UN International Moon Day - 20 June, SDG 3 and 9

Yesterday, I celebrated UN International Moon Day by watching the 2024 film Fly Me to the Moon in the theatre. The film is pure fiction, with the real story of the moon landing and other NASA-related events as the background. The film is chock-full of career portrayals, making it a good watch for our students and clients. Before I explain, I want to share why the United Nations declared the International Moon Day in 2021. In their own words:

"The General Assembly declared International Moon Day, a United Nations-designated international day to be observed annually on 20 July, in its resolution 76/76 on “International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space” in 2021.

International Moon Day marks the anniversary of the first landing by humans on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 lunar mission.

The celebrations will also consider the achievements of all States in the exploration of the Moon and raise public awareness of sustainable Moon exploration and utilization."

UN International Day of the Moon

How the day links to SDGs is holistic, but most specifically, at this point, it relates to two SDGs:

 #SDG3, Good Health and Well-being for the innovations that came from research development related to the Moon Landing, such a food safety, rechargeable hearing aids, and space blankets.

#SDG9, Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure also received contributions from research and development, which contributed to quake-proofing and digital flight controls.

My educational background includes a degree in Speech, contributing to my interest in the intersection of popular culture, its rhetoric, and inspiration for careers (including those yet to be invented). Fly Me to the Moon reminded me how the Moon Landing in 1969  inspired my nation and the world. I silently clapped throughout the film because it was chock-full of potential careers. It was indeed a candy store for career counselors such as me!

The most prominent career portrayed was #Marketing. Support for the awe-inspiring journey to the Moon had to be sold to the public, so #Advertising came into play to showcase the astronauts and products such as Tang and the Omega Watch. #Astronaut, #Pilot, #LaunchDirector, and #Engineer were prominent careers. #Journalists, #Politicians, and #Diplomacy (a soft skill and career) related to securing government funding.

 I will leave it up to you to understand why I saw the careers of #FilmDirector, #Actor, #LawEnforcement, #TourGuide, and #PersonalAssistant. There was an implication of #Astronomer, a career that informs all space travelers. And, I give an honorable mention to #Veterinarians and #VetTechs who may have been disappointed to see people afraid of a black cat, but it rocked its role & had prominent moments.

Some of my all-time favorite songs are about the Moon. NASA selected #Moonchild by #RM for its Moon Tunes Playlist for the Artemis 2, launching in the fall of 2025.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9ntaxClfrA For the same mission, NASA did not select but tweeted an honorable mention for #Moon by #Jin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2bg37OUbjc And last but not least, there is #FlyMetotheMoon. The film version was by #BigBandCrewSingersBobbyWomack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnKxtNt19uA

I love so many more songs about the Moon. Could you post your favorite Moon songs and Moon related careers in the comments?