Three Tipp schools awarded a ‘WWGS Global Passport’ for commitment to Global Citizenship Education
Presentation Secondary School Thurles and Borrisokane Community College were awarded the WorldWise Global Schools Diplomatic Global Passport and Cashel Community School was awarded a Citizens Global Passport in recognition of their work in the area of global citizenship education.
‘Presentation Thurles has been involved in the challenge to change project focused on issues relating to inequality and good health and wellbeing. The school has a firmly established Model UN senior group who have attended and participated in two model UN conferences this year. Next steps are to organise their own Model UN. Their Green School committee has been very active this year organizing school based events,’ says WorldWise Global Schools Director, Aishling McGrath.
She continued that ‘At Borrisokane Community College, the junior students have been particularly active. They had a peer education and awareness raising campaign run by 3rd years that focused on Fairtrade and linked in with the campaign ‘Create Fairtrade’ over Fairtrade Fortnight. Their school committee, made up of students and staff who work together on water conservation initiatives. They have chosen the Sustainable Development Goals to frame these actions with each class group focusing on one global goal’.
‘Cashel Community School have formed a team of students and teachers that are passionate about global citizenship education who are driving projects forward in their school. Students have been exploring the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, holding an awareness Day that made their work on human rights visible by the whole school community. They held a social justice week and also went on school fieldtrips to Fields trips to a Wind farm to understand sustainable energy and to Cabragh Wetlands to learn more on conservation and life on land’ said McGrath.
Students and teachers from the schools pictured here were amongst 320 people from 60 secondary schools gathered recently in Croke Park for the 6th annual Irish Aid WorldWise Global Schools conference ‘Connecting for Change’, where 34 of the schools were awarded WWGS Global Passports for their commitment to making the world a better place.
The conference – led by its MC, TV presenter Philip Smyth – consisted of school exhibits, interactive workshops, plenary discussions and was topped off at the end of the day with the students having a mini-protest on the issues they are concerned about such as climate change, the need to reform the direct provision system, trade justice and many other issues.