How can teachers build communities that inspire environmental care? Artwork

Teachers' Voices

Teachers are one of the most influential and powerful forces for equity, access and quality in education. They provide children and young people with the knowledge, skills, attitude and tools needed to reach their full potential. Teachers' Voices is a podcast series from BOLD, the digital platform on learning and development. Join Nina Alonso as she shares powerful stories from teachers around the world, talking in their own words about their experiences, and listen in on inspiring conversations with international experts on learning and child development. If you're a parent, teacher, or just someone interested in learning and development, this podcast is for you. For more information, visit bold.expert

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Teachers' Voices

How can teachers build communities that inspire environmental care?

October 03, 2023 • BOLD and Nina Alonso • Season 3 • Episode 1

Welcome to the first episode in the third season of Teachers’ Voices. In this episode, Nina talks to Stefania Giannini, the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, in Paris. Stefania tells Nina that “education must be protected from all the threats around it, including climate change.” Education is also part of the solution, she says. Hear Stefania describe the four pillars of UNESCO’s Greening Education Partnership.

Nina also meets Jimmy Brian Kayangue, a former teacher now implementing teacher training in rural Malawi. Jimmy tells Nina about a tree planting project to bring back what has been lost to floods and cyclones. Teachers plant trees with the communities they teach in, Jimmy explains, and “they understand that they are agents of change in their communities”.

Next, Nina meets Francis Bizoza who works with teachers and students in refugee camps in North Uganda. Francis has been putting together a project-based learning curriculum for out of school refugee children, so they can preserve the environment. Francis also tells Nina about the importance of teaching about global citizenship. “It helps us to bring in a sense of responsibility irrespective of where you are – whether you're in your home country, whether you're in a different community.”

Lastly, Nina hears from Celia Hogan, an educator, author, and founder of Little Kiwis Nature Play in New Zealand. “The children, when we go foraging, they’re learning identification, they’re learning taste, they’re understanding the leaves of the different plants. It’s a connection to nature.” Celia tells Nina that the children often want to share what they have learnt with their parents, sometimes bringing them back at the weekend to show what they’ve been doing.

Guests and resources
Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO
LinkedIn
UNESCO’s Greening Education Partnership
On the road to COP 28: webinar series

Jimmy Brian Kayangue
LinkedIn
DAPP Supports Primary Schools to Plant More Trees

Francis Bizoza
LinkedIn
YouTube: The African Travelling Teacher

Celia Hogan
LinkedIn
Little Kiwis Nature Play

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