"Our World, Our Dignity, Our Future"
15.02.2016 – 17.02.2016
What do you need to be satisfied and happy? What serious problems are there in our world and why? And how can I myself ensure that our world gets better?
From the 16th to 18th of February 2016, about 180 students from 7ieme met in order to discuss these questions. Eight Luxembourgish NGOs (ASTM, Caritas Luxembourg, Comité pour une Paix Juste au Proche Orient, Chrëschte mam Sahel, Frères des Hommes, Kindernothilfe Luxembourg, OTM Haïti and SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde Luxembourg) organized, under the direction of the Cercle de Cooperation of the ONG, three mornings of activities to expose students to sustainability issues such as hunger, education, water, consumption, climate and justice. These topics are part of the 17 sustainability goals that were adopted by the United Nations on September 25, 2015 and have applied worldwide since the beginning of 2016. By 2030, the United Nations wants to work to combat these conflicts and problems in our world in a sustainable way.
At the beginning, the students were introduced to the topic of the sustainability goals. They had to discuss their ideas of a satisfied/happy life in groups. In some groups, there were quite heated discussions about whether a smartphone is actually necessary for a happy life or not. In the end, however, most students agreed that values such as family, peace and health are of fundamental importance to them. Individually the students could then deal with the various sustainability goals in more detail through discussions, presentations or games. They did not only get to know the fatal problems that arise, for example, from our consumption patterns, but also developed approaches and solutions with which they can actively contribute to a better world. The results were presented on posters or in the form of sketches. The commitment, creativity and critical self-reflection of the students in the individual activities particularly impressed the animators of the NGOs. The event was rounded off by the presentation of the school’s own NGO, “Athénée-Action Humanitaire”, which had been founded by a group of committed teachers. The students were able to find out how they can get involved in sustainable development at their own school.