I’m Maria Manacheril, one of four MUN directors at the American School of Doha, and I had the privilege of attending the MUN Impact Summit in New York in mid-April along with one of my students, Hannah Kollen. The entire weekend was so energizing and we couldn’t wait to bring new ideas back to our school. When we returned to Doha, ASD had just kicked off their Spirit Week, which included dress-up days like Pajama Day and Squad Day. I thought, “why don’t we have an SDG Squad, where students can represent an SDG of their choice all day?”I ran the idea past two of our student leaders who are involved in MUN, GirlUP, and EFFECT, and the idea was met with enthusiasm. Hannah and Brodie, along with our service coordinator, Chi, helped me spread the word. We sent out a Google form asking students and teachers to sign up for their SDG ahead of time to help minimize color printing. The participants either wore a white shirt or wore their spring break service trip shirt. Many of them graciously agreed to be photographed for social media. I asked everyone to hold on to their SDG tile after the day was over, to display it on their lockers, notebooks, laptops, etc., to help increase visibility and awareness of the global goals.
What I loved was that each person in our squad is playing a role in making sure we reach these goals by 2030. Some of them are taking environmental action like composting, reducing plastic use, and switching to a plant-based diet. Others are advocating for human rights, girls’ rights, the right to an education, and more. And many of them (not just the teachers!) are working towards Goal 4.7: “ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.” I encouraged each squad member to keep promoting these SDGs, but more importantly, keep taking action. Our actions don’t have to be grand or expensive. Small steps can make a huge impact, especially when we are consistent.
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Maria is the leading MUN Impact advocate in Qatar, and will be working to initiate a professional learning discussion around Target 4.7 (global education) and MUN. See our Target 4.7 page for more information.