Southern Voices in Global Education work

According to one definition the objective of global education is to open people’s eyes and minds to the realities of the globalised world and awakens them to bring about a world of greater justice, equity and Human Rights for all (Maastricht Declaration 2002).

Teksti: Anni Vihriälä

One of the interesting parts of this definition is to reflect on what are the realities of the globalised world that we try to open people´s eyes and minds to. And from where do we take these realities?Traditionally the global education projects are being designed, planned, implemented and evaluated in the global North. The target group are people living in Finland, a factor that needs to be taken into consideration all the time when planning the project and when choosing which methods to use. But what could be the global South´s role in the projects? How much should the role of Southern voices be taken into consideration in the global education projects?Kepa organises three peer learning meetings focusing on the role of Southern voices in global education. The first meeting (held on March 15th 2013),  focused on the personal experiences of the participant. There were four goals set for the meeting: to become aware of one´s own perceptions on Southern voices in global education, reflect on the added value of Southern voices in global education, gather inspiring and functioning methods and draft the next meeting together with the participants.In the first meeting we discussed making conscious decisions in using Southern voices, using stories, the global aspect of global education (how much global education should be done in the South?) and how authentic the Southern voices should be. In the inspiring experiences personal encounters were highlighted. In the same discussion the participants pondered upon how to create similar insights without having to make people fly around the Globe. The discussion on the participation of diaspora community will most certainly continue in the next meeting.Based on their individual exercises participants drafted their own learning question in the beginning of the meeting. These learning questions and gathering of inspiring methods will be continued in the next meeting among other themes. We welcome also new participants to the meetings! The meetings can also be held in English based on demand. More information on Kepa´s Event calender.Lue blogikirjoitus suomeksi