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March 2010 Update
News from UNESCO Associated Schools
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Dear Contact Teacher
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Welcome to the March 2010 update from UNESCO Associated
Schools in the UK.
This update is part of a regular series of newsletters which aims to highlight events and resources available to support activities in member school across the UK. Unless specified, the activities listed are not
organised or sponsored by UNESCO Associated Schools in the UK.
We are delighted to announce that
we now have 56 members in the network and are continuing to grow steadily. We also
have some exciting new teaching resources for you and we hope you are able to
join us for the Annual Conference on 28 June where Sir Keith Ajegbo, author of
the 2007 diversity and citizenship curriculum review, will give the key note
speech.
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UK school takes part in
UN videoconference
|  On 26 March 2010 students at Sheldon
School, Wiltshire took part in a
videoconference organised by the United Nations HQ in New York to discuss the impact of the slave
trade. Sheldon School
was joined by members of UNESCO Associated Schools in the Gambia, Ghana,
Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States for the event. The
videoconference was opened by Kiyo
Akasaka, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and
Public Information.
This was the 3rd annual videoconference organised by
the UN and this year's theme was "Expressing
Our Freedom Through Culture". To prepare for the event, the participating students had explored
the impact of the slave trade on the culture of enslaved Africans and how it
influenced the culture of the countries they lived in once they were freed. The
students from Sheldon
School had researched
and prepared a presentation on the theme 'the Contribution of Freed Slaves to
British Culture'.
The students said: "we are
very excited to taking part in an experience that will be truly international
and interactive. We've never done anything like this before". Talking about what
they had learnt during their research, the students said: "without the influence
of the freed victims of the transatlantic slave trade on culture, religion,
education, music, food and politics, Britain would be half the country
it is today". See the UN website for more information.
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Jurassic Coast student named UK Young Scientist of the Year
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 Thomas Hearing, a student who worked on a Jurassic Coast
World Heritage Site (WHS) research project, has been named UK Young Scientist of
the Year 2010. Thomas who is a student at the Thomas
Hardye School
in Dorchester, spent six weeks working with
the Jurassic Coast Team. As part of his placement he was mentored by Dr Anjana
Ford, education coordinator for the Jurassic Coast Team.
Thomas' project examined the erosion of one of the World Heritage Site's
key fossil locations - the Ammonite Pavement on Monmouth Beach near
Lyme Regis. He was selected to exhibit his research at the
national Big Bang Science Fair in Manchester
where he was awarded UK Young Scientist of the Year 2010 during a glitzy ceremony
as part of the fair's finale. Thomas' science project forms part of the Thomas Hardye
School's commitment to
the UNESCO Associated Schools programme as it has actively contributed to the
science and conservation of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. One of the key
elements of the new Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site management plan
is an
education programme that actively engages young people in the
conservation and
interpretation of the Site.
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Annual Conference 28 June - Local Learning, Global Citizenship
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Join us for our Annual Conference: Local Learning, Global
Citizenship on 28 June at Missenden Abbey Conference Centre in Buckinghamshire.
This will be a great opportunity to meet other teachers from schools in the
UNESCO network and share experiences. Take part in hands-on workshops and get concrete
ideas for how you can meet your curriculum targets by take forward local
learning and global citizenship in your school. The event is free and all
teachers from schools that are members of the UNESCO network can apply for a
travel grant. You will shortly receive an invitation to the event in the post. Please
contact abreivik@unesco.org.uk to
register.
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New online forum and free training session
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We
are delighted to announce that we are piloting a new online forum where
you can take part in projects, discuss study themes with other teachers in the UK network and
interact with schools from abroad. UNESCO Associated
Schools in the UK now has a dedicated area on Connecting Classrooms Online, a
website administrated by the British Council. Many of you are will already
be familiar with Connecting Classrooms and Global Gateway through your international school links. The forum will be a great opportunity to engage with
UNESCO issues and broaden your teachings of the study themes.The forum will be
used to share information and facilitate international collaboration projects,
including ideas for celebrating international days in your school.
International days are a great way of bringing to life the global perspective
in the classroom and engaging your students with issues that affect people across the globe. The projects will be enhanced by the input of schools from
outside the UK and create a platform for discussion of relevant issues. Contact Leo Vincent at lvincent@unesco.org.uk to register and get access to the forum.
As this
is a pilot scheme, the British Council is offering free regional training to members
of UNESCO Associated Schools to help teachers to explore the possibilities of
using this new and exciting online platform as well as deal with any technical
questions. The first training session will be held in London on 22 April 2010 4:30 - 6:30. To book
a free place, please email lvincent@unesco.org.uk.
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International Year of Biodiversity 2010: Competition
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 To help you celebrate the
2010 International Year of Biodiversity, we have launched a biodiversity information
pack and competition for schools. You should already have received a hard copy of the Biodiversity is Life pack in the post earlier
this month. We are planning a special edition newsletter on biodiversity in April.
A great way to mark the International Year in your school is to
take part in our competition which aims to find the school that best communicate
the important messages of the International Year. The competition is open to
all primary and secondary schools in the UK. Participating schools are asked
to devise a creative and effective campaign that can spread the messages of the
International year of Biodiversity to their local community. Schools can submit
a poster, collage, brochure, video or podcast. There will be prizes for the
best entry in each category and for runners up. The deadline for competition
entries is 28 May 2010. For
further information please see www.unesco.org.uk/iyb
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International Year of Biodiversity 2010: Posters
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By now you should have received your International Year of
Biodiversity 2010 poster in the post. We also have a limited number of posters
in the other 5 official UN languages: French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and
Arabic. Contact lvincent@unesco.org.uk to request your free poster.
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The United Nations Matters
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 All secondary schools in the
network will over the next week receive a copy of The United Nations Matters, our new teaching pack which offers an
accessible and comprehensive introduction to the United Nations. The pack aims
to develop students' understanding of the UN system and how it works for peace,
development and human rights. The pack includes teachers' notes and a CD ROM
with lesson plans (including curriculum links), student worksheets and
additional resources. An electronic version of the pack is available from www.unesco.org.uk/unmatters
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FORTHCOMING UN DAYS AND WEEKS
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2010
Global Action Week:
Education for All
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Join members of UNESCO Associated Schools around
the world and take part in the 1Goal Lesson for All on 20 April to mark the
2010 Global Action Week. The Global Action Week promotes Education for All and happens
every April. The Global Lesson is a moment in which children, teachers, parents
and people around the world unite in their demands for education for the 72
million children worldwide who are still out of school. Last year 14 million
people took part in the Global Lesson. This year the theme is 'financing
quality public education: a right for all'. The Global Action Week is organised
by the Global Campaign for Education and is supported by UNESCO. To register
and receive the schools pack, please email khanyi@campaignforeducation.org |
3 May: World Press Freedom Day
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 To coincide with World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, we have
prepared a factsheet and activities for schools to help you celebrate this
important international day. The materials will be available on our new online
forum. You can also contact lvincent@unesco.org.uk
to receive a copy of the resources.
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INTERNATIONAL UNESCO EVENTS
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International Model UN Summer Camp - Maryland, US
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The UNESCO Center for Peace in Fredrick, Maryland
is organising its annual International Model United Nations from 18 - 31 July 2010.
The two-week summer camp is open to US and international students. During this
time, participants will learn basic diplomatic and conflict resolution skills through a
simulated United Nations conference. Participants are also given the opportunity
to study American culture through field trips, English language and American
history classes, and are offered a workshop on preparing successful applications to
American colleges and universities. The fee for this program is $2200. This includes room and board, food (3 meals a
day), and field trip transportation costs.
For more information about camp, please see www.unescocenterforpeace.net
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Heritage and
Environment Conference in Russia
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A UK
delegation (1 teacher and 1 student) will have the opportunity to take part in an
international conference for UNESCO Associated Schools titled "the Natural
and Cultural Heritage of the Great Rivers of the World". The event is organised
by the Russian National Commission for UNESCO and will be held on 27 May - 2
June, 2010 in the Siberian city of Khanty-Mansiysk.
All delegations are invited to make presentations on activities relating to the
environmental protection of great waterways in their region. The working
languages of the Conference are Russian and English. Board and lodging and all
the activities in Khanty-Mansiysk will be covered by the conference host.
Participating schools will have to cover their own travel costs.
The Conference is dedicated to the UN Decade on
Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). This is a great opportunity
to meet teachers from other UNESCO Associated Schools around the world, share
experiences and learn more about UNESCO and sustainable development. If your school would like to take part in the
conference in Khanty-Mansiysk, please contact Anne Breivik on
abreivik@unesco.org.uk or 020 7766 3460 as soon as possible. The deadline for
registration is 15 April 2010. |
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| UNESCO Associated Schools
in the UK is part of a global network of schools promoting quality education.
The UK
network supports the integration of international perspectives in schools and
promotes the values of UNESCO, including human rights, mutual respect and
cultural diversity. For more information please contact Anne Breivik,
UK National Coordinator (020 7766 3460 /abreivik@unesco.org.uk) or see www.unesco.org.uk. |
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