How do our actions in our own school or in the nearby environment affect climate? Or the realisation of human rights? The global dimension of sustainable development focuses on these specific topical and value-loaded issues that preoccupy children and young people. Read more about sustainable global education and the solutions it offers for solving the challenges that affect us all.
Globaali ulottuvuus
Photo: Hanna Ruusulampi, Opetushallitus

Author: Riikka Suhonen, MA, Doctoral Researcher and International Affairs Coordinator

The examples presented on this page focus on the context of secondary school and upper secondary education, but can equally well be adapted to other levels of education.

Global challenges such as climate change, inequality and displacement are complex, wicked problems.

The global dimension of sustainable development focuses on these specific value-loaded and topical themes that preoccupy children and young people. By discussing global challenges in a pedagogically responsible way, it is possible to contribute to responding to the polarisation of society and politics by creating hope, understanding and shared activities instead of anxiety and confrontation.

Behind the concept

Sininen maapallo, jonka ympärille on piirretty lyijykynällä sydän

Although global citizenship education as a concept has become more common in the past 15 years, it has a long history. Terms such as international education, education for international understanding, global education and global responsibility have previously been used to refer to it.

The term currently used by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO is global citizenship education when referring especially to the social and cultural dimension of sustainable development: intercultural dialogue, gender equality, human rights, peace and prevention of conflicts. With the term education for sustainable development, on the other hand, UNESCO refers to discussing themes related to climate change, ecological sustainability and responsible consumption and production.

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Global Education is education that opens people’s eyes and minds to the realities of the world, and awakens them to bring about a world of greater justice, equity and human rights for all.

– Maastricht Declaration, 2002

The idea of global citizenship does not exclude local or national identities – in fact, to be able to have a global identity, an individual needs to have a local identity of their own. What is essential is an understanding of interdependency and a sense of a connection with and responsibility for the rest of the world.

The goal is not only information-based learning about a global challenge, such as climate change, but taking action to solve the problem. In addition to information and discussions, learners should gain an experience that they can exert influence and their thoughts are genuinely listened to.

Vihreä piirros neljästä linnunpoikasesta pesässään huutamassa ruokaa

Global citizens make efforts to change the world, but make responsible decisions themselves instead of looking for the “right answers” given from the outside. Decision-making based on well-founded information and critical thinking skills are necessary in a world governed by a flood of information, hate speech and populist, simplified claims of one single truth. Global citizenship education emphasises an understanding of the root causes of complex problems and critical examination of different points of view.

Values are at the core of global citizenship education as it is not insignificant what kind of set of values we build the future on. The examination, development and expression of diverse values and opinions are linked with learning, thinking and taking action alike. For example, an ethical compass focusing on the key values of the global dimension: responsibility, fairness, interpersonal relationships and the systemic relationship with the world can be used as a tool for learning.

In other words, global citizenship education is not an actual school subject or learning content, but rather a holistic way of understanding the importance of learning. In models based on critical pedagogy, the goal is personal and societal change.  Inclusive and transformative learning enables learners to challenge generally accepted truths: Is a world relying on capitalism and technological progress the only possible world? How am I part of the global structures that maintain inequality?

Only after questioning things can we begin to imagine and finally build a fairer and more sustainable world.

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Sustainable development and active citizenship have not been part of teacher education, but now all teachers are still expected to be ready to bring these issues up in their teaching.

– A VET teacher’s answer in a survey related to sustainable development

The amount of the available information and teaching material may be confusing at first. What may feel even more difficult is that there are not necessarily any unambiguous answers to global issues.

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an excellent starting point for looking at the connection between local and global activities.  NGOs and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs have produced a wealth of material related to the SDGs for teachers. Tips and support for environmental and climate education have also been compiled on the website of the Finnish National Agency for Education.
A teacher may open new worlds to the learner and support the child, young person or adult in crossing their boundaries. On the other hand, issues related to sustainable development also give the educator an opportunity to learn from children and young people. The global dimension theme selected by the learners can be examined in cooperation with NGOs, local authorities, companies, research institutes, artists or museums and libraries.
Because exerting influence is a central topic in global citizenship education, especially in upper secondary education, local or national decision-makers can be invited to have discussions with students on how the local and global level of sustainable development come together in politics.
Verbalising the global dimension into a project with defined objectives, resources and a timetable may make concrete implementation of the themes easier at the level of educational institutions. Doing things together is also more inspiring, more visible and more effective. The institution of the author of this article is implementing an Erasmus+ cooperation partnership in which VET teachers in three different countries are trained in sustainable development and global responsibility and students are brought together to learn with one another.
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Can you raise your hand and say that you have not encountered any form of hate speech at school?

Human rights are closely tied with global themes and crosscut the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Repair skills and ethical consumption

Human rights and global sustainability issues can be examined through corporate responsibility and the production chain of consumer goods, for example. The environment is being destroyed and human rights are being trampled on to enable companies to make as much profit as possible and consumers to get cheap clothes, electronics or food.
For example, you can explore the ecological and ethical footprint of a T-shirt with learners, in other words, the environmental and human rights consequences of making a product. Excellent material on responsible consumption and production is available on the websites of Pro Ethical Trade Finland or the Martha Organization.

Anti-racism and striving for equality

People often have an impression that human rights violations take place only “somewhere else” as they consider Finland a country where equality and equity prevail as a rule. However, a report by the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman (2020) states that racism occurs in Finland at all levels of education, starting from early childhood education and care. Furthermore, forced labour has recently been detected in Finland, particularly in the restaurant and cleaning sector.
In addition to anti-racist pedagogy, you can learn about equity and discrimination at school by reading the Älä oleta – Normit nurin [Don’t assume – Getting rid of norms] guide and in the world of work, by watching the Yksittäistapaus [Individual case] series of short films and doing the exercises related to it. Learners can familiarise themselves with international human rights work, for example, by participating in Amnesty’s letter-writing marathon.

Climate change and the refugee crisis

In addition to conflicts, climate change and global inequality are among the root causes of displacement. The climate crisis threatens the realisation of many human rights especially in the global south, but international politics also plays a role. As an international actor, to what extent is Finland responsible for the fact that the Mediterranean has become a mass grave of more than 20,000 people between 2015 and 2020? These controversial, complex issues can be discussed at school with the help of the support material produced by the Finnish Refugee Council or the Koulu maailmaa muuttamaan [School to change the world] project.
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We live on the shared and only earth, which has ecological limits. Every person has the right to live a dignified life. In the same way, other living beings have a right to live.

The global dimension of sustainable development is revealed by these sentences. In fact, the core of sustainable development as a whole lies in the interaction between local and international. Educational institutions have an important role not only in conveying knowledge related to sustainable development to learners, but also in making a change and taking action. Sustainable development requires an understanding of the global consequences of taking local action – and those of not taking action.

It is already urgent. It is time to take action. Shall we do it together?

Vihreä kädenjälki
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