The second half of the week we looked at how as young people they could make a change in the world. This involved thinking about their own passions and values; what was really important to them, whether it was their family, sport, or trying to make a positive change in the world. This led on to introducing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, considering how these goals are not independent of each other but can be linked in so many ways. We also discussed the concept of social action and through assessing different case studies of previous social action projects, providing inspiration and motivation to start thinking about planning their own!
Using SMART goals as a guideline the remainder of the week was spent planning their own projects based on Sustainable Development Goals. They decided in groups to focus on the following goals:
Good Health and Well Being – creating a community garden and fitness group across Tsinga University schools to promote healthy living among pupils and the local community.
Climate Action – aiming to tackle the amount of pollution produced in Beijing; raising awareness and starting small.
Quality Education – aiming to provide reading and schooling materials for under-privileged schools in Beijing.
Zero Hunger – tackling poverty in Beijing through raising awareness and regular fundraising activities.
On the final day, the groups presented their ideas to the School Principal and a number of senior teachers, who were incredibly supportive of their projects questioning different aspects of their plans in order for improvement. We spent the final afternoon reflecting on the past week, creating a tree, full of the young people’s passions, skills and future aspirations.