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Activiteit/evenement
UNICEF
Representatives from UNICEF visited both Primary and Secondary to share information about the world UNICEF does throughout the world, promoting children’s rights, placing a special emphasis on sustainability in the lessons they gave. Climate change, conflict, disease and economic crises are cutting children off from their chance to thrive. Students learnt that without immediate action, we risk losing millions of lives to easily preventable causes like disease, poor nutrition and unsafe water. Students also learned how plastic bricks (produced from recycled waste) are being used in West Africa, to build classrooms, helping solve one of the biggest barriers to education.
- Welke tips wil je andere Eco-teams geven bij het organiseren van een activiteit/evenement?: External speakers can provide real-world insights and practical knowledge related to their field or experiences. This exposure helps students see the relevance of what they're learning in the classroom to the world outside. UNICEF focuses on children’s rights and has a network of volunteers who come into schools to talk about the valuable work this charity does around the world.
- Onderwijstype: Basisonderwijs
- Waarom zijn jullie hier trots op?: The lessons provided by UNICEF led to various initiatives such as Primary children collecting discarded plastic in the neighbourhood and Secondary fundraising for UNICEF to support children less fortunate than themselves. Such actions not only contribute to fundraising efforts but also raise awareness about critical issues affecting children, fostering a sense of global citizenship and social responsibility among students. We are proud of our students’ proactive involvement in making a positive impact on society. It signifies their understanding of the importance of helping those in need and their willingness to take action to support a cause that aims to uplift vulnerable children around the world. Such actions not only contribute to fundraising efforts but also raise awareness about critical issues affecting children, fostering a sense of global citizenship and social responsibility among students.
- School: International School Breda
Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA)
We have recently set up a student-led GSA, a gender-sexuality alliance. The aim of the GSA is to play a key role in creating a more inclusive and accepting school environment, promoting diversity, and supporting the well-being of LGBTQ+ students and their allies, such as implementing policies that protect the rights of LGBTQ+ students within the school and providing a supportive environment for students of all gender identities and sexual orientations where individuals can express themselves without fear of discrimination or bullying.
- Welke tips wil je andere Eco-teams geven bij het organiseren van een activiteit/evenement?: The GSA is actively involved in organising this year’s Purple Friday, a day on which pupils and students can show their solidarity with LGBTIQ+ people by wearing the colour purple at school. The aim is to educate the wider school community about various gender identities, sexual orientations and LGBTQ+ issues. A poster campaign is underway to announce the event, a competition to see who will wear the most purple has been created (and publicised) and COC Nederland, the oldest existing LGBT organization in the world, has been contacted to provide badges and armbands to help create awareness, foster empathy and promote inclusivity.
- Onderwijstype: Voortgezet onderwijs
- Waarom zijn jullie hier trots op?: A GSA helps build a sense of community among students. Our students' effort in setting up such a group signifies their commitment to fostering a sense of belonging for all individuals within our school community.
- School: International School Breda
Orange Day
Orange Day is commemorated each year on 25 November and is a campaign to end violence against women and girls. Last Friday students and staff marked "Orange Day" at school by wearing orange, handing out flags and putting up posters explaining the meaning behind the colour - which symbolizes a brighter future, free of violence.
- Welke tips wil je andere Eco-teams geven bij het organiseren van een activiteit/evenement?: Organizing an Orange Day event requires planning, coordination, and effective communication to ensure its success. Promoting the event beforehand by emailing the school community asking students and staff to wear orange to create a visual impact to reinforce the cause, placing posters around the school to create awareness and handing out flags to reinforce the message are all ways of to help foster empathy with the aim of driving a real change in attitudes and actions towards ending violence against women.
- Onderwijstype: Voortgezet onderwijs
- Waarom zijn jullie hier trots op?: By actively participating in and organizing events for Orange Day, our students are actively demonstrating their commitment to social causes, empathy towards victims of violence, and their willingness to promote awareness and change in their communities. This proactive engagement in societal problems is commendable and reflects positively on their character and values.
- School: International School Breda
Greenifying our school
This was an initiative from the Eco Team. The aim was to make our school "more green" by bringing more live plants into all spaces throughout school. This was made possible by the proceeds of the ISB Sustainable Preloved Market held in the spring term of last school year. Some students and the Eco Team Coordinator went to Ikea - we bought a range of plants from small ones intended for on a desk to large standing plants. We then made labels and stuck these on every plant pot and gifted each staff member with a plant. The idea was that this would increase the connectedness of the staff member to the Eco team and allow them to feel a greater sense of responsibility of our shared goal of making our school a greener one. Teachers were asked to take care of the plant and were asked to place it where they wanted in school. It is their job to make sure it lives ;-). Primary classes all got a larger plant too.
- Welke tips wil je andere Eco-teams geven bij het organiseren van een activiteit/evenement?: Make what you are doing visible. Give everyone a role / responsibility and let them actively be part of any green measures that you are taking. Let everyone get involved.
- Onderwijstype: Voortgezet onderwijs
- Waarom zijn jullie hier trots op?: We are extremely proud of this action for several reasons. The school looks better. Plants are now to be seen in all classrooms and common spaces, offices, the staffroom and even corridors. The students have reported that classrooms are "nicer" and of course there must be the added value of the air cleaning that wasn't happening without them. Teachers and staff members responded very positively. We feel that more of us now are working together on this common goal and the plants have helped do that. Students actively remind teachers to look after their plants so it shows too that they are engaged.
- School: International School Breda
Waste recycling video
In each of the classrooms, colour-coded bins have been placed to permit students and staff to separate their rubbish. The Eco Team decided that more clarification was required to ensure that the correct bin was used for waste and developed an information video which was posted online on the school’s social media as well as shared with students during their mentor classes.
- Welke tips wil je andere Eco-teams geven bij het organiseren van een activiteit/evenement?: Separating rubbish is an essential practice to protect the environment; understanding the different categories of waste recyclables such as paper, plastic, glass and metal, organic waste such as food scraps and non-biodegradable rubbish is essential and it is therefore important to teach children how to sort waste correctly. Developing a short informational video consolidates this message and provides an entertaining visual aid where students can quickly identify where each item belongs. In the video, the Eco Team made a short quiz to reinforce the message in a fun way to actively engage the viewer and encourage lifelong habits that contribute positively to the environment. Turning something as basic as separating waste into a simple, educational but fun activity is a great way to carry across an important message.
- Onderwijstype: Voortgezet onderwijs
- Waarom zijn jullie hier trots op?: We are proud of the enthusiasm and creativity of our students in putting together this simple but impactful video as well as thinking of using video as a medium to communicate their message.
- School: International School Breda