Education for Change

Joy of Learning

Care and Share

Thrust Area: Cooperation for Sustainable Development

Group Size: Up to 60

Time: 15 Minutes

Material: None

Objective

To help participants realize the importance of sharing and working together for achieving a common goal.

Procedure

Divide the group into teams of about 10-15 players each. There is no limit to the number of teams, but the teams should have equal number of players ( as far as possible).

The players should not carry any object other than what they already have on themselves, e.g: they are not allowed to carry books, but they are allowed to keep on their watches, ribbons and other things they have on them.

After the players are ready, tell them that each team represents a country.

The task for each team is to make a 'line'. The line represents their progress on the path to Sustainable Development. They cannot draw a line in the real sense, but they are to make a line using the objects they have with them. The time given for making the line is 60 seconds.

The team which has the longest line wins.

Discussion

Can the environmental crisis be resolved through cooperation within and amongst nations?

Just as all individuals can contribute to conserving the environment, all nations also have a role to play. The roles may be different depending on the country (just as the contributions that made up the line are different). For example, a developed country may have to concentrate on reducing the highly consumptive life style of its people. It may have to help its citizen's adopt more environment friendly goods and technology, whereas another country may have to concentrate on reducing the growth of its population and on decreasing poverty.

What is the significance of individual contributions in a common cause?

Environmental problems – pollution, deforestation, green house effect, ozone hole – all seem large and complex. But the solutions for these problems are not all big and complex. Even small actions can contribute to solving the problems. Small actions alone will not solve the problems…..but they will help. Every individual has a role in contributing to environmental conservation and Sustainable Development. Actions that individuals take in different capacities at different levels can help in progress towards Sustainable Development.

Source : Meena Raghunathan and Kalyani Kandula (1999) 'Towards a Green Future: A Trainer's Manual on Education for Sustainable Development', Centre for Environment Education.