Climate Change in My Backyard
With COP21 quickly approaching, the need to discuss issues surrounding climate change is becoming ever more imperative. In October, our team joined Polar Bears International in Churchill, Manitoba to connect youth around the world with experts working in the area of climate change. Through live environmental webcasts, students were able to get a glimpse into the Canadian Arctic and gain an understanding of the future of climate change and how they can help protect and sustain the environment. Our Executive Director, Jennifer Corriero, who joined Polar Bears International in the Tundra, recently posted a blog, Can one person really make a difference?, to share her experience.
As a part of this discussion TakingITGlobal is embarking on a collaborative storytelling project with youth around the world and we want your help! Climate Change In My Backyard will help document and showcase the many ways that our own backyards are impacted by climate change. Submissions will be featured in our workshop at the Conference of Youth in Paris this week, along with other exhibition opportunities in 2016.
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Connect your classroom to a global stage
Make video conferencing a part of your classroom experience with Global Encounters! As a part of TakingITGlobal’s Education program, Global Encounters connects students from around the world to the people behind the stories, giving first hand accounts of what life is like in the midst of the challenges your students are studying.
Educators are provided with customizable teacher’s guides and lesson plans on the topics of each video conference. Rather than talking about, students talk with; rather than watching a video, students have an authentic conversation. Global Encounters encourages students to take these learning experiences and become active agents of change in their local and global communities.
To learn more or join an upcoming video conferencing event, visit Global Encounters or email us as at encounters@tiged.org
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TakingITGlobal Celebrates Global Dignity Day
For this year’s Global Dignity Day in Canada, TakingITGlobal co-hosted a national conversation with classrooms in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nunavut! In connection to this conversation, TakingITGlobal has launched a Global Gallery Art Collection in partnership with the Samuel Family Foundation titled "What does belonging look like?".
The Global Dignity Day celebrations reach youth in 50 countries and highlight the idea that we need work together to make sure everyone feels a sense of belonging and dignity. Living a dignified life is a human right. We invite you and your students to join us in a movement of fostering Social Connectedness by creating artwork on the theme of belonging to be featured in our Global Gallery and at upcoming events in 2016.
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Sprout Ideas Summer Camps
Over the summer, TakingITGlobal facilitated five free entrepreneurship summer camps for 150 students across Barrie and the Greater Toronto Area. Through Design Thinking activities, campers from Grade 9 to 12 had the opportunity to develop a project or prototype with social impact that they pitched to a panel of experts at the end of the week for a chance to win a grant to kick-start the next step of their idea.
Over the five weeks, campers developed prototypes from energy saving devices to websites and apps that offer support to LGBTQ+ youth. The entire TakingITGlobal team was incredibly inspired by seeing the campers delve deeply into their issues and observing as their projects begin to change from ideas to actual goals they hope to achieve. As one camper stated, “the mentors gave me more courage to pursue my social issue project because I realized that carrying out my project isn't nearly as difficult as I thought”.
We can't wait to see how their projects evolve! Interested in bringing this approach to your school or city? We're licensing the Sprout Camp curriculum to community partners across the globe - let us know if you'd like to host one!
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Education for Social Innovation in Europe
We are excited to work with the Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA) to deliver a custom offering of our fourth professional development course, Education for Social Innovation, which was co-designed with a team of educators from the Toronto District School Board.
For this cohort, we have educators joining us from six European countries for a blended learning experience. The course provides the participating educators with a better understanding of social innovation and entrepreneurship, and its impact on communities. By the end of the course educators will have designed and implemented projects where students develop deep learning competencies as they create initiatives to serve their schools, communities, and the planet. We can't wait to see the impact spread across the region!
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