GEMS establishes ‘Hub Schools for Sustainability’ in Italy and Indonesia, with more in the pipeline

• GEMS Global Ambassadors Society aims to twin with schools in 10 countries
• Hub Schools will be guided on teaching of sustainable practices and lifestyles
• Spearheaded by GEMS’ climate change lead, the initiative targets UN SDGs

GEMS Education’s Global Ambassadors Society (GGA) has today established a new ‘GEMS Hub School for Sustainability’ in Sekolah Bogor Raya in Indonesia – the second of a total of 10 countries in which the twinning initiative hopes to establish Hub schools by the end of the year.

Through its twinning initiatives, the GGA enables local and international schools to collaborate with GEMS and learn about best practices in sustainability. The school in Indonesia follows the establishment of the first GEMS Hub Schools for Sustainability in the communities of Sarmede, Capella Maggiore, Fregona and Colle Umberto in Italy at the end of 2022.

On 28 October last year, a ceremony was held in Italy to set out the Hub School partnerships and their aim of achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. In attendance were the mayors of each Italian community as well as GEMS’ Climate Change Executive Leader, Asha Alexander.

The event was followed by visits to the four schools involved and saw student leaders and teacher representatives come together and collaborate. Olive trees were planted as a symbol of peace and to mark the building of bridges worldwide to share knowledge and learning.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ketty Gallon, Italian representative of the GEMS Global Ambassadors Programme, said: “After listening to Asha Alexander speak at COP25, her vision of an educational leadership came to me in full force, and I found myself immediately aligned with her words of empathy and her vision for the role of schools in educating students for the great challenges of the future. I have always believed in the importance of providing stimulation to children and the opportunity to discover other people and other cultures, and to be open to the world and rejoice in the richness that exists all around us. This twin initiative enables us to do just that.”

Plans are already in place to establish more Hub Schools for Sustainability in Malawi and Kashmir, India by March 2023. Each Hub School brings together representatives to create an administrative committee formed to facilitate communication among the governing bodies of the school.

Each Hub is also responsible for making decisions about school operations that do not require policy changes or discussion by another governing body or committee, as well as directing problems, concerns and new ideas to the appropriate committee or governing body. Hub Schools will share a monthly update with GEMS Legacy School, where Asha Alexander is Principal, to ensure sustainable teaching and learning remains on track.

Asha Alexander said: “Education is a crucial player in addressing the issues tackled by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. These first few twin schools in Italy and Indonesia are exciting early steps in our objective to establish Hub Schools in at least 10 countries by the end of this year. We hope that through shared lesson plans, climate literacy objectives and engaging projects, we’ll be able to embed climate change consciousness in our twin schools, making sustainable practice second nature to young people around the world.”