Commitment to the SDGs
A certified business operator of the Yokohama SDGs certification system "Y-SDGs".
We aim to realize a sustainable society by solving social issues through educational activities.
"Think globally, act locally."
Through our global education, we will look at the world's issues from a global perspective and understand their connection to our more immediate society, moving from actions that can be taken to realization.
Even though the power of each individual is small and the direct impact on those around them is small, there are ways to address the SDGs that can only be done by CGK International School as an educational organization. We at CGK can build people's awareness and influence their behavior through education, and this impact can further ripple out and trigger a gradual change in the world.
CGK agrees with the principles of the SDGs and aims to realize a sustainable society by solving social issues through its educational activities.
*CosmoBridge, the management company of CGK, is certified under the Yokohama SDGs certification system "Y-SDGs".
What are the SDGs?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted unanimously by member countries at the UN Summit in September 2015, are global goals that aim to achieve a sustainable and better world by 2030, consisting of 17 goals and 169 targets. CGK is also committed to the SDGs from the perspective of "education".
CGK Initiatives
Learning from Visual Impairment
Every year on October 10, Eyes Day, we have a day to think about visual impairment with students. For this day's lesson, Mr. Kuritani, who is visually impaired and lives with a guide dog, visited CGK Preschool.
If you don't know about visual impairment, it is easy to just feel sorry for those who are blind, but it's important to understand that blindness does not mean a person can't do anything. People who are blind can live happy lives even though they have some disadvantages due to not being able to see. It is difficult, but important, to imagine a situation different from your own, not through text-book knowledge, but through talking and real life interactions with those who are blind or visually impaired.
Making a Kaleidoscope of Microplastics
Our 5-year-old class learned about the diversity of the oceans and how we took its' abundance for granted in the past. They investigated the current situation and how we have more respect for the oceans now. They followed up by discussing what actions they could take between June and August. This was centered around the SDG Goal #14: "Let's protect the abundance of the oceans".
Through the aquarium tour (Hakkeijima Sea Paradise) and sea creature crafts, we recognized that the ocean is an important home for living creatures and that it provides us with great blessings in our daily lives. In August, we went to a lesson focusing on "Marine Plastic Pollution." As a part of the lesson, we held a workshop on "Making a Kaleidoscope of Microplastics" with the cooperation of the Kanagawa Kaigan Bikazaidan (かながわ海岸美化財団).
Awareness of LGBTQ+ and Diversity
The 5-year-old Sky class at CGK Preschool has been talking about "Differences" in the context of the SDG Goal #5 "Gender Equality" and Goal #10 "Reduced Inequalities". To support their understanding of "Differences" they invited Jun, a transgender person who works as a nanny, as a guest for a special lesson on how to better understand LQTBQ+ and diversity. Jun was able to share about "Differences" in a way that was easy to understand for children.
We believe that we created an opportunity to build a foundation for the students through this experience. They could become aware of diversity, rather than holding onto stereotypes. The children will remember this experience when they grow up and it will allow them to be open to others in the future.
Earth Day
Every time we have the opportunity, we encourage students to be aware of the situation that the earth is in right now, how we can deal with the problems, and what we can do immediately. April 22 was Earth Day, a day on which people around the world think about the global environment. The 4-year-old and 5-year old classes at CGK also thought about Earth Day. They considered how to start with the environment immediately around them and decided to pick up trash around the nearby train stations and parks.
Prior to the activity, the classes learned about the importance of separating trash and how to do so. The children could then apply what they learned in a practical way through this Earth Day activity. Rather than just "picking up trash", they demonstrated their understanding that there are things that we can do to help the environment and that it's important to properly dispose of trash.
Is our relationship with nature sustainable?
At CGK Afterschool we firmly believe in the importance of raising informed global citizens that can think critically about international issues. To this end the SDGs play a major role in our inquiry-based project activities. The driving question in the three-month theme was, 'Is Our Relationship With Nature Sustainable?'. The students quickly concluded that relationship humans currently have with nature isn't very good, and then they participated in various activities.
Throughout this project, the students showed a great deal of interest in sustainability and dismay at how unsustainable the current status quo is. At CGK we believe in helping students to become the force for the change they want to see in the world. We also want to help them realize their own power to make a difference.
