ESRC Festival of Social Science 2019: SDGs Workshop

Leaving no one Behind: Localizing Sustainable Development Goals Thinking amongst Youth.

Event summary

Presently, SDGs engagement/education least focus and target the youth. Yet, the youth remains the heartbeat of most economies, - driving markets; future business leaders; deciding on political leaders and, are the ones who have to live with the consequences of mankind’s actions impacting the planet. This SDGs scenarios thinking workshop targets Year 13 students within the West Midlands Combined Authority area, and aim to stimulate thinking towards Agenda 2030 and beyond. Via sectorial themes (e.g. on sustainable transportation, sustainable consumption and role play as future business leaders versus what ‘leaving no one behind’ could mean), the workshop outcome aim to see students demonstrating a critical awareness of reflecting on own actions and actions of others that ensures “leaving no one behind”.

Event description

Drawing on research undertaken at Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Responsible Business, this future-oriented event aims strengthening paths in which UN SDGs could be achieved. Hence, supporting Britain to deliver its Agenda 2030 commitments, with eleven years left. For the first time, a local evidence-based policy case study for Youth involvement in SDGs thinking will be explored.

The event will apply different learning methods using interactive materials such as videos, posters, and facilitation, including, SDGs labels for the descriptions of possible future developments. The participating youth will work in small groups to create scenarios describing a spectrum of preferable and probable future developments around SDGs and responsible business related topics on: Sustainable Transportation, Sustainable Consumption and role play as future business leaders versus what ‘leaving no one behind’ could mean. Questions to explore covers: ‘Imagine the advantage of using sustainable means of transport (e.g. walking, cycling, using public transport and driving Electric Vehicles) to college, work, shops etc. would have in deciding the type of air we breathe and impact on climate change’? Throughout the day there will be opportunities to share views, and chat to academics and business experts about unanswered SDGs queries.

Event take away/Outputs

Take away from this event includes:

• Youth uniting around and standing-up/advocate for the SDGs - now and the future;
• Youth beginning to understand the SDGs importance and the value of reflection on individual action for thinking about SDGs during their continuous career development;
• Participants will demonstrate a critical awareness of the importance of reflecting on own actions and actions of others that ensures “leaving no one behind”;
• Actionable resources for youth to help achieve economic, environmental, social and cultural well-being;
• Enhance cooperation and knowledge exchange amongst Eco-Schools teachers/champions and the business community;

Lessons learned, including workshop and methodology could be applied in other parts of UK, and elsewhere