The BA Educational Studies program looks at all aspects of education, including policy, the psychology of education, teaching and adult education. The Capstone Course aims to make students aware of some of their choices beyond becoming teachers by exploring other career options through interviews and conversations with professionals in education-related fields and by applying their learning from the program to authentic community-based contexts.

Seven students from the program met with UNESCO Project Officer Katja Anger and UNESCO Chair Charles Hopkins to understand UNESCO麓s role within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and learn about the efforts in achieving quality education, in particular through the of more than 12,500 schools worldwide.

Students explored how to best explain sustainability, the SDGs, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) or Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in video segments and created three educational videos 鈥� from conceptualizing, scripting, performing, shooting, editing, and finalizing the video product.

"Participating students had been passionate about sustainable development, climate action, and social justice before. Yet, with their new knowledge and an opportunity to have an impact beyond the classroom, they saw that their voice was important and felt empowered to make a difference now and in the future," said Celia Popovic, Undergraduate Program Director, Academic Programs in the Faculty of Education.

The student videos will now be shared with UNESCO Associated Schools in Canada and beyond and other young people will have the opportunity to engage with the perspectives and perceptions of their peers.

"The videos present young voices to the discussion of our global challenges today and tomorrow," said UNSECO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability, Charles Hopkins. "This project is one example of 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Education seeking ways to respond to the pressing challenge inherent in United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."

Taking part in this initiative has allowed my partner and I to become more knowledgeable as global citizens and as change makers in our community. It is critical that ESD is applied to all aspects of our lives, as this will create significant change and transformation - Bachelor of Arts Educational Studies degree program students Andreana Cassar and Vanessa Ramos

91亚色 is internationally recognized for its commitment and contributions to addressing the SDGs through teaching, research, stewardship and partnerships as outlined in the University Academic Plan. 91亚色 offers over 1600 courses related to at least one of the SDGs and funds ground-breaking research to advance 91亚色鈥檚 contribution to the SDGs. For their positive efforts, 91亚色 was recognized among the World麓s TOP 35 universities in impact for sustainable development by the renown 2022 Times Higher Education Impact Ranking.

Article written by Celia Popovic (Undergraduate Program Director, Academic Programs) and Katrin Kohl (Executive Coordinator to the UNESCO Chair)

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There is a powerful tool that can help to address the interconnected global challenges of our time, including climate change, loss of biodiversity, poverty and inequality 鈥� and this tool is education.

Yet how do we hone such a tool to enhance its application and impact? How do we ensure it can be effectively used in different circumstances and communities across the globe? Such questions are at the core of the career-long efforts of Charles Hopkins, 91亚色鈥檚 UNESCO Chair, who received the 2022 Clean50 Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in reorienting education systems towards sustainable development and fostering cross-sector collaboration.

Climate challenges affect us all 鈥� and they cannot be resolved by anything less than a collaborative approach, says Mr. Hopkins. 鈥淲e need to create linkages between governments, academia, business, industry, the arts and civil society. What is required is a sense of responsibility and engagement from everyone to advance a common goal: a better future for all, while 鈥榓ll鈥� is not limited to humans.鈥�

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