The Student Voice: A Catalyst for Change
Niamh Guiry, PhD Researcher
University College Cork School of Law
Some days it really does feel like we’re living in an age of round-the-clock catastrophe. From the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and forced displacement as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to the ongoing climate and biodiversity crisis, if you are to believe the click-bait headlines, the demise of humanity and our planet is all but inevitable. Climate change has become an unwelcome reality, and you can’t turn on the news or scroll through Twitter without seeing photos of extreme weather events or reports of rising greenhouse gas emissions. Many students are feeling overwhelmed and demoralised in light of these catastrophes, and I don’t blame them. However, despite it all, I believe that there is cause for hope.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has a significant role to play in the creation of a sustainable and inclusive world. Rooted in principles of social justice and equality, ESD can have transformative impacts on learners by empowering them to take action on a personal, community, and global level. Students are the building blocks of ESD, and they have the ability to enact influential and long-lasting change. A clear example of the power of students and young people can be seen in the ‘Fridays for Future’ movement. This youth-led global movement has mobilised millions of people around the world and helped propel the climate crisis onto centre stage. At a university level, the Green-Campus Ireland programme is an example of a student initiative that has had far-reaching impacts. This programme, which aims to promote environmental education and awareness, was spearheaded by a group of dedicated University College Cork students in 2007, and today, over 40 organisations across Ireland are Green Campus members.
Student partnership in ESD allows the cultivation of genuine student-educator relationships from which both students and educators benefit. A ‘students as partners’ approach to ESD can enable students to actively engage in their classes and the design of curricula, empowering them to act as equal co-creators of their learning journeys. There are numerous ways to incorporate student partnership into teaching and learning activities, and by listening to the concerns and needs of students, the impacts of ESD can be maximised. Many students are already leaders in community groups and youth activist organisations, and they can offer critical knowledge and unique insights into sustainable development challenges. Students have never been so engaged with climate issues, and there is great demand from students to not only incorporate ESD challenges into their classes but critically engage with these complex and sometimes contentious issues.
There is a range of resources available to help educators integrate ESD into their teachings and cultivate these invaluable partnerships. The SDG Toolkit, developed by University College Cork, is an example of a useful online resource that can be used to map the linkages between the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and one's modules, programmes, and discipline and allows staff to consider how and where they can implement collaborative learning practices and enhance student experiences. Correspondingly, Advance HE and Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) have developed an informative document ‘Education for Sustainable Development Guidance’ to help educators embed ESD into their curricula. By utilising the resources available to us and sharing examples of good practice, Higher Education can embrace ESD and help students to become proactive learners and positive agents of change.
Climate change is our current reality, and every fraction of a degree counts. The time to act is now, and ESD needs to become a call to action for students and staff to step up and make their voices heard in our universities and beyond. I said that I think there is cause for hope. But let me be clear. I am choosing to be hopeful. I am choosing to fight for the future of our people and planet. I am determined to make sure that the apocalyptic future that so many write and speak about never comes into being. And I am not alone. Students around the world are rising up, and our universities and lecturers need to stand and act with us. The SDG Accord, created at the EAUC Conference in Lancaster in 2017, is a good example of an ambitious global initiative that is working to increase institutional knowledge of the SDGs, whilst increasing student and staff capacity to tackle sustainable development challenges. The Accord currently has 297 signatories and embodies a holistic, collaborative approach to ESD which we must continue to strengthen and build upon as the 2030 SDG deadline fast approaches. The overarching goal of ESD is to equip learners with the skills, knowledge, expertise, and confidence to understand and tackle complex sustainable development challenges. If students and staff come together, collaborate, and learn from one another, we can achieve this goal, and so much more.
Niamh Guiry is a PhD Researcher at University College Cork School of Law and delivers communications for UCC Green Campus.
If you found this an interesting read and want to directly engage with our growing network, join us as an EAUC Member today!
University College Cork School of Law
Some days it really does feel like we’re living in an age of round-the-clock catastrophe. From the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and forced displacement as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to the ongoing climate and biodiversity crisis, if you are to believe the click-bait headlines, the demise of humanity and our planet is all but inevitable. Climate change has become an unwelcome reality, and you can’t turn on the news or scroll through Twitter without seeing photos of extreme weather events or reports of rising greenhouse gas emissions. Many students are feeling overwhelmed and demoralised in light of these catastrophes, and I don’t blame them. However, despite it all, I believe that there is cause for hope.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has a significant role to play in the creation of a sustainable and inclusive world. Rooted in principles of social justice and equality, ESD can have transformative impacts on learners by empowering them to take action on a personal, community, and global level. Students are the building blocks of ESD, and they have the ability to enact influential and long-lasting change. A clear example of the power of students and young people can be seen in the ‘Fridays for Future’ movement. This youth-led global movement has mobilised millions of people around the world and helped propel the climate crisis onto centre stage. At a university level, the Green-Campus Ireland programme is an example of a student initiative that has had far-reaching impacts. This programme, which aims to promote environmental education and awareness, was spearheaded by a group of dedicated University College Cork students in 2007, and today, over 40 organisations across Ireland are Green Campus members.
Student partnership in ESD allows the cultivation of genuine student-educator relationships from which both students and educators benefit. A ‘students as partners’ approach to ESD can enable students to actively engage in their classes and the design of curricula, empowering them to act as equal co-creators of their learning journeys. There are numerous ways to incorporate student partnership into teaching and learning activities, and by listening to the concerns and needs of students, the impacts of ESD can be maximised. Many students are already leaders in community groups and youth activist organisations, and they can offer critical knowledge and unique insights into sustainable development challenges. Students have never been so engaged with climate issues, and there is great demand from students to not only incorporate ESD challenges into their classes but critically engage with these complex and sometimes contentious issues.
There is a range of resources available to help educators integrate ESD into their teachings and cultivate these invaluable partnerships. The SDG Toolkit, developed by University College Cork, is an example of a useful online resource that can be used to map the linkages between the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and one's modules, programmes, and discipline and allows staff to consider how and where they can implement collaborative learning practices and enhance student experiences. Correspondingly, Advance HE and Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) have developed an informative document ‘Education for Sustainable Development Guidance’ to help educators embed ESD into their curricula. By utilising the resources available to us and sharing examples of good practice, Higher Education can embrace ESD and help students to become proactive learners and positive agents of change.
Climate change is our current reality, and every fraction of a degree counts. The time to act is now, and ESD needs to become a call to action for students and staff to step up and make their voices heard in our universities and beyond. I said that I think there is cause for hope. But let me be clear. I am choosing to be hopeful. I am choosing to fight for the future of our people and planet. I am determined to make sure that the apocalyptic future that so many write and speak about never comes into being. And I am not alone. Students around the world are rising up, and our universities and lecturers need to stand and act with us. The SDG Accord, created at the EAUC Conference in Lancaster in 2017, is a good example of an ambitious global initiative that is working to increase institutional knowledge of the SDGs, whilst increasing student and staff capacity to tackle sustainable development challenges. The Accord currently has 297 signatories and embodies a holistic, collaborative approach to ESD which we must continue to strengthen and build upon as the 2030 SDG deadline fast approaches. The overarching goal of ESD is to equip learners with the skills, knowledge, expertise, and confidence to understand and tackle complex sustainable development challenges. If students and staff come together, collaborate, and learn from one another, we can achieve this goal, and so much more.
Niamh Guiry is a PhD Researcher at University College Cork School of Law and delivers communications for UCC Green Campus.
If you found this an interesting read and want to directly engage with our growing network, join us as an EAUC Member today!
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