LVIS students' design their mountain water carry for World Water Day 22nd March

This half term in my Agents of Change Programme at Lemania-Verbier International School, my students in Class E and F are focusing on World Water Day 22nd March, to continue their understanding around sustainability and global citizenship.

I have set them the challenge of designing a water carry that they will put to the test on the 22nd March on the mountain, as they walk from Ruinettes to La Chaux and back again.
 
World Water Day connects to Sustainable Development Goal #6 which sets out targets for all people to have access to water and sanitation. Water poverty is a growing issue globally and with mountains playing a key role in our water ecosystems, we need to take action to protect them.
 
Additionally, WHO, the UN and other organisations such as WaterAid, indicate the nearly 1 billion people – mainly women and children – still must walk a minimum of 6km daily to collect water for drinking, cleaning and washing. Time spent collecting water also means it is often impossible to school or work, keeping people trapped in the cycle of poverty.
 
Class E and F’s walk and water carry experience equates to a distance similar to the typical 6km walked and they will collect 20 litres of water per team – although the norm in a developing country is 20 litres per person - and carry this back to the starting point. (They will NOT be expected to drink the water that they have collected.)
 
I'm delighted that Cherries from Cherries Walks will also accompany us to take the students through a water collection activity which builds their understanding of the mountain and its water systems.
 
Last week, students started to explore the challenge by coming up with ideas for their water carry. We will be refining these ideas in class, building a miniature prototype from recyclable materials and putting together their full size prototype to be tested on the day.

This way of working with the students, builds their thinking skills as they design within the parameters of the challenge, encouraging them to collaborate. It is also an opportunity for them to raise awareness within the community of World Water Day, giving them a sense of purpose through their own creativity.
 
I love working in this way to build their resilience and entrepreneurial mind-set. Each group is collaborating to create their prototype and on the day, it is not about a winning concept but about adapting to the challenge in the moment, reframing failure into reorganisation as invariably the prototypes being tested react to the conditions!

#resilience #grit #wellbeing #creativity #innovation #entrepreneurs #adventures #agentsofchange #sdg6 #worldwaterday2018
@un_water 
 

---