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I created this innovation because I believe that children should not only learn about sustainable development — they should feel it from a very young age.
When children experience global values through movement, stories and emotions, sustainability becomes part of who they are, not just something written in a book. This project helps children grow up with empathy, responsibility and hope, so that caring for the world feels natural, joyful and meaningful from their earliest years.
In practice, my innovation is a living classroom experience, not just a book.
Each Sustainable Development Goal is taught through one Mariam’s Sustainable World story that is brought to life with illustrated storytelling, simple dance and movement sequences, drama and role-play games, creative art activities, and reflection moments where children share their feelings and personal promises.
The most important part is that children do not stay as listeners — they turn into heroes.
They solve problems with their bodies, voices and ideas, and begin to see themselves as the ones who can protect nature, care for others and create positive change.
Instead of memorizing concepts, students move, feel, create and act, making sustainable development part of who they are, not just what they learn.
The innovation has been spreading naturally because children do not experience it as a lesson, but as a game, an adventure and a mission.
Each book includes fun games, puzzles and creative challenges, and every story invites children to complete a Global Impact Project that Mariam begins in the book — such as saving water at home, sharing kindness at school, planting seeds, or creating peace posters. These projects travel from the story into real life, reaching families, classrooms and communities.
As children proudly share their Mariam missions with friends and parents, the stories move beyond the classroom and begin to grow in many homes, turning young readers into global heroes with local actions.
I am the writer of a Performing Arts Curriculum approved by the Ministry of Culture in Turkiye, and I deeply believe in the transformative power of art in education. Art allows children to express, understand and connect with the world beyond words, making learning meaningful, emotional and lasting. Through my work, I aim to place creativity, movement and imagination at the heart of education so that children grow not only academically, but also as confident, empathetic and responsible global citizens.
To try Mariam’s Sustainable World in your classroom or school, you only need a few simple steps:
Choose one goal.
Start with a single Sustainable Development Goal, such as Clean Water or Kindness & Equality.
Read the story together.
Gather the children in a circle and read Mariam’s story aloud, using your voice, facial expressions and movement.
Become the heroes.
Teach the short dance or movement sequence from the story and let children act out the problem and the solution.
Play and create.
Complete the fun game, puzzle or art activity from the book related to the story.
Launch the Global Impact Project.
Help children carry out Mariam’s mission at school or at home — saving water, sharing kindness, planting seeds or helping a friend.
Reflect together.
End with one simple question:
“How did you change the world today?”
In just one lesson, children stop being learners and start becoming real-life heroes for a better future.
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