The last update Ade wrote, we had just enjoyed celebrating the achievements of Act Global students in the plush venue of the London Living Rooms at City Hall. This weekend was another big event for Act Global: our very first residential!
And so we found ourselves heading to the coast on Friday with 28 increasingly excited students. There was lots of energy on the first evening with icebreakers and team building activities to set the tone for the weekend.
Saturday was filled with activities that were all geared towards preparing the teams for giving presentations that evening of their campaigns. The students spent the morning exploring global issues and brainstorming until they decided on their issue. In the afternoon we ran workshops on everything from public speaking to banner making. The groups stepped up to the challenge and all came out with amazing project ideas. Sunday was back to the video cameras to create campaign films they will use to spearhead the project when they get back to school.
It was amazing to see how far the teams came over the course of the weekend. They not only developed group campaigns, but some students are keen to start their own individual campaigns too. The students have been in touch on the Act Global network since returning. Here are a few comments from student’s blogs on the network:
‘Absolutely loved it! Amazing people, great activities and a beautiful place. Spending quality time with my friends I knew already and making new one = highlight!’ Caitlin, Highbury Grove School.
‘This weekend was truly wonderful. I enjoyed every moment of it, the team activities were interesting and fun; I also enjoyed the presentation because it was again interesting to hear about what others personally thought about some of the issues and how they presented that. I made loads of friends and met people, everyone was very nice and welcoming. I learnt alot and the experience was amazing’ Nusaybah, Hazelwick School
‘It was extremely successful and was almost definitely the best and most rewarding trip I have ever been on. With my new found skills I have decided to launch a campaign on the subject I feel I am most passionate about, whaling.’ Josh, Hazelwick School.
Yesterday, groups of young people from across London gathered to talk about what action they could take to tackle a range of global issues they were passionate about as part of Act Global (a project by the Citizenship Foundation and Relief International).
Students had been working on lesson plans and after school resources from the Act Global website to discuss the causes and effects of a range of global issues and thinking about what solutions they might imagine to make the world a better place.
The venue for this event was the fantastic Living Room at the top of City Hall and the students gathered to share their solutions with other students and adults from a range of international organisations, media agencies and educational establishments. We also managed to bump into Boris Johnson in the cafe which was an excellent start to the event!!
The event kicked off at 3pm (ish) with an introduction of the heart of Act Global: the idea of critical connections and partnerships which was demonstrated through the partnership with the GLA as evidenced through our work with the Children and Young People’s Unit and the fact that Dee Doocey AM, the Chair of the Assembly was able to attend!
We listened to presentations from students on issues of maternal health, bullying, access to education and climate change to name a few. Students also heard how they could commit to raising awareness about food and sustainability by Jose Aguiar, by eating the average daily world meal (made up from a small amount of rice and beans) and donating the rest of their food budget to projects either in the UK or working internationally.
The event also provided an opportunity for all the guests to explore what they might do to tackle the issue of waste in London and we heard from Jenny Jones AM about what she thought about some of the ideas:
“I am confident that you will fix the problems created by my generation…because you are exceptional young people”
The event was wrapped up by Sarah Mosses from Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation who talked about the role of media in raising awareness of global issues. The story of a film supported by Channel 4 BRITDOC called A Small Act was shown and guests were encouraged to do their “small act” to tackle the issues facing the world today.
It would be great to hear the thing you would change if you had the power, the passion or the opportunity - use the hashtag #ificouldchangeonething on twitter.
Act Global is run jointly by the Citizenship Foundation and Relief International UK. The project engages young people in global citizenship and supports them in taking action on poverty-related issues.
Act Global offers teachers support in delivering the global dimension in schools through a dedicated teacher networkg. The network provides access to resources, including lesson plans. During October half term, we will be adding a new unit of work on the issue of sustainability. Each lesson includes a media-rich PowerPoint.
To become a member and access resources and support visit www.teachactglobal.org.
Please note that this opportunity is no longer available.
Do you care about global issues like poverty, war and disease? Do you want to gain experience of using social media? Then we want to hear from you!
Act Global is a joint project between the Citizenship Foundation and Relief International. Our online network is a place for young people from around the world to think, talk, solve and act on global issues they care about.
We are looking for passionate, articulate and enthusiastic young people (aged 16 -19) to become Act Global Online Youth Ambassadors. You will need an interest in and awareness of global issues, some experience of using social media and strong written skills.
What would I need to do?
Write blogs to encourage discussion on global issues
Encourage others to use the site by commenting on photos, videos, blog posts and polls
Welcome new members to the site and help them to get started
What do I get in return?
An excellent opportunity to add to your CV
Experience working on an international project
An induction at Citizenship Foundation Offices in Central London
Travel expenses covered
An invitation to our Celebration Event at City Hall in October
