Overview

This activity aims to make the students reflect upon health inequalities in their own countries and on a global level.

Humanities

Two 45 minute lessons

13 – 21 years old

Class size

Objectives

Behavioural competences

• To meet other people on equal terms (disabled, other gender, other sexuality, other nationality, other religion etc.)
• To observe inequalities and act upon them

Reflections

• To understand human rights and responsibilities
• To reflect upon how one’s perception of another person is affected by their social status and how it correlates with human rights

Lifelong learning key competences

Social and civic competences

Materials

Projector to show the video

Preparation

Homework task:

Ask the students to reflect upon health inequalities in their country. Is there equal access to health care in your country? Are there obstacles that make it harder for some members of the society to access health care services?

Instructions

First class:

Play the video: The National Institutes of Health, “Social Inequalities in Health,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roAQHn5rEoQ (3 minutes)

Divide the groups according to the roles below. Ask them what would be the one thing they could change from their position. How will they do that? Give them until the end of the first lesson to work on their answers.

Roles:

• Government (Ministry of Health)
• Global Heath activists (or NGOs)
• Academia
• Journalists
• Individuals

Evaluation

Second class:

Ask the students to present their plans for change group by group. After their presentation ask the groups to negotiate with each other and see if they can agree upon some common actions for change.

Follow up suggestions

Homework essay:

Why is health equality important at a global level?
Give examples of epidemics. Where was the outbreak? Why there? To where did it spread? Why?

Ideas for actions

• Write a letter to the Ministry of Health, your Mayor or a NGO expressing the ideas that the class came up with during the second lesson.
• Initiate a campaign to raise awareness about health inequalities

Further information

The Sustainable Development Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities) targets: http://globalresponsibility.eu/goal-10-reduced-inequalities/

The Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health & Well Being) targets: http://globalresponsibility.eu/goal-3-good-health-well-being/

World Health Organization, “10 facts on health inequities and their causes,” http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/health_inequities/en/

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland, “Health inequalities,”  http://www.publichealth.ie/healthinequalities/healthinequalities