“Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for All” is one of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
In 2015, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Agenda proposes a plan of action to benefit people and the planet while promoting peace and prosperity.
Motivated by universal peace and justice, the plan includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of which is Goal 4: Quality Education.
The fourth goal has the objective of promoting learning opportunities for all. Education is what allows people to live with dignity and contribute to their communities.
The Agenda relies on mutual engagement and littleGIANTS recognizes the importance of reinforcing quality education that is provided in an inclusive and equitable manner.
The exceptional littleGIANTS teams in our Centres located in Guatemala City and Panajachel focused on this SDG during January and February 2020 so that all the children know that they have an inalienable human right to education and that it should be available for everyone.
The children of littleGIANTS learn about their right to quality education
“Education” is equal to “opportunity”. These are two great words that no one should ever forget or take for granted. The educators at littleGIANTS reenforce the formal education of the children through an integral after-school program. This time, an invaluable project took place in Panajachel focusing on:
- Children understanding the necessity of quality education in all levels and contexts.
- Community is conscious of the importance of inclusive education.
- Children recognizing the ways they can demand the respect of their fundamental rights.
Through the project children are familiarized with the reality of the educational system of Guatemala. They participated in activities that developed their social consciousness and leadership skills to be able to request the respect of their their human rights.
In a space that promotes dialog, reflection, analysis, and teamwork, children participate in the following activities:
- Screening of informative videos about the goal of Objective 4, and the panorama of education in Guatemala
- Experience of a cinema forum on the adversity facing those with disabilities.
- Analysis of two amazing biographies: Malala Yousafzai, an activist that fights for girls education and Luis von Ahn, a computer expert, businessman, and professor.
- Dramatization of a news story to analyze the educational standing of the country.
In this project, at the littleGIANTS center in Panajachel, 16 of our remarkable children aged 6 to 12 participated. They are not the only ones that receive this information, they are agents of change and share these facts with their friends, families, and communities.
The impact of quality education in sustainable cities
Goal 11 aims to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.” Children, becoming agents of change, is the key to the development of communities and the solution to many of the problems that the world faces.
Through understanding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), littleGIANTS educators promote citizen participation.
Involving children in activities that contribute to society is part of quality education. To achieve this, the children at littleGIANTS have participated in the following activities:
1. Creation of the Sustainable Development Goals Mural
Sharing information is the same as giving opportunities. How would children be able to contribute to their community’s development without knowing the problems that exist or the solutions? Through these brilliant murals, their curiosity is stimulated, hence opening a window to the world.
2. Presentation of the SDGs
littleGIANTS of Zone 12 in Guatemala City shared with children at Orden de Malta School their knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals and the actions that their community can take to contribute to the planet. The secret is in receiving and sharing information! littleGIANTS are recognized as change agents bringing information to 45 students of another educational establishment.
3. Community Project
Promoting civic participation, should be the goal of anyone who wishes to offer quality education. On the 30th of January, 2020, children from littleGIANTS worked on beautifying the neighborhood of El Carmen in Guatemala City. They each contributed 8 hours of community service towards cleaning streets and painting sidewalks. This activity benefits 125 families in the area.
The SDGs and childhood: now and together. The challenges are enormous, but with quality education, sustainable cities, and alliances to reach our goals, we will continue fighting.
The Sustainable Development Goals gather together the most urgent problems: the issues of the planet and the needs of children that cannot wait! It is possible to change the world, but we must do so NOW and TOGETHER. littleGIANTS fights for the children of Guatemala. Will you join our cause?