Latest update from the Steering Group
This month, we welcome the bliss of long summer days, sunshine and warmth and the tantalizing promise of time away with family, friends or self.
For many, it is also festival season, where the norms of urban life disappear and we come together for a temporary life in a field – energised by music. Music connects us with ourselves, our memories and our heritage. It supports gatherings and reinforces a sense of community. It deepens culture and connects us to our natural world. A lecturer recently told us us how she uses traditional music to help international students understand the landscapes of Scotland.
At LfS Scotland, we try to sing traditional tunes but also compose new ones. The recent Steering Group meeting focused on development of events for the post summer months. Watch this space for news of our next conference and an exciting social event (we’re thinking a ceilidh). And schedule your diaries now for the opportunity to hear Jon Young, 8 Shields Institute talk on 15-16 September.
Promoting the implementation of 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) continues to be at the heart of what we do. Earlier in the year we were involved in workshops to help the Scottish Government align its new National Outcomes and indicators with the SDGs, and were delighted to see the reinforced emphasis on sustainability throughout the refreshed framework launched in June. Read more in the blog written by our Co Vice-Chair Kirsten Leask.
At our AGM members contributed to the UK Stakeholders for Sustainable Development (UKSSD) network’s Measuring Up report, released yesterday. This shows the UK’s current performance against the SDGs and sets out topline recommendations for achieving the targets. It will be presented to MPs and at the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York in July.
Taking action on the SDGs was a major theme for the 22 probationer teachers who recently completed Values and LfS practitioner enquiries as part of our project with the General Teaching Council for Scotland supported by the Gordon Cook Foundation. Some of these inspirational enquiries were shared at a seminar in June and will be shared on the GTCS website. Working in partnership with SCEL at Education Scotland we have developed a new professional learning activity on Learning for Sustainability for teachers as part of the SCEL Framework for Educational Leadership. You can find it by registering here.
We hope you all get a chance to take some time to relax and have fun in the continuing sunshine this month. Whether you prefer folk or hop hop, classical or rock – music can still help us find inner, as well as outer connections.
Rehema White, Chair LfS Scotland Steering Group
Betsy King, Development Manager, LfS Scotland
This is the introduction from our monthly newsletter. Click on the link to read our full bulletin for July.