Global Action Plan launch paper: Values to Transform Our World
Young people have grown up in a consumerist culture that reinforces values of self-interest which research1 shows are harmful to our emotional health, our communities and the planet.
Global Action Plan has published a paper aimed at school leaders but relevant to anyone with an interest in the future of education. The paper suggests a framework for student wellbeing and a healthy planet, drawn from decades of academic research.
Luke Wynne, Head of Youth and Schools at Global Action Plan said: “We believe that a focus on values in education is urgently needed. Schools have an important role in helping young people explore a more positive set of values, which can improve wellbeing and increase the chance of them getting involved in environmental social action.“
So what can schools do? To make it as easy as possible, teachers and their students can access a set of free, teacher-rated, values-themed resources on the Transform Our World online resource hub.
One of these resources is Global Action Plan’s Goals for Good toolkit, which inspires young people to set goals rooted in things that really make them happy, rather than material and often unachievable notions of ‘success’. The Goals for Good programme has been tested under experimental conditions, with preliminary results revealing a shift away from materialistic values among participants.
Global Action Plan want to support teachers and their students to explore how the values that are reinforced by the world around us impact on our wellbeing and our environment.
Research shows that engaging young people at a values, rather than a behavioural, level can result in broader and deeper environmental and societal action.
References
1 Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (2001). Be careful what you wish for: Optimal functioning and the relative attainment of intrinsic and extrinsic goals. Life Goals and Well-Being: Towards a Positive Psychology of Human Striving, (116–131).
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Access catch up content from the Transform Our World Youth Summit
As a Transform Our World user, you can access the content from the Transform Our World Youth Summit and catch up on the content across three themed days, looking at individual actions we can do, people in power we can influence and the importance of living our true values.
Follow the links below and check out the timestamp guide to navigate the content.
All the best,
The Transform Our World team
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