaching in a low-income community of Badagry, Lagos - Lagos State Model Senior College, Kankon.
As a Global School Advocate, he has trained over 75 students and 105 teachers who are now also advocating towards the SDGs as well as a Sustainable Development community.
Bamidele has spearheaded various thematic SDG projects fully supported by the parent school. Some of the projects include:
1. Teacher Training and introduction to the SDGs
2. SDGs student Advocacy Club accessible to over 1200 students, and the community by extension
3. Plastic pollution remediation project
4. School Sanitation Team, amidst other upcoming projects
5. Young farmers club
Furthermore, the SDGs adopted practically because of suitability to Bamidele Isaac Itunu’s community’s context are: SDG 1- No poverty, SDG 2- Zero hunger, SDG 3- Good health and well-being, SDG 4- Quality Education, SDG 5- Gender Equality, SDG 6- Clean water, SDG 7- Affordable and clean energy, SDG 8- Decent work and economic growth, SDG 11- Sustainable cities and communities, and SDG 13- Climate Action.
MANSI BHATIA (India)
Mansi Bhatia is a passionate teacher and a course coordinator at Vidya Bharati School, Delhi, India.
As a Global Schools Advocate, Mansi has been spear-heading Sustainable Development awareness across the school campus by implementing initiatives that highlight the need for achieving their targeted goals.
Additionally, within the three months as a Global Schools Advocate, Bhatia has conducted various activities including thematic assemblies, subject integrated activities, rallies, and skit (nukkad natak) to not only promote student awareness but community awareness too.
Furthermore, she has also implemented various craft projects including a trash to cash exhibition cum sale promoting the trend to “reduce, reuse & recycle” within the student community which was supported by the parent community, hence, Ms. Bhatia is not only inculcating positive changes within the student community, but it also includes other School stakeholders.
She has inspired not only the students but also the teachers at her school to adapt small changes in their lives with greater impact on the environment using the term "SMALL STEPS LEAD TO BIG CHANGE."
The Advocate has enthusiastically worked to emphasize SDG 4- Quality Education by integrating SDGs in various class activities within the school, leading and engaging in discussions that highlight the importance of education with a vision to achieve these goals by 2030 and the impact on all the global goals which are interdependent on each other.
A special wall within the school has also been dedicated to SDGs to enhance students' awareness and nurture young minds to make them understand their responsibilities towards society for a Sustainable future.
CINTHYA RIVERA (Ecuador)
Cinthya Rivera has been an active Global school advocate since July 2022 in Unidad Educativa Bilingüe Delta, working with another teacher (Monique Mayorga) in creating a campaign to engage both teachers and students in the world of SDGs.
During July and August, Cinthya’s School created a CANstruction sculpture made up of empty cans of food which will soon be donated to the Food Bank, addressing the hunger problem in line with SDG 2- Zero hunger. The creation of this CANstruction allowed the whole school to get involved and gathered 10.000 cans of food.
Additionally, in October, 75 students from 8th, 10th, and 11th grades developed different activities within the Climate Action (SDG 13) Challenge 2022 in a framework of 3 subjects: Literature, Environmental Studies (ESS) & Societies, and (BUS) Business Management.
SYED NWA ABBAS RIZVI (Pakistan)
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