Making our kids good global citizens

Children trying to make sense of a world at war on TV, should realise that when they grow up, they can do something to make the world a safer, more just place, Aid Minister Marian Hobbs said today.

"That is why Wellington's new Global Education Centre is so important. Global education is about recognising that we don't live in isolation," Marian Hobbs added.

She will open the education centre at Dev-Zone, the Development Resource Centre, in ZEAL, Victoria St, tonight.

Dev-Zone also celebrates its 10th anniversary tonight. Dev-Zone was established in 1993 by a group of development non government organisations and is a specialist information and education centre providing resources to organisations across New Zealand.

It is supported by funding from NZAID (New Zealand Agency for International Development) of approximately $700,000 - about 75% of the total running costs.

The new centre provides schoolteachers with global education resource kits, linked to the curriculum and covering subjects like refugees, tourism, water, tropical rainforests and trade. It provides workshops for teachers on global education, regular fact sheets, and a quarterly magazine for teachers.

The centre also works with young people in the community both in organisations and in youth groups.

"Today more than ever, young New Zealanders want the tools to understand the world they're growing up in, and they want to know what they can do to make a difference," Marian Hobbs said.

"Understanding the development perspective is more important today than ever. Our young people have every right to want a safer world."

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