International Educational Excellence Committee responsibilities include the promotion of the DGK and United Nations relationship and, therefore, the Committee on Teaching About the UN (CTAUN).
Several committee members were able to attend the 2016 conference held at the UN Headquarters in New York in January. In addition to “hosting” the second worst snowstorm the city has seen, the conference provided information and resources for members and educators to develop global awareness in schools and communities around the world.
The focus of the conference was: Stewardship for a Sustainable World: Education in the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). With 17 SDGs, they are amazingly interwoven and include No Poverty, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Affordable and Clean Energy, Climate Action, and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. From the panels about ending hunger and to those on taking care of the earth, topics lent themselves to every level of education. A spotlight moment was given to Christine Leronimo, the author of A Thirst for Home: A Story of Water Across the World, which would be a great read-aloud in any elementary classroom.
Sustainable Development Goals can only be reached if we all work together: these are values we share as educators and as human beings. For more information and the date of future conferences, visit www.ctaun.org.
