In 2008, the United Nations (UN) set a goal to raise awareness and to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target to reduce by half the proportion of the 2.6 billion people without access to basic sanitation by 2015. In keeping with its mandate of educating and engaging Canadians in the work of the UN and global issues that affects us all, the United Nations Association in Canada (UNA-Canada) developed the Clean Talk project in contribution to the International Year of Sanitation (2008) designated by the UN.
In July, 2008 UNA-Canada was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to introduce Clean Talk as a pilot project within the Ontario region involving schools of the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB). The main objective of Clean Talk is to raise awareness and build critical thinking skills amongst Canadian youth to create sustainable solution-based approaches for global citizens lacking access to sanitation. Specific objectives of the Clean Talk project are to:
1.Cultivate an appreciation and understanding among youth, on access (and lack of) to sanitation and its impact on citizens;
2. Link the UN’s International Year of Sanitation to youth’s knowledge and move them on a continuum of awareness, concern and action towards positive change in Canada and internationally;
3. Introduce the historical evolution of sanitation in Canada, through comparative research of 19th century and present day Canada;
4. Engage youth in taking a critical look at the socio-cultural issues of poverty, diseases, gender equality, education, economics and environment sustainability through the sanitation lens;
5. Create and maintain regional links to marking the International Year of Sanitation; and
6. Link to UNA-Canada’s “Canada, Youth and the Right to Water” project, participants and young leaders from across Canada.
This project builds critical thinking skills amongst Canadian youth to create sustainable solution-based approaches to sanitation issues faced by the world’s underserved populations.
For more information, contact the Clean Talk Project Team:
Sarah Kambites – Director, Education and Community Outreach Initiatives sarah.kambites@unac.org
Amy Sandhu – Project Officer, Youth Engagement Initiatives amy.sandhu@unac.org
