Want to take action? Global Action Week begins April 20!

By Dwayne Hodgson

As the National Coordinator for the Canadian Global Campaign for Education (CGCE), I'm thrilled to inform you about Global Action Week 2009!

Every year, CGCE works with our partners around the world to organize Global Action Week, an international campaign to tell politicians and journalists that we need to provide quality education to the 75 million children and 774 million adults who cannot currently access this basic human right. During the 2008 Global Action Week, 8.8 million people took part in the World’s Biggest Lesson and set a Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous classroom lesson.

The theme for the 2009 Global Action Week is Literacy. We'll be highlighting the importance of providing opportunities for everyone to receive quality education and the benefits that literacy brings via our BIG READ campaign. For this campaign, we have partnered with our Global Campaign for Education partners around the world to produce a compilation of short stories about how education and literacy changes the world as we know it.

The book includes stories by international authors including Nelson Mandela, Queen Rania of Jordan, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Paulo Coelho, Alice Walker, Desmond Tutu, Ishmael Bael, Devli Kumari, and Dakota Blue Richards, as well as other local authors from over 25 countries. The Canadian BIG READ authors include: Wayson Choy, Elizabeth Hay, Tarini Chandak, Frank Edwards, Margriet Ruurs, Marla Steward Konrad, Francoise Lepage, Francis Prawis, Jan Andrews, Rebecca Chartrand, and Sheree Fitch.

During Global Action Week, April 20-26, 2009, millions of students from across Canada and around the world will read these stories, learn more about their rights to receive a quality education, and sign a petition calling on our governments to do more to ensure that everyone realizes their right to an education. Right now, Canada provides less than half of its “fair-share” towards meeting the EFA goals. We need to do better.

How to Take Part in the BIG READ

1. Register Online for Global Action Week 2009
2. Download the BIG READ stories and lessons.
3. Choose the lessons and stories to use with your class or group.
4. Do the BIG READ activities during Global Action Week (April 20-26, 2009)
5. Complete the Validation Form, and the Petition to the Canadian Government for more action.
6. Send both the Validation Form and Petition to CGCE by May 8, 2009.

You may also want to Join CGCE's Facebook Group and look for us on Taking IT Global, where you’ll find our online petition.

Raise money for global education organizations like ACCESS Charity!

Together, we can be the first generation to ensure that everyone has the right to go to school. Do your part for Education for All!



Dwayne Hodgson is the National Coordinator for the Canadian Global Campaign for Education. He has been involved in international development in Canada and Africa through project management, capacity building, participatory approaches to learning design and facilitation.

Speak Up for Change is also accepting submissions on the topic of "Literacy" to be published during Global Action Week! Email yours to editor@accesscharity.ca.