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RCE Bulletin

Issue 132: August 2022
MESSAGE FROM THE GLOBAL RCE SERVICE CENTRE:

Dear Colleagues and Friends, 

Greetings from the Global RCE Service Centre! This month we held the second RCE Youth Webinar to celebrate International Youth Day 2022, on 12 August. The event was a wonderful opportunity to hear from our speakers about their conservation activities, and how they've been inspired by biodiversity. Thank you to all who participated for your active contributions! Along with this event, this month we also launched the RCE Youth Biodiversity Art Challenge, back for its second year and open worldwide to all youth aged 35 and under. See below for details.

A reminder that registrations for the Americas and Europe Regional Meetings are still open for certain modalities (check the event pages below for further details). A report of the Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting is now on the RCE Portal, and materials from the meeting are also on the event page. For those in the Africa region, details about your Regional Meeting will be available soon!

If you would like to share any news, upcoming events, open calls, or publications for an upcoming bulletin, please complete this form and email your submission to the Global RCE Service Centre at rceservicecentre@unu.edu (submissions close on the 15th of each month).

Sincerely,
The Global RCE Service Centre

Submissions Open: 2022 RCE Youth Biodiversity Art Challenge

The Global RCE Service Centre at UNU-IAS, in partnership with UNESCO, is now accepting submissions for the RCE Youth Biodiversity Art Challenge! The challenge is open to anyone aged 35 or younger worldwide.

We're looking for creative works of art that put a spotlight on the species, habitats, and ecosystems that we need to work to protect.

Submissions can be made for any of the following categories, with a focus on SDG 14 (Life Below Water) or SDG 15 (Life on Land). Choose from:

  • Is your favourite animal or plant species under threat?
    • Show us one of your favourite animal or plant species which is currently under threat (e.g. Is its population/survival at risk? Are its habitats being endangered?)
    • Tell us how we can ensure we protect and restore this species - what actions can we take today in our communities?
  • How can we protect the habitats and ecosystems within our regions?
    • Show us one of your favourite places which is being impacted by biodiversity loss (e.g. a local national park, forest, beach, river).
    • Tell us why it needs to be protected, and what actions communities can take to conserve this place?

Further information, including submission guidelines and eligibility are available here. Entries close on 30 September, 2022 (11:59pm JST).

Upcoming Events

Open Calls

Registrations Open: 11th Americas Regional Meeting

The 11th Americas RCE Regional Meeting will be held in Salisbury, Maryland (USA) from 3-5 October, 2022, under the theme 'Now, More than Ever! The RCE Network as a Peace Leader!'.

Registrations are still open for in-person participation (deadline extended until 7 September, 2022) and online participation (deadline is 18 September, 2022). See the event page for further details.

(Photo credit: Dr. Heather McCarty)

Registrations Open: Europe Regional Meeting 2022 (Part II)

The Europe Regional Meeting 2022 (Part II) will be hosted by RCE Fryslan, to be held in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands from 10-13 October, 2022, under the theme 'Greater than the Sum of the Parts; Strengthening the European RCE Network for ESD'.

Registrations are still open, with a deadline of 1 October, 2022 (please note that spaces for in-person participation are limited to 85 places, so early registration is recommended). See the event page for further details.

(Photo credit: Frank van der Velde)

Applications Closing Soon: RCE Awards 2022

Applications are closing soon for the 11th annual RCE Awards, but there is still time to submit your project(s)! RCEs are encouraged to nominate their most outstanding ESD project(s) for the award; ESD projects are to illustrate how RCEs address local sustainable development challenges, and therefore provide an example of how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be implemented at the local level through quality education. They should also demonstrate how an RCE is promoting multi-stakeholder learning processes through policy dialogue, research and collaborative partnerships. Award recipients will be announced and featured on the RCE Portal this December.
 
To apply:

  • Submit an RCE Project (video tutorial available here), and at the bottom of the form, please tick the box underneath the heading 'RCE Award 2022' before saving (Please note: projects submitted since November 2021 are also eligible to be nominated for the award. Please go into your existing project, go into 'edit' mode and tick the same box at the bottom of the form).
  • You will then be redirected to the RCE Award form on a new page. Complete the form and click submit.

Details on categories for the awards, eligibility, criteria, and the format for submission can be found here. Submission must be done online via the RCE Portal by 11:59pm, 9 September, 2022 (JST).

Latest News

Asia-Pacific RCEs Discuss Empowering Local Wisdom at 14th Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting

From 19-21 July, 2022, the 14th Asia-Pacific RCE Regional Meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hosted by RCE Greater Gombak and International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), under the theme 'Empowering Local Wisdom for Education for Sustainable Development'.
 
The three-day Meeting highlighted the rich history and cultures shaped by indigenous knowledge and reinforcement of values - especially its distinct identity in spirituality, ethics, and communal activities - to take a holistic approach to sustainable development by involving multi-stakeholders. Read more

(Photo credit: RCE Greater Gombak)

RCE Youth Webinar Inspires Actions for Biodiversity Conservation

The RCE Youth Webinar 'Art, Actions, and Perspectives for Biodiversity Conservation' was held online on 12 August, 2022 to celebrate International Youth Day 2022. Bringing together participants from 23 countries across the world, the event highlighted examples of youth-led conservation activities to address biodiversity issues, and featured artists sharing how they express and inspire others in relation to protecting biodiversity and sustainable development. Read more

Malaysian Youth SDG Summit 2022

On 11 June, 2022, the second Malaysian Youth SDG Summit 2022 was held, featuring 12 young SDG practitioners who presented their stories related to one of four topics: People; The Connectors; Planet; and Prosperity. This annual program provides a platform for finding new ways to mobilise, empower, and inspire young people to localise their actions towards the SDGs, and for creating an avenue among youth advocates and like-minded peers to meet.

The event was organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPGM) for SDG Malaysia, SDG Academy, International Youth Center and CSO SDG Alliance. The latter is a stakeholder of RCE Greater Kuala Lumpur, and as a strategic partner to APPGM-SDG, RCE Greater Kuala Lumpur developed an SDG Awareness Quiz for the summit participants, and co-organised the Sustainability and SDGs Project management workshop. As one of the Summit's strategic partners, RCE Greater Kuala Lumpur also organised and moderated a panellist session which featured RCE Penang, RCE Kuching and RCE Greater Gombak.

Save Our Forest, Save Our Future! Join UCSI 3P-1G Green Graduate Campaign

In urban Kuala Lumpur, RCE Greater Kuala Lumpur, its host, UCSI Group, and Cheras Community came together for the first time to work on the conservation of the 'Cheras Community Green Lung', Sungai Besi Reserved Forest, and to campaign to halt unsustainable development in its neighbourhood. In meeting the city's pressing need and aspiration for SDG 11 and SDG 13, UCSI University and UCSI College soft launched the '3 Plants 1 Graduate program', known as 3P-1G, on 30 June, 2022. The celebration also marked the end of the UCSI annual SDG Month, which was organised to accelerate determination and efforts in connecting community members, partners, and the public to create a regenerative and sustainable community. Read more

RCE Kano Conducts Two-Day Workshop on Grant Writing and Communication Skills

RCE Kano recently held a two-day workshop on proposal writing, communication skills and project management for its sustainability ambassadors. The event was organised in conjunction with its partners; the Centre for Renewable Energy and Action on Climate Change (CREACC-NG), in collaboration with the Centre for Gender Studies (CGS), and Bayero University Kano. Led by Usman Muhammad Mareri, ambassadors were taken through aspects of good communication, how to overcome communication barriers, and the concepts of upward and downward communication. Read their full report here.

(Photo credit: RCE Kano)

RCE Kano 2021 ESD Program and the Making of an Ecopreneur: A Personal Account

This personal account, by Abdulbaki Ahmad, one of RCE Kano's Sustainability Ambassadors, reflects on the impact of an ESD program organised by RCE Kano on the theme of 'Promoting Sustainability in Light of Agenda 2063', which focused on the role of African youth in driving and achieving this. He reflects on the many factors he believes made the ESD program a success. Read more

(Photo credit: RCE Kano)

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