Geogra3: October awareness days linking to geography

This week’s Geogra3 draws your attention to three upcoming awareness days in October that you could use as a starting point for assemblies, Geography clubs, tutor time or any way you choose!

1. International Coffee Day 1st October

The International Labour Organisation and International Coffee Organisation are jointly launching the #CoffeePeople campaign this year, “promoting the right to a safe and healthy working environment in the coffee supply chain.”  They are encouraging people to take a selfie of themselves drinking a coffee, with the caption “The secret to great coffee is people.”  More info about this can be found here with a short video highlighting the campaign.  

This day clearly gives us the opportunity to explore where this commodity comes from and the work involved in getting it to us.  One way to incorporate this into lessons is to reference Simon Reeve’s documentary on the coffee trail in Vietnam, which is available on BBC iPlayer.  Full lesson resources with an answer sheet are available for this within the GTB vault and members can access these here. 

Alternatively, this video provides an opportunity to see a group of young Brits working on the coffee plantations of Ethiopia.  Be aware that there is the odd swear word used so probably more suitable for older age students.

2. World Circular Textiles Day 8th October

This is a new awareness day that was co-founded in 2020, with the aim of focusing on the positive actions being taken to achieve a circular textiles economy by 2050.  More information about the organisation and how the day has come about, can be found here. 

If you dive a bit deeper on the website you might also come across the Knowledge Hub which is an absolute treasure trove of case studies, focusing on companies and organisations involved in making textiles more sustainable.  Two examples that caught my eye is the reusable sanitary towels being developed in Kenya, aiming to end period poverty and also “This is Unfolded,” a company moving towards slow fashion to cut down on unused fashion going to landfill.  There is real scope for students to research a variety of initiatives taking place using the knowledge hub as a starting point.

Also, if you wish to address the issue of fashion waste, this video centres on clothes waste in the Atacama desert, highlighting the environmental impact of fast fashion.  GTB vault members can find a host of resources for this video and others like Inside the Shein Machine and Slay (the use of animals in fashion) within the vault in the Sustainability module.  

3. Day for Disaster Reduction 13th October 

This year, the theme for the day is “fighting inequality for a resilient future” and there is a useful short video highlighting the link between poverty and risk on the website.  Startling facts are highlighted such as from 1970 through 2019, the UN found that 91% of all of deaths from weather, climate, and water hazards occurred in developing countries.  There is also an excellent array of journal articles and updates suitable for A-level students to access for wider reading linked to the Hazards unit, including examples like this one on Haiti and this one on Pakistan floods. 

Three other days you may wish to note:

• World Postcard Day - 1st October - Although most of the resources focus on primary students, I am always amazed at how few secondary students don’t know how to write their address accurately, so this could be a good excuse to practice !#Worldpostcardday - more info
• World Habitat Day - 2nd October - theme: “Resilient urban economies. Cities as drivers of growth and recovery"
• World Food Day - 16th October - theme: Water is life; water is food.  Leave no one behind. 

That's it for this week!  

I love nothing more than supporting Geography teachers as we are a pretty awesome bunch.  So here are SIX ways that I can help you….

• The GTB Vault - Classroom-ready presentations 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, PLUS KS3 units of work and a brand new community hub.
• Changing China - a set of 10+ classroom-ready lessons for students aged 11-44, with homework activities and an assessment PLUS a set of Youtube lessons that you can provide for absent students.
• 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