This year's Sustainable Development Goals and the 'Worlds Largest Lesson'

All Nord Anglia students are empowered to make a difference and to positively impact the world. Through our collaboration with UNICEF, students participate in meaningful activities to effect change in their schools and communities at large. To focus these efforts on specific goals, UNICEF annually challenges Nord Anglia students to raise awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals, which are a collection 17 goals set by the United Nations regarding social and economic development issues. 

This year’s Global Challenge 

With the 2018/2019 academic year underway, Nord Anglia students across the world are gearing up to take fresh action on the Sustainable Development Goals. (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/) 

This year, we are focusing our efforts on goals 4 and 16, which are all about inclusive education, peace and justice, and ending violence against children. 

Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 

Achieving inclusive and equitable quality education for all will require increasing efforts, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia and for vulnerable populations, including persons with disabilities, indigenous people, refugee children and poor children in rural areas. 

“In some parts of the world, students are going to school every day. It’s their normal life. But in other parts of the world, we are starving for education…it’s like a precious gift. It’s like a diamond…” — Malala Yousafzai 

Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies 

This goal is dedicated to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, the provision of access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels. 

"If you want peace, work for justice." — Pope Paul VI 

Ending violence against children 

Statistics show that at least 1 of every 2 of the world's children have experienced some form of violence. Goal 16 has a particularly strong focus on ending the abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children. We’re looking forward to how our schools will be raising awareness on this incredibly important topic throughout the year! 

The bring the Sustainable Development Goals to life in Nord Anglia Education schools, teachers use additional materials, lesson plans, films, comics and activities from the World’s Largest Lesson, an organisation whose purpose is to reach every child in the world with a lesson about the goals, and to encourage them to know how to act. 

So far, World’s Largest Lesson has helped bring lessons into more than 160 countries, with materials published in 10 languages!

For creative ways to take action or to bring the SDGs to life in your school, visit https://www.globalgoals.org/ 

For teachers who are interested in using these resources in the classroom, there is a convenient online course called “Want to teach the SDGs?” here. 

To learn more about NAE’s collaboration with UNICEF, click here.