Creating sustainably conscious global citizens through human stories

The above quote might be one of the most used quotes in reference to sustainable development. For me, the big question is how we make sustainable development resonate with pupils inside the classroom so that they are inspired to be sustainability ambassadors in their local communities and beyond.

At Lyfta we bring global learning and sustainability to life by inviting students to experience a range of cultures and perspectives through our immersive and interactive platform. Students have the opportunity to see, and form a connection with, positive human stories from around the world, which help them engage with their responsibility as global citizens.

We believe that students have the potential to build a more empathetic, peaceful and sustainable world, and as educators, it is our responsibility to inspire and empower the younger generation to elevate the societies of the future.

To help practitioners, we have worked with the British Council to develop our highly-rated CPD course on global learning, available to teachers as part of the Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning programme.

The first thing we ask teachers on our course is how familiar they are with the Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals or SDGs. Typically, we find the vast majority of teachers are completely unaware of them.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all the UN member states back in 2015 and 'provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet'. The 17 SDGs are central to this and provide an excellent framework for schools to introduce sustainability, global learning and diversity into their curriculum.

Lyfta is a powerful tool to bring the global goals to life in the classroom, with all content and resources mapped and searchable by SDG. The platform provides a way for teachers to transport their pupils to experience slices of life from across the world, to broaden their horizons and expand their cultural capital.

Students meet new people and explore new places and communities through interactive spaces and powerful short films on the platform linked to the SDGs. These model the key skills and values that our young people need to be sustainably conscious global citizens.

By being introduced to a real person and hearing their story, students are able to develop a sense of empathy and are reminded of their responsibility for others.

Through exploration of our storyworlds, students also come across important concepts around sustainability, as well as important philosophical questions around how to go about creating a better, more just and sustainable world.