Miss Miles writes about the very exciting Global Citizen Conference that GMS students attended.
‘The Global Citizenship Conference, held at Sir William Borlase Grammar School on Wednesday 16th July, was a valuable opportunity for our students to explore global issues identified by the United Nations through the Sustainable Development Goals.
There were seven Year 12 Geography students in attendance, accompanied by Miss Ashby and me. The themes of the conference were central to our A-level Geography course including climate change, human rights, social inequalities and global governance.
This year’s theme was “Envisioning 2050”. Students were required to prepare a video presentation outlining the scale of a global challenge and to suggest strategies to mitigate against the challenge on the global scale. Options included political governance, healthcare, education, energy or the legal system. In true ‘Geog Squad’ fashion, GMS elected to focus on the present scale of the global energy crisis.
One of the benefits of the day was the way students were able to network with a series of impressive guest speakers from a range of industries and backgrounds, the speakers included:
- Judith Diment MBE, who has been at the heart of global climate diplomacy including COP 26.
- Dr Alex Blanchard, strategic lead for the European Product Safety department.
- Cllr Wisdom Da Costa, a key advocate for global Climate Statutory targets.
- Cllr Anna Crabtree, who holds the Lib Dem shadow cabinet position for Bucks.
- Joyce Harper, Professor of Reproductive Science at UCL.
- Hugh Miall, a barrister of XXIV Old Buildings in London.
Equally impressive were the questions created and posed by our students to the panel of experts.
The contributions to the debate and discussion included:
- Could nuclear energy help reverse climate change, or is it just a delay tactic?
- Do you think businesses should be legally required to disclose the environmental and social cost of their products?
- Can social media activism by youth create real environmental change?
- Do you think it is acceptable to label certain parts of Buckinghamshire’s green belt as “low quality” or grey belt, to justify development and future planning?
- What would global health policy look like if it were written by the women most affected by its failures?
- What would you recommend for a student interested in a career as a barrister, by way of extracurricular pursuits?
Well done to the following Y12 students, who spoke with confidence and integrity as ambassadors of GMS and indeed of the local and global society! The ‘Geog Squad’ are very proud of our Geog Squad Seniors:
- Millie Giles 12H2
- Matthew Van Romburgh 12E1
- Will Clayton 12K1
- Florence Owen 12H2
- Coco Killington 12K1
- Eddie Black 12K2
- Harry Sheffield 12K1
This is a day that staff and students will remember for some considerable time. Thank you to the staff involved, Miss Miles for sending us this write-up and the marvellous students who have made GMS very proud.
