A case study on WorldWise Global Schools’ Guiding Principle 5: Acting in Solidarity
“Solidarity is about standing with people who are going through a difficult time and letting them know that they’re not alone. On a smaller scale, if you’re struggling with something in school, just having your friends by your side makes it so much easier.”
Ava, Third Year student
“Solidarity is fighting to make sure that no one’s left behind, or seen as less. It’s showing that we’re together on the same level.”
Réalta, Third Year student
Context
At Santa Sabina Dominican College in Sutton, County Dublin, students are walking the talk of solidarity through their Equality Club. The voluntary club was founded by teacher Sara Bradshaw, the lead contact for WorldWise Global Schools, who works with four other teachers to embed Global Citizenship Education (GCE) in the girls’ school.
Sara’s compassionate commitment has inspired students to take ownership of the Equality Club, while she offers support. ‘They decide what to do,’ she says. ‘I guide and move them along, but they come up with the ideas.’
Solidarity is one of the five WorldWise Global Schools GCE Guiding Principles. It aligns with the ethos of the Dominican school, which aims to educate students to ‘use their gifts to contribute to a more just society’.
Sara says solidarity may not be intuitive in a school where ‘It’s easy to feel in a bubble. We’re nearly on a peninsula here [the tombolo joining Howth Head to the mainland]. So it’s important that students build a sense of connection and social justice and responsibility towards others on the planet.’
In weekly lunchtime meetings the twenty Equality Club members, from second to fifth year, choose issues to address through research, awareness-raising and advocacy. Their projects have included the creation of a Peace Wall in the school assembly area; a letter-writing campaign to support people facing human rights abuses, and revision of the school’s anti-bullying policy to overcome homophobia and transphobia.
The Peace Wall
In response to the continuing devastation in Gaza, students from the Equality Club and Transition Year organised a Peace Week. Three departments – English, Art and Religion – collaborated on the theme of peace:
“We felt like we needed to do something to create more peace and education about what was happening in Gaza.”
Niamh, Third Year student and Equality Club coordinator
- In English, a poetry competition was held to honour the Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer, killed by a bomb in December 2023. Third Year student Heather also wrote an article on Peace Week for a local newspaper.
- The Art Department supported students to create a Peace Wall in the main assembly area. Students and staff across the school took time out of classes to post messages of peace.
- In Religion, meditations focused on the link between inner and outer peace.
Write for Rights
Following a workshop with Amnesty International on their Write for Rights campaign, the Equality Club organised a letter-writing drive in the school. Through peer education, presentations and wall displays, club members inspired all year groups to write letters of support and solidarity to people around the world whose human rights are threatened, as well as lobbying letters to governments.
“It must be wonderful to get letters from students in other countries who know your story, and advocate for you when you’re not able to advocate for yourself. There was a trans person from Peru, and the government was taking away her rights. A lot of people wrote to her in First Year. We felt really proud.”
Annie, Second Year student
“It feels so good to play a part in getting justice for someone and making the world more equal. And it’s really nice to do something that has an impact outside school.”
Heather, Third Year student
Standing Up and the School Policy
For Stand Up Awareness Week, the annual campaign against LGBTQ+ bullying run by Belong To, Equality Club members directed teachers to an online course around language and treatment of LGBTQ+ students. As a result, students and staff are celebrating the end of homophobic graffiti in bathrooms.
After reviewing the school’s anti-bullying policy, the Equality Club suggested specific wording against homophobic and transphobic bullying, which the Board of Management included.
Teaching the Teachers
In several campaigns, the students have taken peer education to a new level, creating PowerPoints for teachers to present to their classes, thus involving the school at every level.
Strengthening Subjects Through GCE
Most Equality Club members are in Third Year. Despite Junior Cycle exams, they are still meeting and planning campaigns, including one to recognise those with hidden disabilities both in and beyond the school.
“The Equality Club is a break from exams. It gets us thinking about the wider world. And it helps all our work, too. I do a lot of article writing for the club, which I can incorporate into English. In Junior Cert, you might have to write a news article on something. And we often have to do presentations, like in Classroom Based Assessments. I push myself to present in the Equality Club so I can get better at public speaking.”
Katie, Third Year student
Solidarity Starts at School
A shared commitment to justice, peace and human rights has forged close friendships within the Equality Club.
“At the Equality Club, we want to do everything in our power to improve the world. It makes me feel better to know there’s something we can do together. This club is a community that can help and support, so you don’t have to go at it by yourself.”
Rosa, Third Year student
Sara, too, welcomes the solidarity she feels with the students through GCE and the Equality Club. ‘I consider myself an activist – I’m on a lot of marches – so this work is a continuation. I feel like I’m being myself. I’ve always found it hard to be in the teacher authority role. Doing this work allows me to interact with the students in a different way. I encourage them to be who they are: to stand up for themselves and each other. And it’s so rewarding to watch them grow through six years of school.’
Teacher Tips for Embedding GCE in the School
1. Build a teacher team
Sara works with four other teachers to establish GCE across the curriculum. ‘They jumped on board to bring GCE into their own subjects: Geography, Modern Foreign Languages and Science.’ She invites more teachers at the beginning of every year to join the GCE team.
2. Harness students’ enthusiasm
A group of keen, committed volunteers from different year groups will drive activities and ensure relevance, interest and momentum across the school, as well as continuity through the years. ‘Most Equality Club members joined in First Year and are carrying on as they move up through the school. They’ll remember the work they do in the club long after they leave.’
3. Help is at hand
‘If you’re stuck for ideas or resources, or you’re not sure how to fill out a report, just email or pick up the phone to a WorldWise Education Officer. You can always run things by them, ask about the grant funding – you’ll never be left on your own.’