Send My Friend to School in 2010
On 11 June 2010 the World Cup begins in South Africa. It’s a momentous occasion and the first time this event has been hosted in Africa. Yet in Africa there are many millions of children miss who out on the chance to go to school.
In total, 72 million children are missing out on school around the world; nearly half of them live in Africa. World leaders have promised education for all in just 5 years time. This year’s Send My Friend to School campaign is linking up with the football world to ensure that we achieve a legacy of education for all from this year’s World Cup.
The challenge is is all about having a 1GOAL day (or assembly) in your school on 11 June when the World Cup kicks off. Get your learners to make and decorate a giant paper 'supporter scarf', showing their support for education for all and send it to the Prime Minister by the end of the World Cup in advance of a crucial Millennium Development Goals summit in September. All UK schools are invited to join in and obtain a free 1GOAL pack to support them in exploring global education issues and in enabling learners to speak up to world leaders who together have the power to bring about change and get every child into school.
To help your learners explore their responses to these issues there are stories, films and lesson plans available online. Learners will be given the chance to read the real life stories of young people in some of the world’s poorest countries and to learn about different barriers that make it hard for them to access or to stay in school.
Plus they’ll be able to find out more about their role as citizens who can help to hold their leaders to account and help to realise change. In particular, the campaign hopes to persuade our leaders to take action to keep their promise to provide education for all by 2015.
Schools throughout the UK will be hosting special 1GOAL assemblies and events on 11 June to tell everyone about Send My Friend to School and the 1GOAL campaign. Already, 4,000 schools have signed up to take part - more sign-ups will ensure that the campaign has a big impact! Together these schools will be part of a global movement, with millions of people joining in with special events in 100 countries around the world.
To finish up, who better to quote than South Africa’s former president, Nelson Mandela, who once said:
“If all the children of Britain act together you can be more powerful than any government. Together, you can be the generation that sees every child get the education that is their right.”
