Sustainable Development supports children's positive attitude towards the future
Sumaya Haidarian and Jaana Autio open the door to a large group room at Kalevanharju daycare center. The benches are filled with various pieces of clothing, and Haidarian points with her hand in the direction of the clothes.
– This is our changing market place. Here, old clothes or items can quickly find a new user, smiles Haidarian.
The changing market is part of the practical work of Sustainable Future -project, and Haidarian and Autio are part of the Sustainable Future working group.
– Families have been bringing and taking things with them. This changing market place has been very popular, says Sumaya Haidarian.
– The feedback from families has been good. For example, a child who just moved to Finland got a hockey helmet for outdoor games here. So equality is also achieved through this, continues Jaana Autio.
Sustainable Future is part of UN's 2030 Agenda
Equality is one of the key themes in Sustainable Future and Development activities. The aim is to ensure good living conditions for present and future generations. In the big picture, Sustainable Development is part of the UN's 2030 Agenda, which aims to eradicate extreme poverty and secure well-being in an environmentally sustainable way.
Cities have an important role to play in Sustainable Development, and Tampere is committed to pro-development perspectives. These aspects are social, cultural, ecological and economic.
– It is not just about collecting rubbish. Sustainable Development is a multidimensional entity, sums up Aaltio.
Autio says that, especially in recent years, the Sustainable Development has become more systematic and awareness has been spread more widely.
– There is a lot of Sustainable Development material coming in, and we at the Sustainable Future working group bring this material to the attention of our own units, explains Autio.
So how does sustainability translate into children's activities? Haidaria and Autio say that one of the best things has been the ability of children to absorb the message that adults are conveying. Treating other people well and understanding others is the main point of equality. Haidarian and Autio also agree precisely on the importance of leading by example. Empathetic and understanding interactions between adults are communicated to children, and children use the examples they learn also at home.
– Children learn through the example of adults, and they pass on the knowledge to their homes, says Haidarian.
Understanding and empathetic interactions are reflected in the way children behave with each other.
– When a child needs support, we can use a variety of tools to help them talk. For example, if talking or producing speech is not yet possible, pictures are very effective. With the help of pictures, children have even formed sentences or shared their feelings, tells Autio.
– They can also use pictures to tell others about their day. This is another example of the social dimension in Sustainable Development, continues Haidarian.
Spreading awareness is one of the challenges
It is also noteworthy to notice that education for a Sustainable Development is not seen as a value choice, but as a curricular necessity. Education for Sustainable Development encompasses ecological values, cultural heritage and ethical thinking. As early childhood education and care pedagogy is based on play, any issue can be addressed through play.
Autio recalls how play was a way for children to get to know another culture.
– One day, a child asked to watch a recording of a parade that was important to the family and celebrated in their culture. The other children were very enthusiastic about this, and during the outdoor play, the children played the parade together in the yard, smiles Autio.
One of the challenges of Sustainable Development is spreading awareness. In the past, Sustainable Development could be understood as simply recycling rubbish, when in reality, Sustainable Development is about perceiving, understanding and dealing with multiple dimensions. For example, recycling involves empathy and respect for nature, in addition to sorting rubbish to trash cans.
– In nature, the children received an illustrated letter from a stuffed dog asking for help in picking up and sorting litter. The children showed their compassion for the stuffed dog and nature by thinking of different ways to help, explains Autio.
In other words, a sustainable future is a multi-perspective approach, where younger children learn from their parents.
– When we adults set an example of how to help and behave here at work, the children pick it up and treat others better, says Haidarian.
