Bringing the United Nations Millennium Development Goals into daily classroom activities

Incorporating the Millennium Development Goals in your program doesn’t always require lengthy units. It can be done through your existing current events discussions. Here’s a resource that can help…  

Free The Children’s Global Voices program includes Craig and Marc Kielburger’s column in the World and Opinion Section of the Toronto Star. The weekly column presents social issue stories often based on Marc and Craig’s eye-witness accounts and personal experiences. 

This year, classroom resources include a student information sheet related to the article that describes geographic and political context along with key definitions. Teachers can use the series of guiding questions included to stimulate class discussions and potentially launch full research projects. 

Students can visit the Global Voices website at http://www.thestar.com/news/globalvoices to submit comments related to the weekly columns and read articles written by youth called Global Voices Junior Journalists.

Linking current and archive articles into discussions gives students a human context through which to understand the importance of the Millennium Development Goals.

Give this a try:

Part One

1) Introduce Millennium Development Goals 6 (combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases) and 7 (ensuring environmental sustainability) with facts similar to the ones below:

• 2 million children die each year from infections spread by dirty water or the lack of toilets. [1]
• 1.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.4 billion people lack access to proper sanitation facilities.[2]

2) Direct students to links below of Global Voices columns related to water. Alternatively, you can print out hard copies.

• Clean Water in Kenya is a Rare Luxury (May 11, 2006)
• Drought Saps Kenyans Dreams (March 30, 2006)

Note: Lesson plans are included in each of these archive columns.

3) After reading articles, students can generate questions for additional research or discuss how achieving the related Millennium Development Goals could positively affect people featured in the columns.

Part Two

Introduce Millennium Development Goal 8 (create an equitable world through fair trade, sufficient aid and debt relief for the world’s poorest nations) with key facts like the one below.

• Between 1970 and 2002, the poorest African countries received $294 billion in loans, paid back $298 billion in interest and principal, but still owed more than $200 billion. If debt relief is made a priority and poor governments no longer need to worry about repaying debt, they can spend more on necessities like food, clean water, housing, healthcare, jobs, education and building their economies.[3]
• Businesses That Keep Giving Back (September 17, 2007)
• How the Gift of a Cow Can Change a Life Forever (April 12, 2007)

Sign up to receive the weekly Global Voices program by visiting Free The Children’s website at http://www.freethechildren.org/forms/toronto_star_mailing.php, and bring the Millennium Development Goals into your classroom today.
 

Regards,
Catherine McCauley, M.Ed.
Director of Teacher Development
Free The Children

Free The Children is the largest network of children helping children through education in the world, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has an established track-record of success, with three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.