Global Citizenship Education
Guiding Principle 2. Finding Root Causes
Dig Deeper to find the causes of an inequality or injustice.
What is Finding Root Causes?
It is essential for educators not only to address the symptoms of global injustices but also to delve deeper into their root causes.
By understanding the underlying factors that drive inequality, conflict and environmental degradation, teachers can guide and inspire students towards more meaningful actions on global justice issues. This approach encourages critical thinking, empathy and a deeper awareness of the interconnectedness of global challenges.
Two key questions are:
- What are the historical causes?
- Why do inequalities and injustices persist?
Activities
- Why-Why-Why Chain: This activity can be used to break down complex issues and to get learners thinking about the root causes of global injustices. By continuously asking ‘why’ learners are forced to think about their own responses, to go deeper with what they identify as causes of global injustices, and to find connections between causes.
- Ranking Root Causes: These ranking root causes print outs can be used to explore many global justice issues. See our Diamond Ranking activity for instructions on how to guide learners to prioritise key aspects of a given issue and to justify their choices.
- Ranking root causes of poverty and inequality: This lesson plan from Financial Justice Ireland is a ranking game on the ‘causes of inequality’, challenging learners to think critically about the causes of poverty and inequality.
Videos
- The Rules. Org and Global Wealth Inequality: These short videos show the real reasons why poverty and inequality continue to happen globally.
- The Luckiest Nut in the World : This 8 minute video discusses Trade Liberation and unfair trade in a simple, fun way. Unfair trade is one of the root causes of injustice and inequality in the world.
Examples of What Schools Are Doing to Explore Root Causes
Wesley College
Theme: Aid in SC Geography
At Wesley College, 6th year Geography students examined the root causes of inequality across the world and investigated solutions. They evaluated different forms of aid, considered case studies and explored the views of commentators and critics such as economist Dambisa Moyo.
“Students’ opinions on aid changed over the course of the topic. They said they previously thought all aid was good but now understood how some can be ineffective and damaging.”
Transition Years explored ‘white saviours’. After reading newspaper articles on the issue, students wrote their own opinions and shared them with the class.
Students’ attitudes to volunteering [in the global south] changed. For example, they said that now they wouldn’t volunteer in another country unless they were trained in the skill, or they would do it in their own country.