Send My Friend launch campaign to keep young people learning

Send My Friend to School is a UK civil society coalition of international development NGOs, teachers’ unions and charities. It brings together young people, politicians, teachers, civil society and the media in joint campaigning to demand quality education for all children across the globe.

A quality education is critical to children’s safety, opportunities and ability to reach their potential. However, education around the world, and the hope that it brings, is facing a generation-defining emergency: COVID-19.

Every child has the right to a quality education, but the COVID-19 pandemic has obstructed this right on an unprecedented scale. To stem the pandemic, in 2020, schools closed their doors to an estimated 1.6 billion learners globally.1

School closures amid the pandemic have compounded the already dire progress on Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) - the global commitment to guaranteeing a quality education for every child. 258 million children were already out of school before COVID-19 struck, including 130 million girls, and UNESCO has predicted zero progress on reducing this number by 2030 (the deadline for SDG4).2 COVID-19 has been one of the greatest challenges of our lifetimes. However, we now have an opportunity to influence change and ensure all children receive the education that is their right. With the international G7 and COP26 conferences taking place in the UK in 2021, the UK government has the chance to be a global leader and take centre stage in driving sustainable and resilient progress towards quality education for all.

In practical terms this means:

Keeping children learning by making home learning inclusive so that it meets the diverse needs of the poorest and most marginalised children. This is an important investment so that quality learning can still take place when schools are closed.

Supporting a safe return to school through, for example, risk assessments, providing better school hygiene and building additional classrooms to make social distancing possible.

Building back better so that education systems are better than they were before the pandemic and are more resilient to shocks and changes in case of future crises or emergencies. This requires greater investment and global leadership.

These tasks are the responsibility of the entire global community and not one country alone. However, the UK Government has the unique opportunity to set an example and lead other countries when it sets its new priorities and budgets for international aid, and meets other world leaders at the G7 and COP26 conferences taking place in the UK during 2021.

Therefore, Send My Friend to School are calling for urgent action now to ensure that all children everywhere can keep learning during and after the pandemic. Tackling the problems caused by the pandemic will also help to solve many of the other problems too.

To do this, we’re asking schools and young people to take part in the Keep All My Friends Learning campaign – anyone can take part, whether you’re in school or at home, and the resources are free to download. There are some really interesting case studies, a fun activity and instructions on how to tell your MP about the campaign and why it’s important. All you need to do is follow this link and download your campaign pack to start making change!

1 UNESCO (2020), “Global Education Coalition”, available at: https://bit.ly/2JgPCnV (accessed: 8th Sept 2020)

2 UNESCO (2019), “Launch of the SDG4 2019 Data Digest”, available at: https://bit.ly/3mtUfcz (accessed: 8th Sept 2020)

BY HANNAH NIXON, SEND MY FRIEND TO SCHOOL CAMPAIGN MANAGER, FOR ENGAGE 2020

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BY HANNAH NIXON, SEND MY FRIEND TO SCHOOL CAMPAIGN MANAGER • May 14, 2021

Sparks Bristol

By Ann Beatty • April 4, 2025

Sparks Bristol is a collaborative community project initially envisioned by The Global Goals Centre, (GGC) more of which below. A few years ago, GGC took over an empty Marks and Spencer store and that’s how Sparks was born. Sparks is a department store with a difference, co-created by Global Goals Centre and Artspace Lifespace. On the ground floor is a huge range of shops, installations, events and more. Upstairs is a hub for local artists, it offers affordable studios as well as rehearsal and performance space. The Global Goals Centre is a Bristol-based educational charity inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals. (SDGs). GGC believe the SDG’s or Global Goals as they are sometimes known, can be reached, with imaginative solutions and widespread education and engagement. They work with partners to promote creative solutions and deliver ground breaking projects that work towards these ambitious goals. The Steve Sinnott Foundation supported the Global Goals Centre with seed funding when it first started over 5 years ago. This month we went to visit them to see how they are getting on and we were taken aback by the volume of work they have achieved since they started. It is amazing to see how though working together with other local community groups it has grown into the vibrant centre it is today. All of the creative projects they host are linked to the SDGs. They cover topics that tackle poverty, education, climate change, fashion recycling and upcycling, to name a few.

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Spring is definitely here, daffodils, blossom and crocuses are all basking in the bright sunshine. There is still a chill in the air in the shade but it's happening and all the seeds that were sown over the last few months are coming to fruition. At the Foundation, we have been planning the year ahead and our Positive Periods and Prevention of Gender Based Violence programmes got underway this weekend in Haiti and Ghana. These projects will have a long-lasting effect on the lives of the women and girls who take part: tackling the root causes of gender-based violence and enabling girls to attend school every day when they have their period, to feel safe at school and know how to take action when they are faced with violence. These are the first of many projects planned for the year ahead as we continue to work towards Education for All children everywhere.

Igniting a movement for education for all

By Hannah Frisch • March 7, 2025

The outlook for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on global education is far from rosy. But a gloomy future isn’t inevitable. Disappointing statistics are the result of political choices that can be shifted and there are thousands of youth, grassroots activists and civil society organisations across the UK advocating for global education to make these changes. We need more people involved to build the momentum, we need to make a difference in challenging circumstances. You can help! Here’s how; Making global education a UK priority The UK is an important donor and champion for global education. However, education has been gradually deprioritised on the development agenda. Global education spending has plummeted from 13.5% of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2013 to just 3.5% in 2023, and education was one of the sectors hit hardest by the abandonment of the 0.7% gross national income (GNI) target for ODA. With Labour’s annual budget confirming another reduction in the aid budget, funding for global education is under threat of being cut even further unless we stand together to say this can’t happen. While education is a domestic priority for the new Government, it has yet to emerge as a strong theme in their development agenda. As the Labour Party continues to develop their approach there is a unique opportunity for advocates to connect these dots and make the case for why education must be a key part of the Government’s international plans. For the Government to take action it needs to hear demand for change. There are many issues MPs recognise are important, but if they do not hear about these issues from constituents it can be hard for MPs to be vocal about them in Parliament. Following an election where many parliamentary seats were won with tight margins, MPs need to hear from the people they represent that global education must be on their agenda. With over half of MPs elected for the first time this year, many are actively looking for a steer on what issues to work on. We can give them one! How to Get Involved Write to your MP about why global education needs to be a bigger priority for the UK Government and encourage members of groups you are a part of, such as your union branch or a local community group, to do the same. This can have a real impact on your MP’s interest and ability to act for global education. You can also connect with other grassroots activists and get resources for taking action from international development advocacy organisations like Results UK. You can learn more about Results UK’s grassroots network on our website. If you are a teacher, get your school involved in the Send My Friend to School Campaign (SMF). Send My Friend is a UK civil society coalition advocating for SDG4 which supports a mass UK schools campaign to amplify student voices calling for universal quality education in solidarity with their peers around the world. Free campaign packs are available on the SMF website for primary and secondary levels with everything teachers need to run the campaign in their school. Parliamentarians can learn more about education issues and how to act by joining the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education, a cross-party group that brings together Parliamentarians interested in the right to education and provides them with knowledge and resources to be champions of the issue. By joining our voices through collective action, we can make a real difference in moving the needle on this issue. Together we have a chance to rechart the course for the realisation of quality education for all. BIOGRAPHY Hannah Frisch is the Senior Policy and Parliamentary Advocacy Officer for Education at Results UK and a Co-Chair of the Send My Friend to School Policy and Parliamentary Working Group. She is a policy advisor for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education in the UK Parliament.