Geogra3: Three geography-themed awareness days in March

In this week's Geogra3 I’m sharing three geographically-themed awareness days that are coming up in March that you might find useful for topical lessons, extra-curricular activities or for assemblies.

1. International Women’s Day 8th March

"The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2024 is #InspireInclusion. 

When we inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world.

And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there's a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.

Collectively, let's forge a more inclusive world for women." - from the IWD website

Held every year on the same date, there are so many avenues that you could explore in relation to this year’s theme #InspireInclusion.  National Geographic is a great starting point though as they have a dedicated space that you can find here.  I particularly like their photos from a female perspective and their women of impact series.  There is also an interesting article called “The best and worst places to be a woman” which I think would be a great starting point to explore further, maybe look at this from a local or national scale using the same/similar indicators used in the article.  Of course the actual IWD website has a ton of school resources which can be found here. 

Alternatively, you may want to help address inclusivity in your own workplace and there are a resources to help you do that here too.

And if there are still cries of why do we need to have a day for women, just direct them to Invisible Women….. 

2. International Day of Forests 21st March

The opening paragraph of the UN website for this day reads: “When we drink a glass of water, write in a notebook, take medicine for a fever or build a house, we do not always make the connection with forests. And yet, these and many other aspects of our lives are linked to forests in one way or another.”  The theme this year is "Forests and innovation: New solutions for a better world."  This video clip gives a useful overview, explaining how materials derived from forests and trees are being developed as sustainable substitutes for plastics, building materials, fabrics, medicines and many other everyday items.  This year as a complement to the International Day of Forests, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation is also running a photo contest looking for the best photos showcasing different types of innovation:

• new technology – for example drones or other digital tools helping to monitor illegal logging.
• new uses of sustainable wood, such as wooden credit cards, skyscrapers or drink bottles.
• the results of a ground-breaking policy or project or a new way of using Indigenous knowledge.

The deadline is 7th March 2024, and more details can be found here.

3. World Water Day 22nd March

This year’s theme is ‘Water for Peace’, which focuses on the critical role water plays in the stability and prosperity of the world.  There are so many great resources out there linked to this day!  If you head straight to the UN World Water Day website there are a variety of resources within the Activation Kit that you can find and download here.  Also available is a really useful campaign fact sheet which gives a lot of suggestions of where you can learn more about the link between water and conflict and also suggestions of local actions that students could potentially do, including the idea of a "Football for peace" match.  I really liked the link to the SD6 water data portal where you can compare different countries and regions according to their progress towards this goal. The resources would be very useful for GCSE and studying water scarcity/sanitation etc.

BONUS - British Science Week 8-17th March

It's the 30th Anniversary of British Science week and this year the theme is "Time," thinking back to when the event started and also thinking about the future.  There is of course a shed load of resources on the website including this fantastic activities pack, providing tasks linked to sustainable transport, monitoring the weather and mapping our journey to school.  They are also running a poster competition with students encouraged to create a poster showing how a certain type of technology has changed over time, or even the advancement of time-telling technology itself. Budding poster makers could also go futuristic show us how they think the world might look in years to come, or perhaps look at nature – lifecycles, lifespans, evolution and hibernation – nature is full of timely topics.  

As well as the main theme of time, British Science Week is also focusing on #SmashingStereotypes and the campaign features a collection of over 40 profiles challenging long-standing stereotypes and encouraging more young people, from all backgrounds, to see themselves as scientists. There are lots of useful video clips that students could be encouraged to dive into and find out more about STEM careers. 

I hope that has given you lots of inspiration, especially for those of you running Geography extra-curricular groups and I’d love to know what you get up to, so head over and share in the Facebook group. 

Also, if you don’t already have it, the 2023 Geography Awareness Days calendar can be found here.

PS - I love nothing more than supporting Geography teachers as we are a pretty awesome bunch.  

So here are five ways that I might be able to help you….

• The FREE resource booklet - 17 Q and A worksheets linked to documentaries
• The GTB Vault - Classroom-ready powerpoints and worksheets so you never need to feel guilty about showing a video in class again! New pick up and go lesson resources added every month.
• The Geography Teacher Box bookstore - boost your subject knowledge while supporting local independent bookshops
• Tote-ally Geography - A newly created store with tote bags designed specifically for geography teachers.
• Connect with other like-minded Geography teachers and share resources (suitable for teachers of students aged 11-18) - The GTB Facebook Group