NEW DRAFT OF IGCA GUIDE FOR CENTRES: FEEDBACK PLEASE

[Boyd Roberts]

A draft of a new version of IGCA Guide for Centres, the key document for schools, is attached.

CONSULTATION

Please post any comments on the proposed changes in the redraft to this Ning forum set up for the purpose, or directly to me by email ([e-mail])

PLEASE FORWARD/POST ALL COMMENTS, INCLUDING COMMENTS SUPPORTING THE CHANGES BY 31 MARCH 2018, AFTER WHICH THE NEW VERSION WILL BE FINALISED.

This new draft incorporates changes we have agreed in the past few years, including the accelerated entry to silver level for older participants under specific circumstances.

Other proposed NEW changes are:

1.    a proposed change of terminology, replacing “the environment” with “the natural world”.
2.    a change in registration arrangements, so that prospective centres are expected to provide an outline of how they will introduce the IGCA, to be discussed with an experienced member of the  IGCA community
3.    a change of Advocacy, Persuasion and Promotion to Taking up a cause (Advocacy, Persuasion and Promotion)

There are also some minor changes of wording, clarification etc.

1.    In a recent article, the campaigning environmental journalist George Monbiot has argued very persuasively that the words we use are very important:
"Forget ‘the environment’: we need new words to convey life’s wonders"

He argues that “Language is crucial to how we perceive the natural world. Help me to find better ways of describing nature and our relationships with it so we can better defend it”

I found his argument compelling, and propose that we replace “the environment” with “the natural world” in IGCA documentation.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/09/forget-the-en...

2.    In recent dealings with prospective centres, I have asked them to think in some detail about how they would go about introducing the Award. This is helpful to schools serious about introducing the programme successfully, and helps to weed out schools that may be less committed to the programme, but would like to mention it on their website.

3.    Advocacy, Persuasion ad Promotion is not exactly user-friendly as a heading. Taking up a cause is more accessible, and retaining Advocacy, Persuasion and Promotion in brackets maintains continuity.

Please note that the format will require further work in the final version. (I work on a Macbook and some problems arise when I save documents as Word documents.) Attached here in both Word and Pages formats.