They were joined by 14 excited and committed teachers from Lesotho visiting their Welsh partner schools through the Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning Programme and Dolen Cymru’s Teacher Placement Programme. Setempe Phoka representing the Basotho contingent remarked “ We are honoured to be part of this event that shows the commitment of young people leading on the path to sustainability. There is no other way to tackle global issues facing us than with global responses such as this one.”
The event kicked off with a colourful parade around the Garden led by a giant globe and accompanied by a Samba band. Pupils held handmade placards and displayed banners highlighting Sustainable Development Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities and the need to work in partnership to achieve this.
Participants, who included teachers, heads, education officers, county councillors and NGO representatives as well as pupils, were welcomed by Gareth Morgans, director of education at Carmarthenshire County Council. He reminded all that similar events were taking place in 11 other nations in the EU as part of Walk the Global Walk, meaning that those present were part of a truly international community of thousands of young people raising awareness of the Global Goals and taking action to help make them a reality. He also stated Carmarthenshire’s commitment to listening actively to young people and developing plans and policies together with them.
Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, spoke of the bravery needed to tackle issues such as climate change but said that witnessing the leadership shown by young people filled her with optimism for the future. She encouraged pupils to “keep learning about the Goals, keep challenging the people in power, keep speaking the truth, and keep connecting what we do here in Wales with what goes on in Lesotho and other parts of the world.”
The Global Goalkeepers, pupil ambassadors from Carmarthenshire schools involved in the project, then had the opportunity to showcase actions they had led to help make their communities more sustainable. These include an intergenerational project highlighting cultural heritage, the creation of community gardens, combatting plastic waste, supporting fair trade, encouraging pupils to get on their bikes with a sponsored bike ride, and an innovative social enterprise scheme. Councillor Cefin Campbell, responsible for ensuring the county becomes net zero carbon by 2030, drew attention to the huge challenges involved and the necessity of taking action both as individuals and as communities to achieve this.
Pupils then took part in a fun range of hands on workshops: experimenting with renewable energies, exploring African and African Caribbean cultures and their influence on music, playing a greenhouse gases game, creating bath bombs, making a sustainable food wrap, concocting a healthy pot noodle, and thinking about how we rely on others around the world for our clothes and food.
The Great Glasshouse at the Garden provided the ideal backdrop for displays of pupils’ work and stalls with resources and information from different organisations working in the field.
The finale saw the Global Goalkeepers making pledges to continue their actions and included music in the form of beautiful solos from Mari Mathias and spine-tingling choral singing by visiting Basotho teachers.
The organisers would like to thank Sophie Howe and Elen Jones from the Future Generations Office, our Global Goalkeepers and their teachers, the Basotho visitors, all schools who participated , councillors and CCC officers, staff of NBGW, and all providers of workshops, pop up activities and stalls.
Er gwaetha’r glaw ar y 7fed o Fehefin, bu dros 250 o ddisgyblion yn tyrru i'r Ardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol i ddangos eu cefnogaeth ar gyfer y Nodau Datblygu Cynaliadwy fel rhan o brosiect “Walk the Global Walk” a ariennir gan yr UE.
Ymunon nhw â 14 o athrawon brwdfrydig o Lesotho a oedd yn ymweld â'u hysgolion partner yng Nghymru drwy'r rhaglen Cysylltu Dosbarthiadau drwy Ddysgu Byd-eang a’r rhaglen Lleoli Athrawon Dolen Cymru. Dywedodd Setempe Phoka ar ran y Basotho "Mae'n anrhydedd i ni fod yn rhan o'r digwyddiad hwn sy'n dangos ymrwymiad pobl ifanc sy'n arwain y ffordd tuag at gynaliadwyedd. Nid oes unrhyw ffordd arall o fynd i'r afael â materion byd-eang sy'n ein hwynebu ni ar wahân i ymateb byd-eang fel hwn."
Cychwynnodd y digwyddiad gyda gorymdaith liwgar o amgylch yr Ardd â glôb enfawr a band samba ar y blaen. Roedd y disgyblion yn dal placardiau a baneri i amlygu pwysigrwydd Nod Datblygu Cynaliadwy 11: Dinasoedd a Chymunedau Cynaliadwy a'r angen i weithio mewn partneriaeth er mwyn cyflawni hyn.
Cafodd y cyfranogwyr, a oedd yn cynnwys athrawon, penaethiaid, swyddogion addysg, cynghorwyr sir a chynrychiolwyr cyrff anllywodraethol yn ogystal â disgyblion, eu croesawu gan Gareth Morgans, Cyfarwyddwr Addysg Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin. Fe atgoffodd pawb bod digwyddiadau tebyg yn cael eu cynnal mewn 11 o genhedloedd eraill yn yr UE fel rhan o’r prosiect, sy'n golygu bod y rhai oedd yn bresennol yn rhan o gymuned wirioneddol ryngwladol o filoedd o bobl ifanc yn codi ymwybyddiaeth o'r nodau byd-eang ac yn cymryd camau i helpu i'w gwneud yn realiti. Nododd hefyd ymrwymiad Sir Gaerfyrddin i wrando'n weithredol ar bobl ifanc a datblygu cynlluniau a pholisïau gyda hwy.
Soniodd Sophie Howe, Comisiynydd Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol, Cymru, am y dewrder sydd ei angen i fynd i'r afael â materion fel newid yn yr hinsawdd ond dywedodd fod gweld yr arweinyddiaeth a ddangoswyd gan bobl ifanc wedi ei llenwi â gobaith ar gyfer y dyfodol. Anogodd y disgyblion i "barhau i ddysgu am y nodau, parhau i herio'r bobl mewn grym, i siarad y gwir, a pharhau i gysylltu'r hyn yr ydym yn ei wneud yma yng Nghymru â'r hyn sy'n digwydd yn Lesotho a rhannau eraill o'r byd."
Yna cafodd y Gôl-geidwaid Byd-eang ifanc, llysgenhadon o ysgolion Sir Gaerfyrddin a oedd yn rhan o'r prosiect, y cyfle i ddangos y camau yr oeddent wedi'u harwain i wneud eu cymunedau'n fwy cynaliadwy. Mae'r rhain yn cynnwys prosiect sy'n pontio'r cenedlaethau er mwyn amlygu treftadaeth ddiwylliannol, creu gerddi cymunedol, brwydro yn erbyn gwastraff plastig, cefnogi Masnach Deg, annog disgyblion i fynd ar eu beiciau, a menter gymdeithasol arloesol. Mae'r cynghorydd Cefin Campbell, sy'n gyfrifol am sicrhau bod y sir yn dod yn ddi-garbon erbyn 2030, wedi tynnu sylw at yr heriau enfawr sy'n gysylltiedig a'r angen i weithredu fel unigolion ac fel cymunedau er mwyn cyflawni hyn.
Yna cymerodd y disgyblion ran mewn amrywiaeth hwyliog o weithdai ymarferol: arbrofi gydag egni adnewyddadwy, archwilio diwylliannau Affricanaidd a'u dylanwad ar gerddoriaeth, chwarae gêm nwyon tŷ gwydr, creu bomiau bath, gwneud lapiad bwyd cynaliadwy, creu pot nwdls iachus, ac yn meddwl sut yr ydym yn dibynnu ar eraill o gwmpas y byd am ein dillad a'n bwyd.
Roedd y Tŷ Gwydr Mawr yn gefnlen ddelfrydol ar gyfer arddangosiadau o waith y disgyblion a stondinau gydag adnoddau a gwybodaeth gan wahanol sefydliadau sy'n gweithio yn y maes.
Fel diweddglo cafwyd addewidion gan y ceidwaid byd-eang i barhau â'u gweithredoedd a pherfformiadau hudolus gan y gantores, Mari Mathias, a chanu corawl iasol gan athrawon Basotho.
Hoffai'r trefnwyr ddiolch i Sophie Howe ac Elen Jones o Swyddfa Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol, ein Gôl-geidwaid Byd-eang a'u hathrawon o ysgolion Treioan, Bro Myrddin, Bro Dinefwr, Dyffryn Aman, Glan y Môr, Y Frenhines Elisabeth a Chanolfan y Gors, ymwelwyr o Lesotho, pob ysgol arall a gyfranogodd, cynghorwyr a swyddogion y sir, staff GFGC, a holl ddarparwyr gweithdai, gweithgareddau byrfyfyr a stondinau.
