À propos du Manitoba GT

www.mesdwg.ca

Welcome to the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) website. The purpose of this site is to assist Manitoba teachers to integrate sustainability topics/issues/approaches into their classroom activities. ESD involves preparing students to live sustainably and to establish life-long sustainable development practices.

The MESDWG, established in December 2005, was the first Working Group established through a pilot project with Environment Canada and Learning for a Sustainable Future. Since then, seven other jurisdictions in Canada have followed the Manitoba model. Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth provide Secretariat support to the MESDWG.

The Membership of the MESDWG is diverse and includes stakeholders from Aboriginal organizations, Youth organizations, provincial ministries, government departments, formal and informal education sectors, non-government organizations as well as industry and community groups.

The ESD initiative in Manitoba is linked to the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, a project of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Purpose and Objectives

The VISION for the MESDWG is that all educational stakeholders in Manitoba have a role in determining the goals, priorities, and objectives for ESD activities in Manitoba, and work together to move ESD forward.

The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, and the framework and priorities established by UNESCO (the lead international agency for the Decade), will constitute a foundation for furthering ESD in Manitoba. Consistent with the concept of sustainable development, this foundation will be adapted, enhanced and made relevant to the local Manitoba context.

While the scope of the Working Group will encompass formal, and informal education, an emphasis will initially be placed upon the formal education systems (Kindergarten to Senior 4 and post-secondary education). The objectives of the Manitoba Education for Sustainable Development Working Group (MESDWG) are to:

Support connections and bring together stakeholders from the formal, non-formal and informal education sectors while establishing strategic collaborations in order to increase cohesion and leverage in creating a culture for ESD in Manitoba.
Establish first order principles of sustainability and education for sustainable development.
Ascertain the status of ESD activities in the formal, non-formal and informal education sectors in Manitoba, identifying the gaps, opportunities and priorities for future ESD activities.
Promote and support ESD in the curriculum, policies, research, teacher training, facilities management and procurement of the formal, non-formal and informal education sectors.
Apprise Manitobans of sustainability issues (economic, social and environmental) and what is being done to address these issues.
Monitor and report on the progress of ESD in Manitoba.
Liaise with other relevant Provincial structures (e.g. Round Table on Sustainable Development) and the National/International bodies concerned with ESD.