4 Immediate Reforms the IBO Could Implement to Demonstrate Its Commitment to Addressing the Youth Mental Health Crisis and the Climate Crisis
Dear Mr. Heinonen and IBO board of directors:
I have taught IB English and TOK for over 20 years. During that time I have watched the climate crisis unfold, and seen many of my students experience growing mental distress. I do not believe the climate crisis is directly connected to clinical mental health issues. I do, however, believe that the climate crisis is negatively impacting youth mental health. (B.Grant)
How can the IBO improve youth mental health and better address the climate crisis?
Here are four ideas:
Do not allow classes before 7:30 AM at boarding schools and 8:00 AM at regular schools. Over my career I have seen countless students fall asleep in 7:00 AM classes. And I have met IB teachers from the USA where classes were as early as 6:30 AM. The IBO should forbid such early classes since sleep deprivation is well known to negatively affect youth mental health. (M.Short et al)
The IBO needs to change its “Net Zero” goal from 2050 to a much earlier date. Given the severity of the climate crisis, the IBO should aim for 2035 at the latest. Related to this, the IBO should eliminate air travel for all IBO world conferences, and instead promote smaller regional conferences. This idea is developed further in a petition/letter produced by teachers at an IBO World School in Zug and Luzern, Switzerland (see: link here)
The IB mission statement has no mention of preparing students to address the climate crisis, environmental problems, or sustainable development. How can we IB teachers tell students that the IBO prioritizes these issues when they are not explicitly noted in the IBO mission statement? The mission statement is the bedrock on which the entire curriculum should be built; it should reflect a sense of urgency in dealing with the climate crisis and/or polycrisis (see: link here)
The IBO should insist all schools have an SDG plan which is revisited every 5 years as part of the IBO’s school accreditation process. Why does the IBO not insist on this? Why are there no benchmarks to measure environmental progress made by schools? What message does this send youth? (see: link here)
Taken together, the measures above would show IB students and teachers that the IBO prioritizes student mental health and is serious about addressing the climate crisis.
Regards,
Theo Wyne
IB English and TOK teacher