Saolta Global Citizenship Education Training Series
The Training of Trainers Programme- Why it is essential.
In a time of increasing global challenges and uncertainties that threaten our very existence- a transformation of how we think and act, is urgently required. We need to develop the skills, values and attitudes that will support us to lead a just, sustainable and equitable world for present and future generations.
This urgent call to action is delineated in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development- or the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Target 4.7 of SDG 4, Quality Education, explicitly states that by 2030 all learners must ensure to “acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development… through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development”
UNESCO (2023) advocate for education systems to respond to our pressing global issues by “defining relevant learning objectives and learning contents, introducing pedagogies that empower learners, and urging their institutions to include sustainability principles in their management structures”.
Global Citizenship Education (GCE) is a recognised strategic response to all of these challenges.
The principal tenet of the Irish Governments’ Global Citizenship Education Strategy 2021- 2025 is to embed GCE into the Irish Education system and to build capacity among every educator and education practitioner to deliver quality Global Citizenship Education.
Saolta are the strategic partnership programme, wholly funded by Irish Aid, with responsibility for embedding Global Citizenship Education into the Adult and Community Education Sector in Ireland.
We achieve this through a variety of approaches. One such element is the delivery of high quality CPD in Global Citizenship Education, specifically tailored to suit the needs of Adult and Community Education Practitioners. This is our Training of Trainers.
By participating in this programme, participants will be able to:
1. Develop an in depth understanding of what Global Citizenship Education is and how global, regional, national and local issues are interdependent and interconnected.
2. Develop critical awareness of the need for sustainable development and the relevance of the SDGS to working practice.
3. Reflect on one’s own role as an educator within the GCE and the sustainability discourse
4. Critically explore the four pillars of GCE: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Systems Thinking, and Active Citizenship- develop the practical skills to use these foundations in their andragogical practice.
5. Effectively support students to develop and apply critical skills for civic literacy, including critical inquiry, information technology, media literacy and social responsibility.
6. Support students to develop values of fairness and social justice, and to participate in, and contribute to, contemporary global issues at local, national and global levels as informed, engaged, responsible and responsive global citizens.
7. Nurture a respectful, inclusive and interactive learning environment, foster attitudes of care and empathy, taking into account of a range of classroom factors such as equality, inclusion, student voice and use of space.8. Draw on globally-oriented and diverse learning resources that help learners in understanding how they fit in the world in relation to their local circumstances.
If you are not based in the North East but would like to have this training programme delivered in your area, please get in touch: alice@saolta.com or martin@saolta.com