action for youth| United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Course Entering Rural Areas

In July 2024, the Nature Partners Rural Sustainable Development Summer Social Practice Team came to Buxia Village, Yayang Town, Taishun County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, Jiaxing City Cultural Center, and Xiaocun Primary School in Linhai City to carry out summer teaching activities. Based on the Sustainable Development Goals curriculum toolkit provided by the United Nations Development Program, the practical team brought students four courses on Sustainable Development Goals, climate action, underwater biology, nature and biodiversity, with a total of more than 100 primary and secondary school students participating. The members of the practical team received positive responses and praise from the students with vivid pictures, detailed data, fascinating cases and in-depth and simple explanations.

In June 2024, the United Nations Development Program and the China College Student Knowledge Promotion Program jointly launched the Movers4Climate "Green Rural Youth Action" to encourage college students aged 18-35 to participate in sustainable development social practice and build green villages through school teams. The aim is to improve young people's climate action literacy by teaching young people about sustainable development and climate knowledge, encourage young people to go to rural areas through supporting education, promote sustainable development and environmental protection education in rural areas, pay attention to rural green development, and bridge rural sustainability. Develop the education gap and ensure that no young person is left behind.

The Nature Partnership Rural Sustainable Development Summer Social Practice Team is jointly formed by Zhejiang Foreign Studies University, Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, China Jiliang University and the Nature Partnership Program. It consists of a total of 9 members. After application, it was successfully selected into the Movers4Climate "Green Rural Youth Action".

Action towards the Sustainable Development Goals

On July 8, the Natural Partner Rural Sustainable Development Summer Practice Team of Zhejiang Foreign Studies University came to Buxia Village, Yayang Town, Taishun County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province to hold a teaching summer camp. The teaching content focuses on sustainable development goals and underwater biology, mainly for local primary and secondary school students. Through vivid classroom explanations and interactive experiences, the teaching team introduced the concept of sustainable development to the children and its close connection with daily life. From energy conservation and emission reduction to garbage classification, from water and electricity conservation to green travel, children listen to every knowledge point with gusto, and their eyes twinkle with curiosity and desire for new knowledge. In a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, children learned daily environmental protection knowledge such as how to save water, reduce plastic use, and classify garbage. The teaching summer camp not only brings a rain of knowledge to rural children, but also plants the seeds of sustainable development in their hearts.

Photo source: Practical team of Zhejiang Foreign Studies University

Li Jue, head of Buxia Village, the summer camp project, said: "We very much welcome such teaching activities. The knowledge and enthusiasm of college students have a positive effect on promoting the sustainable development of our towns. We hope that such activities will continue and benefit more children."

Members of the teaching team said that they will continue to adhere to the original intention of "lighting up hope with knowledge and protecting green with actions", pass on more green concepts to more children, and contribute to the sustainable development of rural areas. They believe that in the near future, these children will become the backbone of promoting green development in rural areas and building beautiful homes.

Photo source: Practical team of Zhejiang Foreign Studies University

Climate action starts with small things around you

From July 17th to 19th, the Summer Practice Team of Natural Partner Rural Sustainable Development of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music brought an interesting sustainable development course to primary and secondary school students at the Jiaxing City Cultural Center in Zhejiang Province. The course focuses on climate action and aims to provide young people with an in-depth understanding of the situation of climate change and how to actively participate in climate action.

In class, Teacher Wang Hui of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music explained the ins and outs of climate change to his classmates and students in an in-depth and simple way through vivid pictures, detailed data and fascinating cases. "Since the Industrial Revolution, large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities have gradually warmed the global climate. This change is not achieved overnight, but has been accumulated over the past few decades or even hundreds of years. Nowadays, extreme weather occurs frequently, glacier melting is accelerating, and sea level rise is becoming increasingly serious, posing a huge threat to the survival and development of mankind." Wang Hui said.

The special video on climate change played in the classroom allowed the students to intuitively feel the impact of climate change, especially the scenes shown in the video after being hit by natural disasters, which made the students feel very shocked. Student Han Lele said: "I was really shocked when I saw those videos. I never thought that climate change would have such terrible consequences."

Regarding how to carry out climate action, teachers hope that everyone will start from the small things around them in class. For example, reduce unnecessary energy consumption and cultivate the ability to turn off lights and turn off electrical power at will.XiHabit; try to choose green travel methods in daily life to reduce carbon emissions; advocate garbage classification and improve resource recycling. The enthusiasm of the students was fully ignited. They actively spoke and shared their thoughts. "I think we can organize an environmental protection club in the school to regularly promote environmental protection knowledge." "We want to remind our families to drive less and walk or ride bicycles more."

The teaching team used scientific data and vivid cases to open up new perspectives for students to pay attention to climate change issues. "The teaching activities of the nature partner team of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music are of great significance. Their courses are rich in content and novel in form, giving students a new understanding and understanding of climate change and inspiring students 'determination to actively participate in climate action." The relevant person in charge of Jiaxing City Cultural Center said.

Photo source: Zhejiang Conservatory of Music Practice Team

Nature classroom sowing green seeds

On July 28, the Summer Social Practice Group of Nature Partners Rural Sustainable Development of China Jiliang University gave a wonderful nature course to students at Xiaocun Primary School, Taozhu Town, Linhai City, Zhejiang Province, focusing on nature and biodiversity.

In class, Yu Bangze, a member of the teaching group, explained to the students the impact of biodiversity loss, China's contribution to biodiversity protection, and five factors from the impact of nature on humans to biological disappearance. He took the children to experience the natural scenery of the scenic area and understanding the secrets of the migration of Asian elephants... These contents aroused the interest of the children on the scene and inspired their learning.XiEnthusiasm, a lively classroom atmosphere, and students also actively participated in interactions.

Students from Xiaocun Primary School who attended the class said that they did not realize how biodiversity was related to them before class and thought that it was just the work of uncles and aunts from the ecological and environmental protection department. However, during class, they realized that they also can make some contributions to biodiversity, such as saving electricity, recycling paper and other seemingly small actions can also make a contribution to the earth.

"Although there is only one class, it allows students to basically understand some knowledge about biodiversity. Interactive teaching also exercises children's thinking skills and plants a seed of environmental protection in children's hearts. Further germinate young people's desire to protect nature. "Yu Bangze said.

Photo source: China Jiliang University Practice Team

This teaching was a two-way trip between the teaching team and students. The teaching team members and students were filled with emotion and gained a lot.

This time, I deeply felt the power of education. It not only conveys knowledge, but more importantly, touches the hearts of children and sows the seeds of environmental awareness. I believe that these children will become little envoys of environmental protection in the future, use their own actions to influence the people around them, and jointly protect our beautiful earth home. I also firmly believe that the power of education is infinite. It can ignite hope, stimulate potential, and ultimately move the world. -- Li Yitong, a member of the teaching group and an undergraduate student at Zhejiang Foreign Studies University

What touched me the most during this teaching was that a little boy told me after class that he would never pick up bird eggs again because he knew that they were the hope of birds to reproduce. This detail made me understand that the significance of teaching is not only to impart knowledge, but also to let children realize the importance of biodiversity through these specific examples and plant the seeds of protecting nature in their hearts. These seeds will eventually bear fruit in their actions, bringing more green and hope to the world. -- Yu Bangze, a member of the teaching group and an undergraduate student at China Jiliang University

Seeing those videos and data, I really understood that climate change is not far away from us. It is around us and affects our lives. -- Zhou Keyang, a student at Jiaxing City Cultural Center

The vibrant jungle was cut down by humans, and high-rise buildings and power stations were built. The fewer jungles, the fewer organisms, and some rare species will be on the verge of extinction. Almost all of this is caused by our over-exploitation of natural resources and failure to care for the environment. -- Ding Ting, a student at Xiaocun Primary School (West Campus), Taozhu Town, Linhai City

We firmly believe that every young person can become a force in promoting social progress. Let us hope together that these green fires will surely shine more brightly in China's future journey of green transformation.