Join Mission 4.7 founding partners the Global Schools Program at the ECOSOC Youth Forum for a side event on ESD.
As we move toward post-COVID recovery, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda becomes crucial. During and post-COVID, areas like the green economy, education, environment, food security, and most importantly health, saw numerous, innovative partnerships and collaborations. These partnerships have accelerated recovery, resiliency, and sustainability post-pandemic, and establishing strong partnerships is vital to continue our efforts in achieving the SDGs.
Across education, learning loss was severe. To reduce this gap post-COVID, schools, higher-education institutions, and organizations have partnered and collaborated to make learning happen. Today, there is more focus on mental well-being, as well as educational frameworks such as 21st century skills, global citizenship, and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). ESD is an interdisciplinary strategy that incorporates environmental, social, and economic spheres into education. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of global issues and encourages learners to think critically, reflect on their values, and take action for sustainability. Despite the potential of ESD in realizing the 2030 Agenda, research has shown that many educational systems throughout the world are facing challenges to completely incorporate sustainability into their curricula and teaching methods. As a result, human resources are key agents in advancing ESD through training and building the capacity of educators, as well as fostering greater stakeholder participation and partnerships. For that reason, the Global Schools Program has embarked into these efforts.
The Global Schools Program, an initiative of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, (SDSN), has been actively training teachers and educating students on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The impact of our work has been possible through our Advocates Program, a teacher training program that emphasizes ESD, transformative pedagogy, and community partnerships/mobilization. We have engaged 29,400+ educator and school leader participants, as well as 176,000+ students and 76,000+ community members and parents in collaborative projects. We have seen amazing examples of partnerships: 1) between schools and multilateral/international organizations 2) between different schools across our network that promote inclusion and cross-cultural collaboration 3) between schools and their local communities that promote service-learning to achieve the SDGs, while building skills that promote community engagement and resiliency post-COVID. Many of these examples are featured in the Global Schools Case Study Book “Practicing ESD: Case Study Guide for Educators,” and a new volume will be launched this year.
Therefore, in alignment with Pillar 1 of the report on the 2022 UN Transforming Education Summit (TES), the Global Schools Program is proposing a side event at the 2023 ECOSOC Youth Forum with the aim to showcase the impact of our work in accelerating the post-covid learning recovery process. This side event will also provide a platform for sharing experiences, best practices, and innovative approaches, as well as promote collaboration and partnerships for advancing ESD. Finally, a call for applications for our fourth teacher training cohort will be launched at this ECOSOC side event.