One World Week
Begins on the Sunday of the week of 24th October (UN Day) every year.
A week of awareness and action on issues such as injustice, the environment and poverty.
About the event
Established in 1978, One World Week seeks to raise awareness of global issues and to encourage the community to take action locally to change things which are unjust, that damage the environment and that cause poverty. The week also seeks to celebrate being part of a diverse but interconnected world. United Nations Day (24 October) always falls in One World Week. With community events organised internationally, this is a week to call for cooperation, compassion and collective action.
How to approach it
There are many different ways to approach this week with such a broad range of possible topics. On the whole, focus should be on the interconnectedness of the world’s peoples, their problems and how collectively, we can solve them. Beyond this feel free to focus on what most interests you or your students. You could, for example, cover a specific area in the world and how its problems such as poverty, climate change or social justice are interconnected with ours. Some examples of this could be exploring how what kind of food and clothes we buy is connected to the wellbeing of those that produce it. The Map Your Meal toolkit is a great option for assessing the social and geographical impact of our food systems.
Alternatively, you could take a big, globally relevant topic such as climate change and compare how it impacts different communities around the world. Check out these lesson plans on the impact of climate change in Bangladesh and the Brazilian Amazon for some inspiration. Finally, make sure to close out your event, discussion or lesson with focus on what we can do to solve these global problems. This might include talk of local community actions, national actions or how communities can work together internationally.
Conversation starter
What global issue do you care the most about? How does the issue affect you compared to different communities all over the world? In what ways are these effects similar? In what ways are they different?
