Ireland to Gambia and back

Linking schools together throughout the world is one typical way in which Development Education works. Recently DCI funded a project involving 32 schools in Northern Ireland and the Republic organised by a Derry based organisation Children in Crossfire. The focus of the schools links was on sustainable development and included students exchanging project work, speakers visiting schools as well as schools coming together for focus days. Schools in Ireland, North and South were linked with schools in Malawi and Colombia.

Six teachers involved in the project also travelled on a study visit to the Gambia to get a better and more defined understanding of development and underdevelopment issues. One teacher from Derry, Kerry Galvan of St Peter’s High School commented:

‘The trip has given me an invaluable insight into both the problems and the hope that is present. This far exceeded my expectations. To be so close to people with so little was a humbling experience, but the projects and work being done was so uplifting and inspiring.’

DCI also funds One World Week

One World Week is a youth focused awareness raising, education and action that takes place throughout Ireland during the third week in November every year. During One World Week youth leaders, community workers, teachers, development workers, students and young people learn about local and international development and justice issues and engage in action to bring about change.

One World Week is co-ordinated by NYCI and is funded by DCI, Christian Aid, Trócaire, Concern Worldwide and Action Aid Ireland. Each year One World Week has a particular focus – for example, in 2003 the theme is that of Conflict and Peace.

Development Education ...and other social and political educations...

As it has been described in the previous pages, development education clearly has much in common with many other forms of social and political education. Human Rights Education, Peace Education, Multicultural Education, Education on Race and Race Issues, Environmental Education and, ultimately Citizenship Education all have strong overlapping features and characteristics as well as concerns with development education.

Each has its own distinct and specific character and focus and some of these are briefly outlined below:

• Human Rights Education – explicit concern with human rights, their definition, origin and implementation, exploration of economic, social, political and cultural rights, rights and responsibilities, international declarations and covenants, specific rights abuses (torture, unlawful imprisonment etc.)

• Environmental Education – explicit concern with issues relating to environment and to the interface between the bio-physical and social worlds, the environmental costs of much of modern economic development and its future legacy and it challenges models of growth that emphasise the human dimension only.

• Peace Education – focus on issues of conflict and peace, strategies and experiences for promoting peace and reconciliation, different traditions of dealing with conflict, the spiritual dimension of peace, mediation issues etc.

• Multicultural Education – explicit concern with issues of culture and cultural identity, comparative focus on the role of culture in society and in development, challenging ‘Eurocentric’ and ‘Ethnocentric’ constructions of the world, valuing diversity etc.

What these types of social and political education have in common with development education is:

• a core set of values (respect for self and others, a sense of social responsibility, a sense of belonging and a commitment to learning)
  
• a common set of ideas and understandings (about relationships and power, technological change, disparities in human living conditions, about democracy, governance and citizenship etc.)
  
• a recognised need for core capabilities and skills (communication, social, intellectual and action skills)
  
• acceptance of the need to provide formative opportunities and actions within learning (working individually and co-operatively, sharing responsibility and ownership, participation, making connections etc.

Finding out more...
Recommended:

80:20 Development in an Unequal World
Wananchi
UNDP Human Development Report

Information on these resources may be found in the Publications section and the DevelopmentEducation.ie website