“Experiences at Classroom level from the Culture of Care and Water for Life actions"

Life-Link & UNESCO Associated Schools ESD Dialog Project 2007-2008

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International Conference on Education for Sustainable Development in Support of Cultural Diversity & Biodiversity24 January 2011, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman Monika Kleineberg, Germany

How are the Culture of Care and Water for Life actions organised?

Teacher‘s Guidelines

http://files.life-link.org/campaigns/2010_2014_esd_wfl/201009_Culture_of_Care_English.pdfhttp://files.life-link.org/campaigns/2010_2014_esd_wfl/201009_Water_for_Life_English.pdf

Lesson 1: Culture of Care Culture for Peace

Theory and DiscussionThe Life-Link definition of Peace: Care for Myself - Care for Others - Care for Nature Does it make sense to you to talk about "Peace with Myself?” or "Peace with Nature"?

UNESCO – What does U-N-E-S-C-O mean? In what city is the UNESCO headquarters situated?

UN, United Nations – When was it founded? How many member states today? Where is the UN Headquarters?

NGO – Non Governmental Organisation, what does it mean?

Theory and Discussion Discuss the concept of “Power”, "superpower" and “deterrence”.

Is there a difference between Power and Strength, to be Strong?

Do you think that solving problems and conflicts together, to Care for Myself, toCare for Others and to Care for Nature can be “powerful”?

Self Study 1: Care / Peace / Violence / Power

1. What meanings of Care do you find (in encyclopaedia, internet, etc)? Do you agree? What do you mean when you say Care?

2. What meanings of Peace do you find (in encyclopaedia, internet, etc)? Do you agree? What do you mean when you say Peace?

3. What meanings of Violence do you find (in encyclopaedia, internet, etc)? Do you agree? What do you mean when you say Violence?

4. What meanings of Power do you find (in encyclopaedia, internet, etc)? Do you agree? What do you mean when you say Power?

Finally, we recommend that your express yourself with a drawing, painting or photo, or a poem or music that associates to Care, Peace, Violence and Power.

As a first step you, alone or together with one or two friends, should decide how and where to use: An Encyclopaedia, Internet, Someone who is Young preferably in your family, Someone Grown up preferably in your near family or grand-family.

Our task was to describe or visualise “Life Link” and the keywords Power, Violence, Peace and Care.To do so, we chose a poster with a pyramid of people. At the bottom of the pyramid we placed the upper class, because they have the greatest influence based on their money and wealth. Their capital provides the basis of the economic system. That’s why they have much power. Many of them abuse their power to enrich their selves. Wars are financed by their capital, war is violence.

With lower capital, the power fades. The violence gets more personal. People fight for housings, food, life, peace. But how shall peace arise from violence?

At the top of the pyramid we placed a child from a slum, who heaves a peace-symbol. Those who have the least power and wealth, have to pay the highest price for peace. That must stop.

Only if we start to care about ourselves, each other and nature, peace has a chance.

Irina and Felix

Power Point Presentation

Lesson 2: Sustainability - All together in one "Living-room"

Theory and DiscussionWhat could be more important then to safeguard the preconditions for Life on Planet Earth – to care for clean and healthy Water, Air, Soil, Energy resources?

What happens when heavy metals come into contact with biological cells? Give examples of heavy metals - periodic chart/table. Give examples of toxic effects from some heavy metals.

What does synergy mean? Could two substances, each one considered to be "non toxic" when tested alone, but when brought together in real life turn to be toxic in an unforeseen manner? Can synergy also mean a positive reinforcement, for example when working together: 1 +1 > 2?

Can Earth feed an unlimited number of human beings? Give examples of species at risk of being exterminated by man, directly or indirectly.

"My Needs and My Greed": What is "enough" for you and me?

How does Responsibility and Rights fit into a Culture of Care?

Theory and DiscussionShort discussion: *How can a "campaign" or a UN "Decade" be beneficial for a Culture of Peace or Caring for Water? Who can or should take part in a UN "Decade"?

Theory and DiscussionWhy do we need declarations and conventions on Human Rights. What people in society are at risk being abused or excluded?

What is the relation between Human Rights and Human Responsibilities. Who can accomplish Responsibilities and who can claim Human Rights?

What Rights of the Child information material should be available at our school? The Convention, Posters and Pedagogical material?

Self Study 2: Care / Peace / Violence / Power

You have discussed “Sustainability”, “Waste and Resources”, Reduce-Reuse-Recycle actions, UNESCO decades on peace, water and sustainability.

You should look around yourself, study and register how your society functions in relation to friendly behaviour, consuming patterns, and the R-R-R principle.

Use your eyes and ears and nose in order to see, to hear and to smell. Make notes and add your reflections and proposals for improvements. Make drawings, and why not take some photos (be careful not to offend people if you take photos).

You can preferably make your studies at the following places:

– In our classroom and at our school

– In our town

– At home

Lesson 3: WHAT CAN AND WILL I DO FOR CARE AND PEACE?

Theory and DiscussionWhen your class or some classes together want to plant some trees at school, or perform a Clean Up action at and around your school; Do you agree that Knowledge – Motivation – Planning – Resources are all necessary?

Theory and DiscussionDiscuss the proposal on three small individual actions per day.

Ask students for suggestions on such small actions, make a list on the board under the three headings.

Theory and DiscussionWhich Life-Link actions as listed in the Life-Link manual could be performed at your school during the school-year to come? (You have now performed the action named Culture for Peace and this actionshould be reported to Life-Link using www.life-link.org Report an Action.) We will perform the Water for Life action in March 2008. What other small actions should we perform?

How is the Water for Life action organised?

Water at Home Study Water at School Study

Creating School&Class presentation

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Water at Home Study Water at School Study

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Lesson 1: Water for Life

Theory and Discussion (Basics)

How does water appear and circulate in your community or region?

What does H2O stand for? Where do you find the elements H and O on the Chart of Elements?

Short comments and reactions on the Body Water figures.

What is the name and size of «your» nearest river? or lake? How many people depend on the water in this river/lake?

Theory and Discussion (Water for Life action - WHY?)

Is there any major disease in your region due to unhealthy water?

Has water in your region and on Planet Earth always been good enough for humans and societies!

Why must we today be more aware of water quantity and water quality than before?

Self Study 1: WATER IN MY LIFE

Self Study 1: WATER IN MY LIFE

The completed forms will as an initial step require some data processing. In order to facilitate this work, a specially designed excel sheet is available on the project website for download. To reduce the teacher’s workload we suggest that you already during this session appoint two to three students, "Water at Home Team" to be responsible for entering the data into the Excel sheet and also to make a presentation of the Water at Home.

Lesson 2: My Watershed Identity

Theory and Discussion (Sharing the results of Self-study 1)

What problems, water quality issues and sources of waste were identified?

What suggestions on actions could be listed, that could eliminate or minimize these problems?

Theory and Discussion (My Watershed Identity)

Which water region (River? Lake/Sea/Ocean?) do you and your school belong to?

What countries and peoples contribute to the same water region? Look at a geographical map from your region.

How can you at your class and at your school promote a water region identity to students, teachers and families? Perhaps some Water ceremony!

Self Study 2: A class presentation & Dialogue

Students in your class should create a class presentation, based on the results of Self-study 1

Your final class presentation should include the results from the Water at Home and Water at School studies, with an artistic approach.

The class presentation could be worked out as a poster and/or a power-point presentation, suitable for

– Lesson 3 discussions

– for sending to your Dialogue-schools

– also for future school’s or community exhibitions!

Lesson 3: WHAT CAN AND WILL I DO FOR CARE AND PEACE?

Evaluation Workshop: “Life-Link & UNESCO ASPnet Pilot Project Culture of Care & Water for Life 2007-2008" 3rd - 6th June 2008 Petra, Jordan

Thank you very much!