Monthly Archive

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 November as World Television Day. More info: http://www.un.org/en/events/televisionday/

November 21, 2012 is the 40th annual World Hello Day.  Anyone can participate in World Hello Day simply by greeting ten people.  This demonstrates the importance of personal communication for preserving peace.

World Hello Day was begun in response to the conflict between Egypt and Israel in the Fall of 1973.  Since then, World Hello Day has been observed by people in 180 countries.

People around the world use the occasion of World Hello Day as an opportunity to express their concern for world peace.  Beginning with a simple greeting on World Hello Day, their activities send a message to leaders, encouraging them to use communication rather than force to settle conflicts.

 

Koutzoulan (Most Terrible Wolf day)
When: November 21st every year.
Where: Bulgaria.

This is the day of the most terrible lame wolf, who ate people. On this day you must not comb your hair, wear a new shirt or wash your clothes. Don’t sew, don’t knit and do not cut bread with a knife.

Universal Children’s Day was established by the United Nations in 1954 to encourage understanding between children and promote children’s welfare around the world. It is held on 20 November, the same day the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.

These Rights are simplified in a beautiful book produced by Unicef called “For Every Child”.

This beautifully illustrated 40 page paperback book, with a foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, features a drawing by a well-known children’s illustrator.

You can buy copies direct from Unicef.

Click to download a PDF version of For Every Child.

BeatBullying’s mission is to make bullying unacceptable – for everyone, everywhere. For Anti-Bullying Week 2012, everyone is being asked what they are doing to make this happen. There are ideas for what you can do – as a school or a class, as a group or just as an individual – and your Ultimate Mission, should you choose to accept it, is to share the great work you’re doing.

This Anti-Bullying Week We’re Making Bullying Unacceptable!

Wristbands

They’re back again! This year, Beat Bullying have teamed up with a cool new partner to make their famous blue bands. With the statement of “making bullying unacceptable” inscribed across each wristband, they’re available to order now – with a 10% discount online!

School Resources

From lesson plans and activity packs to assembly presentations and competitions, take on one of missions to make bullying unacceptable.

Solo Missions

Wonder what you can do by yourself to make a difference?  Look no further…

BeatBullying is the UK’s leading bullying prevention charity.

Find out more…

 

Objectives of International Men’s Day include a focus on men’s and boy’s health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models. It is an occasion for men to celebrate their achievements and contributions, in particular their contributions to community, family, marriage, and child care while highlighting the discrimination against them.

The theme in 2012   | Positive Male Role Models

International Men’s Day is celebrated in over 60 countries of the world. Too many to list. Join us on November 19 in celebrating the contribution men and boys make to those around them, to their family and friends, their work place and the community, the nations and the world.

Anyone is welcome to quote material from the IMD website , as well as free and open use of the logo and access to new posters in the Resource Section.

 

Road traffic crashes kill nearly 1.3 million people every year and injure or disable as many as 50 million more. They are the leading cause of death among young people aged 15–29 years.

In October 2005, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution which calls for governments to mark the third Sunday in November each year as World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Road Safety in East Lothian

There is one full time Road Safety Officer in East Lothian.

The Road Safety Officer’s efforts are statistically led and the key areas of concern are

	Young Drivers
	Passengers
	Pedestrians

Young Drivers

In East Lothian the casualty age group most prominent in terms of injuries is the 16 – 25 year age group.

As a result of these statistics and to try to prevent further casualties, an educational event called 2mro’s Driver takes place annually. Further school presentations to support this event are available on request by the schools.   Road Safety resources “Your Call” and “Crash Magnets” are also available in secondary schools for use by teaching staff as part of the Curriculum for Excellence.  They are designed to develop safe attitudes towards driving and general road use and can be used for pupils from S1 – S6.  Road Safety Officers also offer safer driving presentations to college and university students.

Road Safety Officers also promote safe driving to newly qualified young drivers through their Young Driver Challenge event.

They will also promote safer driving to the general public through national and local campaigns.  They also offer support and advice to companies on the management of occupational road risk.

For further information on driver safety, please click on the following links:

Speed

www.road-safety.org.uk/driving/speeding/ www.lbsafetycameras.co.uk/

Drink / Drug Driving

www.road-safety.org.uk/driving/drink-driving-and-drug-driving/

Mobile Phones

http://think.direct.gov.uk/mobile-phones.html

Seatbelts

/www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Roadsafetyadvice/DG_4022064

Advanced Driving

www.roadar.org/

www.iam.org.uk/

Passengers

Statistics have identified that there is a problem with passenger safety whilst driving in cars, specifically young passengers travelling with young drivers.  Incidents occur due to non-compliance with seatbelt usage, peer pressure and risk taking.
Road Safety Officers address this issue through the initiatives and events mentioned above for young drivers.  Awareness is also raised through supporting local and national campaigns.

Statistics have also identified that there is a problem with all passenger safety whilst travelling in cars or buses, due to lack of seatbelt wearing or when passengers alight from buses.

Road Safety Officers address these issues through supporting local campaigns, P7 transition inputs and organising and running local in-car safety clinics.

For more information on passenger safety, please click on the following links:

Child Car Seats 

www.protectchild.co.uk/inc

Pedestrians

Statistics show that both child and adult pedestrians feature in road accidents.

Road Safety Officers offer educational advice and support to staff, parents and pupils throughout the child’s school life.  Specific inputs with child pedestrians are offered at key stages such as:

• Traffic Trails aimed at P3 pupils.
• Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSOs) – they cascade Road Safety information to the pupils, parents and staff in the school through notice boards, competitions and assemblies.  JRSOs are normally P6 or P7 pupils.
• Transition inputs aimed at P7 pupils.

As adult pedestrians are more difficult to reach, Road Safety Officers will identify opportunities to target this group through publicity campaigns, educational inputs and cascading of information from JRSOs and school pupils home to parents and grandparents.  Road Safety Officers also offer inputs and advice at parents information evenings in schools and nurseries.

For more information on pedestrian safety, click on the following links:

Road Safety Scotland

www.road-safety.org.uk

Department for Transport

www.think.direct.gov.uk

Secretary-General’s Message for 2012

Building tolerance and understanding is fundamental for the twenty-first century.  In an increasingly globalized world – in which societies are growing more diverse – tolerance is central to living together. 

Yet tolerance is being tested.  In the face of economic and social pressures, some seek to exploit fears and highlight differences to stoke hatred of minorities, immigrants and the disadvantaged.  To counter the rise of ignorance, extremism and hate-based political appeals, the moderate majority must speak up for shared values and against all forms of discrimination.

Our goal must be more than peaceful coexistence.  True tolerance requires the free flow of ideas, quality education for all, respect for human rights, and the sharing of cultures for mutual understanding. As we advance these values, let us draw strength and guidance from the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity.

Tolerance is both a condition of peace and an engine for creativity and innovation. In our evermore interconnected world, promoting tolerance is the way to build the  harmony we need to address pressing challenges and secure a better future. 

Ban Ki-moon

How Can Intolerance Be Countered?

1. Fighting intolerance requires law:
   Each Government is responsible for enforcing human rights laws, for banning and punishing hate crimes and discrimination against minorities, whether these are committed by State officials, private organizations or individuals. The State must also ensure equal access to courts, human rights commissioners or ombudsmen, so that people do not take justice into their own hands and resort to violence to settle their disputes.
2. Fighting intolerance requires education:
   Laws are necessary but not sufficient for countering intolerance in individual attitudes. Intolerance is very often rooted in ignorance and fear: fear of the unknown, of the other, other cultures, nations, religions. Intolerance is also closely linked to an exaggerated sense of self-worth and pride, whether personal, national or religious. These notions are taught and learned at an early age. Therefore, greater emphasis needs to be placed on educating more and better. Greater efforts need to be made to teach children about tolerance and human rights, about other ways of life. Children should be encouraged at home and in school to be open-minded and curious.

   Education is a life-long experience and does not begin or end in school. Endeavours to build tolerance through education will not succeed unless they reach all age groups, and take place everywhere: at home, in schools, in the workplace, in law-enforcement and legal training, and not least in entertainment and on the information highways.

3. Fighting intolerance requires access to information:
   Intolerance is most dangerous when it is exploited to fulfil the political and territorial ambitions of an individual or groups of individuals. Hatemongers often begin by identifying the public’s tolerance threshold. They then develop fallacious arguments, lie with statistics and manipulate public opinion with misinformation and prejudice. The most efficient way to limit the influence of hatemongers is to develop policies that generate and promote press freedom and press pluralism, in order to allow the public to differentiate between facts and opinions.
4. Fighting intolerance requires individual awareness:
   Intolerance in a society is the sum-total of the intolerance of its individual members. Bigotry, stereotyping, stigmatizing, insults and racial jokes are examples of individual expressions of intolerance to which some people are subjected daily. Intolerance breeds intolerance. It leaves its victims in pursuit of revenge. In order to fight intolerance individuals should become aware of the link between their behavior and the vicious cycle of mistrust and violence in society. Each one of us should begin by asking: am I a tolerant person? Do I stereotype people? Do I reject those who are different from me? Do I blame my problems on ‘them’?
5. Fighting intolerance requires local solutions:
   Many people know that tomorrow’s problems will be increasingly global but few realize that solutions to global problems are mainly local, even individual. When confronted with an escalation of intolerance around us, we must not wait for governments and institutions to act alone. We are all part of the solution. We should not feel powerless for we actually posses an enormous capacity to wield power. Nonviolent action is a way of using that power-the power of people. The tools of nonviolent action-putting a group together to confront a problem, to organize a grassroots network, to demonstrate solidarity with victims of intolerance, to discredit hateful propaganda-are available to all those who want to put an end to intolerance, violence and hatred.

David Hume, 1711 – 1776. Edinburgh-born philosopher

“In celebrating World Philosophy Day, UNESCO reaffirms the power of philosophy to change the world, because it can help us to change ourselves – by giving weight to our indignation before injustice, lucidity to ask the right questions, and conviction to defend human dignity.”

Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO
Message on World Philosophy Day
15 November 2012

Theme for 2012: “Future Generations”

World Philosophy Day was introduced in 2002 by UNESCO to honour philosophical reflection in the entire world by opening up free and accessible spaces. Its objective is to encourage the peoples of the world to share their philosophical heritage and to open their minds to new ideas, as well as to inspire a public debate between intellectuals and civil society on the challenges confronting our society.

UNESCO leads World Philosophy Day – but does not own it. It belongs to everyone, everywhere, who cares about philosophy.On this Day of collective exercise in free, reasoned and informed thinking on the major challenges of our time, all of UNESCO’s partners are encouraged to organize various types of activities – philosophical dialogues, debates, conferences, workshops, cultural events and presentations around the general theme of the Day, with the participation of philosophers and scientists from all branches of natural and social sciences, educators, teachers, students, press journalists and other mass media representatives, and the general public.