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Geography Inquiry Project: Global Inequalities & Quality of Life
Improving global inequalities and quality of life through:
Education
Eliminating Poverty
Sustainable Living
How can YOU improve the quality of life here in Windsor, on a First Nations Reserve (example, Fort
Hope), or in a third world country (example, Bangladesh)
You and your partner(s) will select one of area to focus on. You will develop a plan of action to
implement positive change.
Life in Windsor
These positive changes could be creating a plan for more sustainable living to improve the environment
within a city. Here in Windsor, we could have farms on rooftops to produce vegetables for local
neighborhoods. We could find a “dead space” to create a part and develop new neighborhoods. We
could improve our transit system to eliminate the need for cars. Address ways to reduce and repurpose
waste (turn waste into energy). It’s easy to say that we can turn waste into energy, but how? You will
need to research ways that it can be done. Consider what you learned from David Suzuki’s travels to
“Future Cities” here in Canada. Research ideas for sustainable living and finding ways to reduce and
repurpose waste, create parks and urban farming. Windsor is a great city, but with some imagination
and knowledge you can make it a city of the future.
Life on a First Nations Reserve
How could you make a positive change to life on a First Nations Reserve? With high unemployment
rates, poor land, high drug use, high crime rates, extreme poverty, low life expectancy, and no emphasis
on education, improving life on a reserve is a challenge. Can you implement a positive change? What
can you do? How could sustainable living benefit our fellow Canadians who live on reserves? How can
we promote a much needed change for these people to the rest of Canada who is unaware of what is
going on? Can you fix the housing issues so that families do not live in the deplorable conditions? Can
you help make the reserve a safer place to live? Can you redesign and reimagine a reserve to improve
the quality of life for the people who live there?
Life in a Third World Country
Can you make a positive change in our world? There are millions of children in third world countries
who live in poverty, have extreme health issues, and who have no access to education. Many people in
third world countries don’t even have access to fresh water. Many don’t have access to proper
sanitation. In the city of Dhaka, Bangladesh, for example, with a population of 20 million, the city has
only 48 public toilets – one for every quarter of a million residents. One of the many problems that this
city faces is public defecation. Some streets are even impossible to walk in, not to mention the rampant
disease that spreads due to this problem. How can Canadians make the world a better place for
everyone? How can we create awareness and help those who need it most? What action can you take?
Can sustainable living improve the conditions of some of these cities?
Question: How do we present our work?
Answer: In a number of ways. If you select Windsor or the Reserve project you could create
illustrations of your ideas. Draw your plans and label them. Write up explanations of your ideas.
If you are creating an awareness campaign for part of your project, you could make a video to promote
it. The way in which you present your ideas is up to you and your team. I expect lots of visuals,
drawings with label, and written information. I need to see a plan of action. IF you are addressing the
education problem in third world countries, what is your plan? You need to clearly state your ideas and
how you plan to implement them.
In a nutshell, what’s the problem and how do you plan to fix it?
Groups will present their ideas for action when complete.
You will need to do a lot of research for your ideas.
BE CREATIVE. BE INNOVATIVE.
Resources for a basic starting point….
List of least developed (third world) countries (LDCs)
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/least_developed_countries.htm
Developing World Connections
http://www.developingworldconnections.org/
Learn how 2 young Canadians, Craig and Marc Kielburger, made a difference in the world.
Can you use some of his ideas?
http://www.metowe.com/marc-and-craig/free-the-children-takes-flight/
Charity Water Project
http://www.charitywater.org/whywater/?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=adwords&utm_campaign=h
elp&utm_content=thirdworld2&gclid=CK-pouW2tcUCFYsCaQodSIQATw
Plan Canada (Woman Empowerment Campaign to help educate women in third world
countries)
http://plancanada.ca/because-i-am-a-girl-overview?gclid=CIHqwJK3tcUCFRCsaQodTpQAeg
Grameen – Connecting the world’s poor to their potential
http://www.grameenfoundation.org/?gclid=CIWYgbC3tcUCFQqEaQody44A-w
List of First Nations Reserves in Canada (listed by province). This can give you a direction,
but you will need to do more research on specific reserves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_reserves_in_Canada
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100010715/1100100010719
Urban reserves bringing prosperity to first nations
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/urban-reserves-bringing-prosperity-to-firstnations-neighbours-1.2992695
7 Free ways to make a difference (First Nations)
http://www.fncaringsociety.ca/7-free-ways-make-difference
Sustainable Development Technology Canada
https://www.sdtc.ca/en
Sustainable living
http://www.naturalstep.ca/
http://sustainablecities.net/