Global Express

Introduction

DEP produced Global Express in partnership with the Panos Institute, London. The project was funded by the Commission of the European Communities, Department for International Development and National Lottery Charities Board. United Co-op and Oxfam GB funded special editions produced after the main project ended.
The project ran between January 1997 and February 2003, followed by occasional special editions, the latest of which was published in October 2005.

Brief overview

Global Express was a magazine resource exploring world events and global issues in the news. It was produced for teachers of 8 to 14 year olds, and suitable for classroom use in citizenship, geography, literacy, English, PSHCE and RE. Each edition contained background information, photographs, cartoons, maps, interviews, statistics, analysis, teaching ideas and activity sheets.
Global Express was developed to help young people gain a greater understanding of the context in which news stories from the developing world happen, and enable them to build links between their experience of life and their understanding of development issues.

Aims

Global Express aimed to address five key areas:

Media: How can we help pupils to make sense of media coverage of global events and development issues? How can the media influence our images of the developing world?

Stereotypes: What images or stereotypes do pupils hold about the people and places involved? How can these be examined or challenged?

Empathy: How can we encourage pupils to empathise with the people directly involved, particularly those in situations different from their own?

Points of view: What are the different viewpoints involved? How can we ensure that pupils have access to a range of these?

Causes and solutions: How can we enable pupils to explore the causes and consequences of the situations portrayed in the news? What ways are there to resolve the issues and move forward?

Activities

42 editions of Global Express were produced in all and are available to download below. If you have a yearly subscription with DEP you can order any edition in hard copy for free.

Edition 1 Part 1. Global Express

Edition 1 Part 2. Global Express

Edition 3 Democracy in the International Context

Edition 4 Endangered Animals

Edition 5 Lethal Smog

Edition 6 El Nino

Edition 7 The Iraq Crisis

Edition 8 Children at Work

Edition 9 Football

Edition 10 Floods

Edition 11 Famine

Edition 12 Hurricane