Global Awareness at Slemish College –putting the needs of others first!

The Starbucks coffee morning on Wednesday, was an overwhelming success with buns and refreshments being served to begin the fund-raising process. On Friday the College undertook not just a Sports ‘Mile’, but a Sports ‘850 mile’ run with everyone from students to school secretaries completing a mile or more around the grounds.

The week wasn’t just about raising money however, as a key aim was to encourage the students to learn about others in our global community who are less fortunate than themselves. The highlight was perhaps the annual Community of Enquiry Day On Thursday, March 22, during which the year 9 students were faced with a moral dilemma, what would they do to help a rural village in Africa if they had £5000?

The themed learning day offered real insight into the challenge faced by humanitarians and charities as students were introduced to the village and the many problems that it faced including polluted water, insufficient health care, unemployment, inadequate housing and unsustainable farming. Unfortunately the £5000 could only solve one of these problems and here the students began to develop thinking skills and personal capabilities that are so vital to in the modern workforce.

The teams were encouraged to be inquisitive and discerning as they visited teachers who donned costume and posed as ‘experts’ in fields such as agriculture, construction and healthcare. After gathering information about how each ‘solution’ could improve the lives of the villagers of Nkwasi (the rural African Village) the teams developed a proposal outlining the viability and sustainability of potential projects.

The day was a thoroughly enjoyable one with guest appearances from U2’s Bono (Geography teacher Mr Manson) and Dolly the goat who was a very visual reminder of the already successful charity campaigns in which animals such as goats are gifted to developing countries to enable them to be self sufficient. Event organiser and Director of Learning Michael Bennett stated, “This has been the most successful Global Awareness week to date and to raise £3000 in just one week is a credit to the whole school community. It’s particularly encouraging to see the students working together for the good of others. I’d like to thank everyone at the college for their commitment and enthusiasm which is especially evident during events such as these.”