Sustainable Development Goals: Limited Resources and Taking Action
Short Description
This session will introduce what can practically happen to common resources if not carefully managed and will introduce the SDGs. An individual fishing/crop taking game is first played by the students. Then a definition of sustainable development is sought from the students and the SDGs are introduced. Finally, the students will play a game where they have to list things that any person can do to save the world from their couch, from their home and outside the home.
Estimated Activity Duration: 40 minutes
Recommended Ages: 8 – 15
Aims of Workshop
- To learn what can happen to common resources if not carefully managed
- To learn about the Sustainable Development Goals
- To think about how everyday life can be more sustainable
Competences and Knowledge required
Materials Needed
- pens or markers
- Flipchart, whiteboard or screen
- Prepared roles and statements for activity
Learning Outcomes
- European Studies (Years 9 – 13) – Europeans and their Environment: Protection of the Environment
- Students will explain the preventive measures to lessen their impact.
- Social Studies
- (Level 5) – Social Change & (Level 6) – Populations, Development and Environments
- I can list examples of ethical and unethical behaviour towards the physical and social environment e.g. affecting habitats and species.
- I can identify consumerism of the past and present and causes of this change including technological progress and concern for the environment; and the consequences of this change including the careless/careful disposal/recycling e.g. of old television sets.
- I can state connections between outcomes of ethical and unethical behaviour towards environments, habitats, species and social justice including global citizenship, which refers to being responsible for people one will never meet as in the case of human-induced rise in temperatures causing climate change which leads to forced migration, food shortage and rising sea-levels.
- I can suggest basic solutions to solve local and national environmental problems.
- I can discuss strengths and weaknesses of solutions to solve local and national environmental problems.
- Level 7 – Populations, Development and Environments
- I can differentiate between wants and needs.
- I can define population and its impact on the development and environment of a country.
- Year 11 (Option) – Sustainable Development
- I can define sustainable development
- I can explain how the exploitation of natural resources can become more sustainable.
- (Level 5) – Social Change & (Level 6) – Populations, Development and Environments
- PSCD
- Level 5 – Citizenship
- I value natural resources and can discuss why they are limited.
- Year 11 (General) – Towards Sustainable Development
- I can understand what sustainable development is through examples from everyday life.
- I can explain the advantages of sustainable development to ensure a better quality of life.
- I can use the theory on sustainable development and apply it in practice to demonstrate how I can actively contribute to sustainable development.
- I can demonstrate how youths in contemporary society adopt a sustainable lifestyle.
- Level 5 – Citizenship
PSCD
Level 5 – Citizenship
16] I value natural resources and can discuss why they are limited.
Level 6 – Citizenship
20] I can make decisions about use of scarce resources.
21] I can identify and describe the meaning of sustainable development.
22] I can identify what actions can be taken at school, at home and in the local community to contribute to sustainable development.
Level 7 – Citizenship
22] I can identify and describe how everyday consumption has a direct and indirect effect on the environment.
23] I can demonstrate how different demands on the environment have an impact on sustainable development.
24] I can describe why it is important to value the contribution of every individual to sustainable
development.
25] I can identify and demonstrate how myself and others in my school, home and local community can contribute to a more sustainable environment.
Level 8 – Citizenship
16] I am able to assess my own lifestyle and my contribution to sustainability.
18] I can demonstrate the implications of unsustainable development on the local and global environment and on future generations.
Level 9 – Citizenship
19] I can form balanced and reasoned arguments about social and environmental issues for class debates; I can find out about and discuss types and purposes of the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals (MDGs, SDGs).
Home Economics – Level 7 – Sustainable Management and Effective Use of Resources
1] I am aware of ways of respecting the environment.
Cross-curricular themes:
3)Learning to learn
4) ESD
Outlines of the session, including detailed description of the activities carried out
(Take a Step) Moving forward (20 min.):
The educator explains that the class will participate in a game. In this game, different students will take on different roles (list of roles in ‘List of Roles’ on drive, can be edited to the discretion of the educator) according to the paper (or email etc) given to them. They are not to reveal those roles to the others while playing the game. The students need to ‘forget’ who they are in general and take on these roles and imagine how it feels to be that person.
In order to get in character, the educator can put on some calming music and ask students to imagine they are that role and answer for themselves: How was your childhood? What did you dream to become? Did you enjoy school? What do you eat for breakfast? How is your life?
Note to educators: If there is more time than one lesson, this part can take more time since it gets students to think in someone else’s shoes but if there is only one lesson time, this shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes.
The educator then explains that they will read out statements (from ‘List of Statements’ on drive, this can be added or edited to). The students make use of pen and paper, their fingers or other ways to mark progress. Ideally it should be something visible that they won’t forget like a pen and paper, or blocks or making use of gaming pieces (each student should have their own). The educator will read the statements and if the students AGREE with that statement as their ROLE, they make one mark/move a piece etc.
The aim of this activity is to show that not everyone is equal or has the same opportunities.
Note to educators: When there are no social restrictions, this can be done as taking steps (one tile at a time) with the students starting from the same starting point.
If the activity needs to be carried out online, the education can prepare an online live document (e.g. with Google Drive) with a grid and include the names of the students on a “starting line” in the first column of the grid on the left, asking them to “move forward” by filling blank cells with a colour assigned to them to the right, for positive reply to one of the statements. At the end, the class will have a visual representation of the steps taken forward, and will be able to discuss as per the original activity.
Statements Suggested (can be added to):
| I can easily change the job. | I can easily express my opinion. |
| I can easily express my sexual or romantic orientation. | I can easily believe in whatever or whoever I want. |
| My place of origin is not an issue. | I do not get stopped on the street because of my appearance. |
| I have health insurance. | I have the right to vote. |
| I have the right on free education financed by government. | I can make plans for my family. |
| I can afford mobile, TV, internet, and holidays. | I can love whoever I want. |
| I can practice my culture. | I am not discriminated because of my past. |
| I have food on my table every day. | I have a roof above my head. |
Discussion (10 min):
After the statements finish, the students show others or say how many marks they have. Some will have a lot, some not so much.
The educator then asks questions like:
- How was it?
- How did you feel in the role?
- What do you think about the position of others?
- Was it hard to answer the questions as other people? Why?
- What Human Rights did we mention in the statements?
- Why is it important that Human Rights are respected for everyone?
- Do you see how you can have an effect on discrimination?
Are asked for a debriefing.
Take a Step – Conclusion (10 min):
The roles are revealed by the students if they were not during the discussion. Final comments are taken and the educator explains that we all can have an effect, if not through financial means, through our attitudes towards people. Not everyone is equal but we can all make their situation better. Should there be time, a list of answers to the question(s) ‘Why is it important to realize our own discrimination and not discriminate?’ can be noted down. Explain that we all have our own biases and sometimes we may intentionally or unintentionally discriminate but moving on, we should recognize where our own judgments come from and not discriminate because when it is us being discriminated against, it doesn’t feel great.
Acknowledgement
This activity is based on ‘The Chameleon’ activity from the Toolbox of non-formal learning methods by youth support network, based on the Take a Step Forward Activity from Compass by the Council Of Europe.
