We have said it before and we’ll say it again: one of our parenting goals is raising people we want to be friends with someday. We hope that these people who we love with all of our hearts will also be people we want to invite back to our Thanksgiving tables.
Parenting is not just about making meals, checking homework, and schlepping kids everywhere. There is a bigger method to this everyday madness. We always have one eye on the future. We are not interested in raising mini-mes; we’re investing time in communicating to our kids those things which are nearest and dearest to our hearts. We are working to empower them to be kind, generous, and strong citizens of the world who care for it and its peoples as they have been cared for. With consideration. With passion. With purpose.
And we are in good company. This past week at the United Nations, one hundred ninety-three member states collaborated to create this love letter to our future world: The Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
What are these goals you ask?
They are seventeen goals to achieve three extraordinary things in the next fifteen years: end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and fix climate change. These goals are sustainable because they encourage growth without compromising the needs of the future.
To see the specifics about each goal, click here. You can even take a quiz to see which goal is nearest and dearest to your activist heart.
Or watch this video to see some lovely famous people and regular citizens tell you all about it.
As for us, we are partial to Global Goal #16. We want to promote peaceful and inclusive societies and provide access to justice for all.
because . . .
This quote speaks to our desire to see a world populated by people with eyes wide open and hearts equally so. On our recent visit to the Holocaust Museum, as we read panel after panel about the unfolding tragedy, we were struck by the true cost of a world gone indifferent. Our descent through this quiet, sacred space allowed little room for conversation, yet we said more than once to each other “history keeps repeating itself” and “our kids need to see this.” Every time we fail to act when action is required, we fail not just ourselves but our children. So this is what ultimately inspires us: the chance to empower our kids to stand up for peace and justice.
Dreaming is not enough. We must give our kids the tools to create change. The choice to stand still is still a choice, but it’s not one we want for our kids.
Global Goals is the action tool we all need with its many resources. Just this morning over breakfast, Erin shared this comic book with her boys, and they gave it a positive review. There is one for younger kids too.
As a whole, these resources are not at all stuffy and extremely user-friendly. With this finger puppet, you and your child can have your own little freedom march. Perfect for inspiring pint-sized activists!
And speaking of Martin Luther King, when we were in Washington, DC, we visited his monument as well. Beautiful, inspired, and executed with a clear vision, the memorial honors the legacy of a man who would have totally been with us on Team Global Goal #16.
There are honestly so many more resources for you to check out in the awesome toolkit. They already have us talking about what’s happening now and what happens next . . .
The call to action!
To that end, you can . . .
- Implement all or some of the suggestions in this post and in the toolkit.
- Share a goal you are passionate about to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social channels. Include the hashtags #GlobalGoals #TellEveryone.
- Post a photo showing which Global Goal resonates with you on your social channels with the hashtags #GlobalGoals #TellEveryone.
The choice to stand still is still a choice. Just don’t let it be yours!
Happy sharing! Let’s change the world, one goal at a time!
Let’s #TellEveryone about the #GlobalGoals!
-Erin and Ellen
You can follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Check out our books, “I Just Want to Be Alone” and “You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth.”