EDUCATION AND LOCAL INCLUSION IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF NOORDENVELD

On the national SDG action day, 25 September 2020, a number of children, board members and directors of primary and secondary schools in the Municipality of Noordenveld signed the SDG Alliance.
They want to ensure that children continuously acquire knowledge, insight and skills during their school career. So they can shape their daily lives to ensure a world with more prosperity and less inequality. A world in which biodiversity and climate are protected and everyone lives together in peace. We want to give our children the tools to realise such a world. 

Students of NHL Stenden help the schools to translate the SDG goals into practice. In doing so, they analyse how schools can anchor the goals in the vision and policy of the schools. In other words, how the SDGs are translated into the reality of all primary and secondary schools in the Municipality of Noordenveld. In doing so, the SDGs become a great starting point for introducing children to the challenges of the future. This allows us to offer young people a sustainable future as a frame of reference in their own lives. In this context, education follows the example of the Municipality of Noordenveld, which has also registered as a participant in the ‘Gemeenten4GlobalGoals’ campaign.

With a Children's Council (aged 10-12), primary school children in the Municipality of Noordenveld have already done a lot in recent years in terms of sustainability. In addition, they are helping to think about what the future should look like. For example, this Children's Council dealt with the theme of biodiversity and gave advice on the request for help: "How can the Municipality of Noordenveld work together with residents and organisations to increase biodiversity in the region?' One of their recommendations was that the city council should submit a notion: "Biodiversity should be the starting point in the municipality's green policy'. This way, the municipality is making an impact with regard to Global Goals 13, 14, 15 and 17. What makes the Children's Council unique is that children are challenges to think and in turn make the municipality think. The ideas of the Children's Council inspire the municipal employees to come up with other ideas. At the same time, it also makes people think about how the municipality can involve children and young people more. Many different organisations took part in the dialogue on the topic of biodiversity. Princess Laurentien sat in the public gallery, along with dozens of young people, parents, forest rangers and other stakeholders.

The municipality of Noordenveld wants to act in the spirit of the goals and refers to this at appropriate times. For example, the municipality of Noordenveld links its inclusion agenda to Global Goal 10 'Reducing Inequality’. Together with residents, hands-on experts, volunteers, entrepreneurs and institutions, the municipality is committed to ensuring that everyone in all areas of life can participate independently and on an equal level. The Global Goals provide a clear direction and encourage extra effort for inclusive and sustainable development.

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The commitment of Dutch municipalities to local inclusion is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). How? The Association of Netherlands Municipalities’ (VNG) Municipalities4GlobalGoals campaign takes you to the municipality of Noordenveld, where Alderman Kirsten Ipema explains how the municipality improves accessibility and sustainability in line with the SDGs. The municipality of Noordenveld won the title 'Connector' in 2021 in VNG’s annual Global Goals Municipality of the Year contest.