Working With Children Young People and Families getting involved in Sustainability Week
Having recently spent time clearing out the bungalow of an elderly relative, I have been struck by the changes within attitudes towards consumerism and our impact on the environment. Born in 1930, my relative – Doris – was born in the inter-war period, in The Great Depression (a period of national economic downturn following the First World War, and Wall Street Crash). This was a period where families owned little and the motto was “Make Do and Mend!”. You certainly did not throw anything away frivolously; clothes were often hand-made, knitted, and passed on. Things were made to last (the oldest item found in her house being from 1895. A prayer book from 1906, and a bed warmer and a dinner set both over a hundred years old). These were items that still had life and usefulness in them, and not for throwing away. In fact we hardly threw anything away, and much was recycled to charity shops or repurposed to a local school and nursery.
Then I go home, to items which have been massed-produced for large well-known brands – to make profit. Cheaply made household items from Ikea, Sainsburys, Marks and Spencer, Currys, Amazon, which – when (not if!) they break – will more than likely be thrown away, for land fill, and a replacement bought …. because (probably) that will be cheaper (and easier) than mending said-item.
More than ever, this experience has left me thinking about my own carbon footprint, and the environmental devastation that today’s generations are leaving behind. Indeed one charity shop that I donated to over the weekend had a sign in the window emphasising the fact that the fashion industry is the biggest culprit to landfill. Fashion is the capitalists way of convincing us that we need more clothes to fit in and be accepted into social circles (do we really need that extra pair of shoes or that 50th pair of jeans?)
4th – 6th March 2024 was Sustainability Week in the UK, and in BA (Hons) Working with Children, Young People and Families, environmental sustainability is embedded throughout our curriculum. Birmingham Newman University Strategic Plan commits us to the Brundtland definition of sustainable development which states ‘Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, Part One, Chapter 2, paragraph 1). Furthermore, The UN world summit in 2005 established the idea that sustainable development is not confined merely to environmental sustainability, but also encompasses economic and social sustainability. QAA guidance on Education for Sustainable Development [ESD] in Higher Education defines it as ‘the process of equipping students with the knowledge and understanding, skills and attributes needed to work and live in a way that safeguards environmental, social and economic wellbeing, both in the present and for future generations.’ (QAA, 2014, p.5).
Certainly exploring the historical narratives for how families and societies have come to be in the situations they are in today are important, but looking forward and considering how today’s actions have consequences for tomorrow’s children in the UK, and globally. Therefore, graduates in WCYPF are aware of the wider world, and the complexities within it. In terms of global citizenship, graduates in WCYPF take an active role within their community to create a fairer and sustainable environment.
In terms of environmental stewardship, graduates in WCYPF consider connections and interactions in relation to WCYPF and the impact on the wider family and social environment.
WCYPF graduates develop a future-facing outlook; learning to think about the consequences of actions, and how systems and societies can be adapted to ensure sustainable futures. They understand how the distribution of opportunities, wealth and privilege can impact of society and therefore on the well-being of children, young people and families considering ideas social justice, ethics and well-being.
Interested in finding out more about BA (Hons) Working with Children, Young People and Families at Birmingham Newman University ? Please contact c.monk@staff.newman.ac.uk
Dr. Claire Monk
Senior Lecturer – WCYPF