YouAlberta
You may have heard about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or maybe you have no clue on what it even means. SDGs are simply ways to think about how we can create a more inclusive, equitable, prosperous, and sustainable future. We are looking at 5 Ps: People, Planet, Partnerships, Prosperity and Peace. It's about how we can eradicate extreme poverty and ensure sustainability. SDGs are the ideals that 193 countries at the United Nations in September 2015 committed to achieving together.
World leaders, national organizations and local communities are working to achieve these goals by 2030. Therefore, we, the youth of today, are the ones who will see how the SDGs are carried out. If we are not at the core of the SDGs, especially in their implementation, then the SDGs themselves become unsustainable. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stated that the SDGs can be described as a 'youth agenda,' with specific reference to this generation of youth being the "first generation that can end poverty and the last that has a chance at saving our planet."
It may sound extravagant or not relevant. These goals have significant distance from us, or they are too big. We don't even know where to begin! Although the SDGs is the new label the UN has put on, the SDGs themselves are not a new concept. In fact, it has been something many of us have already been working on: to reduce the world's biggest challenges. Your work with Campus Food Bank, research about global warming, vaccinations, or advocacy to the policymakers for vulnerable populations…they all fall under UN SDGs! The UN SDGs just gave us a platform to create a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. It provided us with more guidance and metrics to measure our progress.
Now, many of us might feel like we want to help out but don't know where to begin. You are not alone. In fact, it is known that global issues can often create feelings of being 'frozen' when it comes to actually taking action, yet at the same time we feel compelled to address the major global challenges we are facing.
Here are a few simple suggestions!
Awareness: Learn More About Sustainable Development Goals!
There are 17 SDGs and it is important for you to get to know more about them, to identify the challenges, and find potential actions you want to take.
Luckily, for you, University of Alberta International hosts International Week (I-Week) annually, bringing local and global speakers to talk about the different SDG Goals. Check out the I-Week program and attend the section that interests you.
Spread the Word
We live in a globalized world and we all have access to social media. You can start a conversation online and share more about SDGs through public social media posts. How about you design your own poster to spread information about an SDG that means a lot to you? You can also visit the world café. There are many other means to influence others to know more about SDGs - get creative!
You can also work on improving University engagement with SDGs. UAlberta is a great setting to have a tremendous impact and to influence your friends and acquaintances on how the SDGs can get attention. Learn how University committees spend their budget; look at the gender parity of the board and professor appointments, so that by 2030, we can achieve gender equality in leadership positions. How are the SDGs incorporated into our course content so that when we graduate we have some understanding on global challenges to create a more inclusive, equitable, prosperous, and sustainable future?
Take action now!
We are often called "leaders of tomorrow," but I believe we are also the leaders of today! We live in this world, we see the disparities and challenges, and we are the people who can work on it! We can provide perspectives that other generations might not have seen. We do not need to wait until we become an "adult," we can start to eliminate these challenges right now. We can start working on it today and continue to reduce these challenges for our future!
The work toward achieving the SDGs doesn't have to be big actions; small actions added by many contribute to a bigger change.
A way that I was able to contribute to one of the sustainable goals was through a volunteer exchange by AIESEC. It is an organization that facilitates cross-cultural exchanges because their purpose is to develop an understanding between different cultural perspectives and develop soft and hard skills outside of a classroom setting. This organization is partnered with the SDGs so all their volunteer opportunities are based off of one goal.
I decided to impact SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) in Russia. My goal was to raise awareness for anti-bullying. Without knowing too much Russian, I had to teach my students how to treat others more kindly so I relied on cultural interactive activities! Activities such as cultural dancing, playing sports from different cultures together in teams and talking about my own background (with lots of pictures, haha). Throughout my time as a volunteer, I believe these activities really helped them cultivate curiosity in other cultures as well as a better understanding of their peers.
- Saudine Coso, second-year student in the Faculty of Science
Not Sure Where to Begin?
- Attend International Week or other events that can introduce you to or teach you more about the SDGs.
- Think about which SDGs connect with you the most. Who are some people left out in our society? Do you see poverty in your community?
- Look at education, not just in simple terms of going to school, but what is the quality of our education?
- When you attend I-Week find out what makes you passionate and how you can apply what you learn to your community.
About Michelle
Michelle Kim (she/her) is one of the Co-founders of UN Sustainable Development Goals UAlberta Coalition. This group exists at the University of Alberta for the purpose of promoting the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals onto the University of Alberta campus and into the greater Edmonton area community through education, campus & cross-campus outreach, policy advocacy and partnerships with like-minded organizations and initiatives. She is the current Global Education Program assistant with the University of Alberta International, is current elected Students' Union Councillor, and a student leader for various other groups. She strongly believes that "No one can help everyone but everyone can help someone."