Transformation
of Humanities Association
Youth International Education Club „NEWLINE“
Academy of Post-graduate Education
"OUR
BELARUS: DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES"
Interactive Internet Game
November 16, 2007, 12.00 - 15.00 (GMT+2)
TASKS OF THE GAME
Read carefully
all the tasks of the game, and choose those questions, that seem to
be interesting and relevant to you. Using all your research skills and
all possible sources of information, formulate your own answers to the
selected questions as complete as possible. When using other materials
to compose your answer, please don’t forget to put direct links to the
used sources (including direct URLs to web-sites).
1.
The Earth Charter – is a document presenting fundamental
principles for creating a just, sustainable and peaceful global society
in the XXI century. We propose you to share your opinion about the idea
and ways of this document’s realization in life of the country and each
of us in particular: Where and why this document was created? What are
the main purposes of it? How doest it look structurally? Which of the
leading ideas in the Charter are the very ethic bases of globalization
processes in the XXI century? Do you think realization of sustainable
development ideas is possible without gaining a common feeling of interconnectedness,
sharing of common responsibility for the future of people and all the
living on Earth? (please, give a detail answer to that question). What
can and have to young people do in Belarus to contribute to implementation
of sustainable development principles within our country and on global
level?
2.
Agenda 21 – is basic action program for transformation
towards sustainable development, according to which it is assumed that
strategic approaches for achieving sustainable development should be
flexible, diverse and should reflect the complex level of relationship
between a person and environment. Where was the Agenda first presented?
What was the main reason of its creation?
Agenda 21 consists of three main development strategies, which should
be realized simultaneously on various levels of influence: global and
local. What are these strategies? How do you think, what changes can
help us to act more effectively in making a difference towards sustainability
in our region? Should it be global changes, which are created externally,
but expectedly reaching us too after some time; or local – when differences
in a community happen only through direct active involvement of people
from this community? How do you understand a thesis “think globally,
act locally” (îáîñíóéòå ñâîþ òî÷êó çðåíèÿ). What is the meaning of “community”
is this document? What is the difference between local and global communities?
Which of them is more effective in solving development issues in life
of each of us?
We propose you to reflect on development strategies chosen by the world
community and present your version of the ways how these strategies
can integrate into activities of your local (school) communities.
3.
The Millennium Declaration identifies eight development
goals to be reached until 2015, which were formulated on the basis of
agreements and resolutions of international UN conferences, summits
and events on high level. Achievement of these goals is widely considered
as measure criteria indicating effectiveness of common activities for
sustainable development.
Which of these goals are the most relevant for Belarus? How each of
us can contribute to meeting these goals? Can you try to define your
own, personal Millennium Development Goals? Do you think it is necessary
to complete the list of the eight goals with additional ones? Can you
please give your suggestions on that? What kind of a result you think
the Millennium Declaration can have, when assuming that every individual
is involved in achievement of the goals? How can we effectively positively
influence the world we live in? What can we do today?
4.
General adherence of the world community to sustainable development
ideas, supported in Agenda 21 and other UN documents, refers to all
the countries in sharing common responsibility for strengthening interconnected
platforms of sustainable development (not direct quotation) . Belarussian
answer to this global challenge is presented in the National Strategy
of Sustainable Socio-economic Development up to 2020. When analyzing
this document, please propose your version of strategic priorities,
mechanisms and conditions for development and support of actions taken
by Belarussian young people (i.e. representatives of the generation,
who are able to a) provide in Belarus a situation, when “children live
better than their parents”, b) become bearers of ideas of sustainable
socio-economical development, «locomotives of economic growth», â) to
have active life approach to initiatives, organizations of various communities
and this way providing harmonized relationships in triad “person – environment
- economy”).
5.
The Earth Charter, Agenda 21, the Millennium Declaration and
National Strategy of Sustainable Socio-economic Development up to 2020
– is a system of international and national documents, defining strategic
priorities, tasks and mechanisms to organize representatives of human
communities in common actions against the human civilization destruction
and for choosing the solutions which would support further development
and expansion of human potential. How do these documents correspond
to each other? What are their differences and similarities? Who and
why needs to understand the ideas they promote? What did you learn from
these documents when participating in “OUR Belarus: development strategies”
game?
When sending your answers to the organizers, please, do not
forget to include:
- name of the team, your school or organization;
- names, school grades and age of all members of your team;
- names of teachers and/or other assisting friends, colleagues.
PLEASE NOTICE: your answers should be sent by 15.00 to all from the
following email addresses: newlineclub@gmail.com, yiecnewline@tut.by,
yiecnewline@gmail.com (just copy them together, when composing your
email. We need it to make sure that everyone’s answer is received).
We
hope that our cooperation has been successful and fruitful for you!
We are really looking forward to seeing you at our master-class «We,
the World, Belarus – development strategies» that will be held on December
1, 2007 at Minsk Acedemy of Post-graduate Education (date and place
to be confirmed additionally). We also would like to invite you to join
the ongoing internet discussion of World We Live In Internet project
(http://wwli.iatp.by, for subscription to the discussing list, please
email us your name and address to yiecnewline@gmail.com), as well as
keep yourself updated about other initiatives of Youth International
Education Club NEWLINE and International Education and Resource Network
in Belarus. For more information, see: www.newlineclub.net, www.iear4u.com.
THANK
YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE GAME!
YIEC NEWLINE TEAM
