Global Students
Shaping Our World
Each day, our actions have an impact on others; we live in an interdependent and unequal globalised world. Consider where the food you have eaten today came from, who made the clothes you are wearing, even the device you are reading this on - every choice we make bears influence on how the future will be shaped, and we can make a positive impact by reflecting on and changing our behaviour to create a world based on equality, justice and sustainability.
Our Development Education team wants to inform, encourage and inspire young people to understand the global challenges facing all citizens today so here we share content for you to engage with. Find suggestions of what you can do below. Please send any recommendations that could be featured on this page to [email protected] for us to share with other Global Students.
Look out for Sustainable Development Goals on this page. If a piece of content relates to a particular goal, you will find the icon alongside it.
Watch
Get inspired by how people are standing up to injustices to people and the planet by viewing these videos.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | TedGlobal | The danger of a single story
Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice - and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
Kimberlé Crenshaw | TEDWomen | The Urgency of Intersectionality
Intersectionality is a term describing how characteristics like race, gender, sexuality, education level and more can “intersect”. It aims to understand how different people's experiences are shaped where multiple forms of oppression interact.
ENDEVER | The True Cost: Who Pays the Real Price for YOUR Clothes
The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically. This documentary was made following the collapse of Rana Plaza in 2013 and invites us into the lives of the many people and places behind our clothes.
Brendan Smith | TEDxGalway | Characteristics of a Future City – Wilderness, Farms & Smart Devices
Using Galway as an example, Brendan Smith makes the case that, as well as relying on smart technologies, cities have to be characterised by organic farms, community gardens, waterways, outdoor classrooms, Greenways and local community stakeholders.
Happen Films | Living the Change: Inspiring Stories for a Sustainable Future
A feature-length documentary that explores solutions to the global crises we face today through inspiring stories of people pioneering change in their own lives and in their communities in order to live in a sustainable and regenerative way. From forest gardens to composting toilets, community supported agriculture to timebanking, Living the Change offers ways we can rethink our approach to how we live.
Deutsche Welle Planet A | How solar energy got so cheap, and why it’s not everywhere (yet)
A lot speaks for solar energy. It's clean, renewable – and now even cheaper than energy from fossil fuels like coal or natural gas. But it only makes up a tiny bit of global electricity production. Why don't we use a lot more of it yet?
Listen
Tune into local and global discussions, interviews, poetry, and music.
The Activist
Kabara Media | African Spoken Poets
Spoken words are a powerful tool for motivation in human history. African poets share their spoken words for healing the chaotic world.
IDE | Climate Conversations
The Economist Podcasts
Edible Activist Podcast
Barry Ward | The Irish Legislation Podcast
A weekly look at legislation as it passes through Oireachtas Éireann, the Irish parliament.
Teagasc | The Signpost Series
A series of weekly sustainable agriculture episodes aimed at the Irish agriculture industry, ‘Pointing the way to a low emissions agriculture’.
TED Talks Daily
Find some space in your day to change your perspectives, ignite your curiosity, and learn something new.
TRUE Africa | Limitless Africa
The Guardian | Cotton Capital
Self Help Africa is not affiliated with these accounts or their content
Read
Media Spotlight - Current news articles that shine a light on critical issues.
What would happen if the world stopped shopping?
FastCompany.com | 28 May 2021
“Suppose that shopping stopped, I said to Maher. Suppose that consumers worldwide suddenly paid heed to those critics who say we should buy fewer clothes as a way to lessen the impact of the industry. What would happen?”
Happy Prime Day! Experts worry Amazon is building a dangerous monopoly.
Vox.com | 17th July 2018
“The fewer competitors there are, the more space Amazon gets to control prices, including increasing them if it wants. If you love Amazon now because the things you buy there are so cheap, you might feel differently about it if it’s the only place you can shop for the things you need - and therefore it can charge you whatever it wants.”
Cheap clothes are cheap clothes, but fast fashion is the real environmental problem.
TheJournal.ie | 9th September 2020
“In Ireland, we send 63,000 tonnes of textiles to landfill per year, and almost half of what we donate to charity shops and clothes banks enters the global textile trade, with often devastating consequences for the countries they’re offloaded on.”
Adidas shock as CEO to step down despite contract to 2025
Irish Examiner | 22nd August 2022
“After three challenging years that were marked by the economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and geo-political tensions, it is now the right time to initiate a CEO transition and pave the way for a restart”
Progress and produce: 50 Irish food producers that have embraced sustainability
Irish Examiner | 26th June 2022
“We need a farming and food production system working with the environment, not against it. We need a farming system primarily charged with feeding the Irish people and adequately rewarding farmers for their work above the wishes of privileged vested interests.”
The secret world beneath our feet is mind-blowing - the key to our planet’s future
The Guardian | 7th May 2022
After two hours examining a kilogram of soil, I realised I had seen more of the major branches of the animal kingdom than I would on a week’s safari in the Serengeti.
Forget your carbon footprint. Let’s talk about your climate shadow.
Mic | 12th October 2021
“By promoting the carbon footprint as the single most important thing for concerned citizens to focus on, the fossil fuel industry ensured that we wouldn’t put our energy toward what truly matters: collective action and activism.”
The share of women in legislatures around the world is growing, but they are still underrepresented
Pew Research Centre | 18th March 2019
“When accounting for the total number of legislative seats in each country, only three nations – Rwanda, Cuba and Bolivia – have reached or surpassed gender parity.”
Native trees cover just 2% of Ireland. How can this be increased?
Irish Times | 6th July 2018
“Ireland has at least 1,320 native woodland sites. Almost all of them are tiny. Just 10 cover more than 100 hectares, while some are managed by Coillte and the [Native Woodland Scheme] under EU directives.”
Booklist - Books to add to your reading list or explore at a book club.
Purple Hibiscus | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The limits of fifteen-year-old Kambili's world are defined by the high walls of her family estate and the dictates of her fanatically religious father. Her life is regulated by schedules: prayer, sleep, study, prayer.
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate | Naomi Klein
In her most provocative book yet, Naomi Klein, author of the global bestsellers The Shock Doctrine and No Logo, tackles the most profound threat humanity has ever faced: the war our economic model is waging against life on earth.
The Constant Gardener | John Le Carré
The novel tells the story of Justin Quayle, a British diplomat whose activist wife is murdered. Believing there is something behind the murder, he seeks to uncover the truth and finds an international conspiracy of corrupt bureaucracy and pharmaceutical money. The plot was based on a real-life case in Kano, Nigeria.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Picture Book Edition | William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer, Elizabeth Zunon (Illustrator)
When fourteen-year-old William Kamkwamba's Malawi village was hit by a drought, everyone's crops began to fail. Without enough money for food, let alone school, William spent his days in the library… and figured out how to bring electricity to his village. Persevering against the odds, William built a functioning windmill out of junkyard scraps, and thus became the local hero who harnessed the wind.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo | Christy Lefteri
The unforgettable love story of a mother blinded by loss and her husband who insists on their survival as they undertake the Syrian refugee trail to Europe.
One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia | Miranda Paul
The inspiring true story of how one African woman began a movement to recycle the plastic bags that were polluting her community.
The Last Colony: A tale of exile, justice and Britain’s colonial legacy | Philippe Sands
After the Second World War, new international rules heralded an age of human rights and self-determination. But how committed was Britain to end the scourge of colonialism? A tale about the making of modern international law and one woman's fight for justice, a courtroom drama and a personal journey that ends with a historic ruling.
Follow
Check out accounts with a global justice perspective to fill your social media feed with posts, tweets, and video content with a difference.
Self Help Africa
Self Help Africa is a leading international development charity with an expertise in small-scale farming and growing family-farm businesses. To hear more about our work, join us on:
TikTok | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
Self Help Africa is not affiliated with these accounts or their content
Download
Try out any of these apps on your Smartphone and give your device a social conscience for the climate, trade, and sustainability.
Self Help Africa is not affiliated with these apps or their content
Buycott
Buycott’s barcode scanner helps you learn about the products you buy
Ecosia
Search the web to plant trees and be climate active every day
Forest
Stay focused on your goals and plant real trees
Nuw
Trade on-trend high-street and vintage fashion the sustainable and affordable way
refill
The Tap Map shows you where you can refill your water bottle in Ireland
Too Good To Go
Too Good To Go lets you save unsold food so it doesn’t go to waste
Learn
Does a particular topic or movement interest you? Find out more about it and how you can play your part from the organisations below.
SUSTAINABILITY
Gapminder | VISIT
An independent educational non-profit that identifies systematic misconceptions about important global trends and proportions and uses reliable data to develop easy to understand teaching materials.
Not Here Not Anywhere | VISIT
A nationwide, grassroots, volunteer group campaigning to end fossil fuel exploration and the development of new fossil fuel infrastructure in Ireland.
Sustainable Development Goals | VISIT
Learn about the 17 Global Goals that have the power to create a better world by 2030, and what actions you can take in your school or community to make our planet more sustainable.
AFRICA
Africa Check | VISIT
A non-profit organisation seeking to reduce the spread and impact of misinformation and promote accurate, evidence-based understanding in the public, governments, and media in Africa, to strengthen democracy, foster engaged citizenship and improve life outcomes across the continent.
OkayAfrica | VISIT
A digital media platform dedicated to African culture, music, and politics, connecting a global audience to African culture and its diaspora through authentic content and immersive experiences.
Proudly Made in Africa | VISIT
A social enterprise promoting Africa’s finest food and fashion producers globally by delivering Global Citizenship Education, supporting value chain reform, and creating scholarships & internships for African students.
FOOD
Meat Free Mondays | VISIT
A campaign which encourages people to help slow climate change, conserve precious natural resources and improve their health by having at least one plant-based day each week.
The Organic Centre | VISIT
A charity & social enterprise that works hard to increase knowledge, and awareness about organic growing, biodiversity, climate change, food sovereignty and sustainable energy.
Stop Food Waste | VISIT
EPA-run programmes can be accessed through your school or local authority to reduce and prevent food waste in Ireland by storing, cooking, and preserving food well.
GENDER EQUALITY
Girl Effect | VISIT
Girl Effect creates content that helps girls make choices and changes in their lives. Igniting their confidence to act differently at a time that can define their future.
International Women’s Day | VISIT
A global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Marked annually on 8th March, the day marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
Women for Election | VISIT
Women for Election encourage and support women in Ireland to run for politics by providing training and mentoring support while also advocating for systemic change.
NATURE & WILDLIFE
Tree Council of Ireland | VISIT
An organisation to educate the public about the nature and value of trees through events and tree-related activities, to facilitate networking among members and to be a representative voice for tree culture and tree promotion.
Rainforest Alliance | VISIT
An international non-profit organisation building an alliance to protect forests, improve the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, promote their human rights, and help them mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis.
World Wildlife Federation | VISIT
The WWF collaborates with people around the world to develop and deliver innovative solutions that protect communities, wildlife, and the places in which they live.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
Anti-Slavery | VISIT
Learn about modern slavery, its forms, and how to fight it through campaigns and movements from human rights organisation Anti-Slavery International.
Fairtrade Ireland | VISIT
A powerful way to reduce poverty through our everyday shopping based on a partnership between some of the most disadvantaged farmers and workers in the developing world.
Frontline Defenders | VISIT
An Irish-based human rights organisation to protect those who work non-violently to uphold the human rights of others as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.