April 11, 2019
One Health Education -
Updates / Expansion Explorations
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Greetings from the One Health Education Task Force (OHETF):
Purpose of this message….
The One Health Education Task Force (OHETF) is writing to ask whether you (plus an alternate) would be interested in participating in an expanded
International One Health Education Initiative (IOHEI
).
The story so far
….
Background
(1) basic values and responsibilities regarding “the community of life”;
(2) knowledge about the interconnectedness of life on our planet;
(3) real world application skills underpinned by interdisciplinary teamworking;
(4) creativity and group problem-solving; and
(5) a global network of One Health education providers committed to supporting learners and teachers in their quest to realize a more sustainable world through One Health implementation.
All advanced higher education programs, formal and informal, would be encouraged to extend and integrate core aims of the
UN Earth Charter
related to Respect and Care for the Community of Life, Ecological Integrity, Social and Economic Justice, and Democracy, Nonviolence and Peace. This strategy would take One Health beyond zoonotic diseases to help the world understand the many arenas that would benefit and be strengthened by holistic, systems and action-oriented approaches.
A
Press Release
i
n June 2016 invited interested parties to participate in a
K-12 One Health Survey
and an online conference in the fall of 2016 to engage in a discussion about the possible application of One Health in K-12 (or equivalent) educational settings. A
Summary
of that online conference was published in April 2017.
Project funding proposals
In collaboration with valued partners, the OHETF developed two funding proposals both of which would benefit, in due course, from wider input. One focused on enabling school / education systems to prepare teachers, K-12 and beyond, including global lay communities, to integrate One Health / SDG values into curricula, principles and practice through pilot One Health-driven teacher workshops and programs. The other sought to increase direct involvement of civil society organisations (SSAs) in poverty reduction strategies underpinned by One Health and the UN-2030 SDGs. Having researched both areas, there can be no doubt that lifelong learning for sustainability remains a challenge worldwide.
Current strategies
Previous to establishing the International OHETF, the One Health Commission had created a
Bat Rabies Education Team (BRET)
f
ocused on raising awareness among children, parents and teachers about bats potentially being infected with rabies. Those efforts served as precursors to establishment in 2018 of a sub-group of the OHETF, the One Health Education-US, with a view to raising the profile of One Health in the US through One Health publi-cations in professional teacher journals, conference contributions and development of One Health teaching resources. The OHE-US presented three One Health teacher workshops at the US National Science Teachers Association STEM conference in July 2018 and began an online compilation of
One Health Educational Resources
(for primary and secondary levels) that were already available but not widely known or publicized. It also created an online
One Health Opportunities
webpage compiling higher One Health education programs around the world. Entries are continually posted by the public for One Health Certifications, Masters and beyond programs.
In the meantime, the international arm of OHETF turned its attention to strengthening a global ‘community of One Health practice.’ Interest in developing such a community was made clear on when the OHC hosted the
first Optimizing One Health Collaboration on-line meeting in 2017
involving eight One Health-related organisations with another four showing interest. While carrying different labels, it was admitted that all the participating organizations were working on parallel paths, each with its own priorities, focus and strategies; but all are fundamentally concerned with ‘the prevention of risks and the mitigation of effects of crises that originate at the interface between humans, animals and their various environments.'
Further impetus was provided through publication of the book,
Survival: One Health, One Planet, One Future
,
wh
ich incorporated (Chapter 11) the missions and initiatives of 17 organisations. Building on the August 2017 meeting and volunteer book contributions, the OHETF organised a second
Synergising One Health Collaborations
me
eting series on 17 and 24 October 2018,
with 22 organisations participating. Presenters from most global regions- Africa (Central, East, South), Americas, Europe, SE Asia reinforced the importance of sharing information on their activities and seeking areas for collaboration. Attendees found the presentations very informative with many connecting directly with presenters afterwards
Invitation
In light of this background information, the OHETF is writing to ask whether you (plus an alternate) would be interested in participating in an expanded International One Health Education Initiative (IOHEI) that would:
- Revisit the One Health Education Pre-Proposal Conference Summary
- Prepare a second press release calling for participants committed to advancing international One Health education at all levels, from primary to post-secondary, professional and civil society, seeking representation from each global region and from all realms of One Health.
- Develop an IOHEI strategic plan for advancing One Health education that involves both collaborative grant writing and group actions (publications, workshops, other) that could be conducted prior to receiving major funding
- Generally make global noise about One Health education
This would require passion and long-term commitment to online group meetings and contributions. There would be no ‘resting on laurels’; but such an expanded IOHEI could provide a platform for us to work together to make envisioned One Health Education actions happen.
I
f you are interested in exploring being part of such an expanded IOHEI, please respond by emailing me
(
glueddeke@aol.com
) b
y
April 26, 2019.
Thank you.
George Lueddeke, MEd.,PhD
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Sponsors
!
Without them we could not do the Commission's global work to
'
connect, create, and educate
' for One Health.
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