SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

SDSN YOUTH IMPACT REPORT 2020

TABLE OF

CONTENTS ABOUT SDSN YOUTH

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OUR MISSION & STRATEGY OUR STRUCTURE & VALUES OUR LOCATIONS OUR SECRETARIAT

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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OPERATIONS FUNDRAISING & PARTNERSHIPS COMMUNICATIONS EDUCATION

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GLOBAL SCHOOLS PROGRAM • IMPACT STORY SDG STUDENTS PROGRAM • IMPACT STORY SOLUTIONS

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LOCAL PATHWAYS FELLOWSHIP • IMPACT STORY SOLUTIONS PROGRAM • IMPACT STORY COMMUNITY VATICAN YOUTH SYMPOSIUM MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM YOUTH NETWORKS PROGRAM

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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NETWORKS: AFRICA

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OUR REACH IN AFRICA GREAT LAKES NIGERIA SAHEL NETWORKS: AMERICAS

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OUR REACH IN THE AMERICAS AMAZONIA ANDES CANADA MEXICO NETWORKS: ASIA-PACIFIC

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OUR REACH IN ASIA-PACIFIC AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND & THE PACIFIC HONG KONG INDONESIA KOREA PHILIPPINES SOUTH ASIA NETWORKS: EUROPE

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OUR REACH IN EUROPE GREECE MEDITERRANEAN NORTHERN EUROPE RUSSIA TURKEY FRANCE HOW TO GET INVOLVED?

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

ABOUT SDSN YOUTH

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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OUR MISSION & STRATEGY CULTIVATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT The Sustainable Development Solutions Network - Youth Initiative (SDSN Youth) was established in 2015 to train and equip young leaders with the knowledge and resources in order to build a more sustainable future.

OUR GOALS

Educate youth about the

Connect

youth

globally

Support youth in the creation

SDGs and create pathways

to exchange ideas, share

and scaling of innovative

for achieving them.

experiences and collaborate

solutions for the SDGs.

to achieve the SDGs.

We have 22 regional and national networks in various continents. Each regional/ national network focuses on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement locally.

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

GLOBAL CHALLENGES

OUR METHODOLOGY

Addressing challenges to sustainable

Many millennials are passionate about positive

development is critical for our future. The world

changes, but face challenges in achieving

responds to global crises with unsustainable,

them. Many education systems do not equip

disruptive approaches, and we are seeing the

young people with the critical knowledge

drawback of our response. Climate change

of sustainable development, nor provide

threatens livelihoods, triggers conflicts,

the opportunity to create practical changes.

accelerates biodiversity collapse, deepens

Young innovators are unable to reach their full

poverty, and increases inequality.

potential due to a lack of resources, such as mentorship and funding, which hinders their

We are facing a future characterized by

ability to contribute to the SDGs.

uncertainty, threats and shocks, a future the world has not prepared for. The COVID-19 crisis perfectly

SDSN Youth bridges the gap by upskilling

demonstrates the world’s serious lack of resilience

young people with tools and resources to

and preparation for the challenges ahead.

tackle the most urgent problems in their communities, and support them in shaping a

Urgent changes are necessary to prevent the

more sustainable future.

escalation of these challenges. Despite efforts and progress over the past 5 years, no country is on track of achieving the SDGs.

THEORY OF CHANGE Youth plays a critical role in accelerating progress towards sustainable development.

Some of the biggest and most impactful social movements, technological developments,

“Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great.

You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”

—Nelson Mandela

and political transformations have been spearheaded by young people worldwide.

Through their unique qualities, values, and attitudes, young people can bring about rapid change and pioneer a new system that is fit for purpose, a system that leaves no one behind, shares knowledge across borders, and prioritizes social issues like extreme poverty, inequality, and growingly complex governance.

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OUR STRUCTURE & VALUES The Director of SDSN Youth leads a team of 185 staff members from more than 35 countries across 22 regional/ national networks, and oversee 4 global programs in the following areas: cities and urban communities (Local Pathways Fellowship), education for sustainable development (Global Schools Program), universities and campuses (SDG Students Program), and innovation and social entrepreneurship (Solutions Program).

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

TEAM VALUES

SHARED VISION & MISSION

INITIATIVE & OWNERSHIP

TEAMWORK & COOPERATION

A common purpose, an aligned

Taking responsibility.

A cohesive team that works

vision to make impact.

together.

OPEN COMMUNICATION

BE GLOBAL, BE LOCAL

ENJOY YOURSELF

Openness

Respecting

Making meaningful connections,

and

transparency

leads to better teams.

and

integrating

different backgrounds.

while making meaningful impact.

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OUR LOCATIONS SDSN Youth is one of the largest global youth networks with team members, network members and program members from all over the world, contributing to and mobilizing for sustainable development on the ground.

Canada

United States of America

Mexico

Guatemala El Salvador

SDSN YOUTH NETWORKS

Cayman Islands

Dominican Republic Haiti Puerto Rico Jamaica Anguilla Honduras Saint Lucia Nicaragua Trinidad And Tobago Venezuela Guyana Colombia Suriname Ecuador

Americas Europe

Brazil

Peru Bolivia

Paraguay

Africa

Asia/Pacific

Chile Agrentina

SDSN YOUTH MEMBERS

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Countries where members are located

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

Uruguay

Norway

Finland

Sweden Ireland

Netherlands United Kingdom

Russia

Estonia

Denmark

Poland Belarus Germany Belgium Ukraine Austria Kazakhstan France Hungary Mongolia Romania Switzerland Serbia Uzbekistan Kosovo Macedonia Kyrgyzstan Armenia Bulgaria Spain Italy Portugal Albania Azerbaijan Turkey Japan Greece Cyprus Iraq China Iran Tunisia Syria Afghanistan Lebanon Republic Of Palestine State Morocco Korea Israel Jordan Bhutan Algeria PakistanNepal Egypt Qatar Taiwan Bangladesh Saudi United Arab Hong Kong Mauritania Arabia Emirates India Myanmar Mali Cape Verde Senegal Sudan Chad Yemen Vietnam Gambia Republic Cambodia Burkina Faso Philippines of Benin Guniea South Sudan Ivory Thailand Cameroon Sierra Leone Coast Sri Lanka Ethiopia Nigeria Liberia Brunei Somalia Ghana Togo Malaysia Uganda Singapore Equitoral Guinea Democratic Kenya Rwanda Republic Gabon Indonesia Burundi Of Congo Papua New Guinea Tanzania Angola

Namibia

Kiribati

Zambia Malawi

Madagascar Zimbabwe Mauritius Botswana Mozambique Swaziland Lesotho

Fiji Australia

South Africa

New Zealand

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

OUR SECRETARIAT

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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR CELEBRATING 5 YEARS OF ACHIEVEMENT 2019 - 2020 were exciting years at SDSN Youth, filled with new and bold initiatives such as our education research pilot, preparation for the global Mission 4.7 campaign, new partnerships with the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens, and vast scaling of our programs.

LOOKING BACK 2019-2020 were defined by disruption and unprecedented events: COVID-19, mass protests around the world, devastating natural disasters and the resulting economic disruption, which will continue to have lasting impact on the world.

It reminds us of our dedication to sustainable development: to help a generation that inherited a planet of human-caused problems.

LEADERSHIP TEAM CHANGES SDSN Youth would not be successful without

We recognize the importance of localization and ensure our team members focus on issues within their communities. To provide a more streamlined approach for local outreach, we have decentralized our university student engagement program from our local networks.

The SDG Students Program will now be run with a centralized global team, enabling greater flexibility of our youth networks to either continue to supplement the Students Program or focus on other local initiatives such as policy work, institutional level initiatives with their universities, or working with local organizations.

its vast network of passionate volunteers. To better our approaches for fundraising and networks, we have made numerous changes in our leadership team, specifically the expansion of initiatives and teams related to storytelling, capacity building for our networks, and in our administrative functions.

CHANGES IN OUR NETWORKS STRUCTURE

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LOOKING FORWARD From 5 students in a shed at Monash University to 185 young leaders worldwide, the network has grown tremendously over the last 5 years.

Our team members come from all walks of life: international development, corporate consulting, academia, digital marketing and many more.

Every country in our network has different

Within the past 5 years, we have developed

needs and challenges. To engage students

our programs to address key needs in the role

more effectively and ensure valuable work is

of young people in sustainable development

accomplished, we have made changes to the

implementation. With any growing organization,

structure of our university engagement team.

we have also pursued new ideas and identified

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

what we can do and how to achieve our mission. We refined our experiences and value proposition to fully understand our market fit, ramping up the scale of our global programs to train and empower as many young leaders

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

+85% Young leaders trained and educated in 2019-

as possible.

2020 than the previous year.

Our priorities for the following year will focus We are at a critical juncture in time, as we

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celebrate the 5th anniversary of SDSN Youth

Trained young leaders educate their

and the SDGs. The Decade of Action begins with

communities on sustainable development.

on fundraising and strengthening our networks.

the urgency to scale our work.

536 Solutions mentored and incubated.

750 Organizations in the network.

SAM LONI Director & Co-Founder

2,230 Program members, organizations and team members within the SDSN Youth community.

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OPERATIONS ENABLING AND EMPOWERING HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS TO REACH THEIR GOALS

LOOKING BACK The Global Operations team focuses on strengthening our operational efficiency, whilst enabling our team members to achieve their goals.

Our Strategy & Operations portfolio works with the leadership team members to drive growth and scaling of our initiatives.

Our People & Culture team focuses on developing

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

+71%

NUMBER OF TEAM MEMBERS

Number of team members grew by 71%, from 108 in 2019 to 185 in 2020.

+13%

the end-to-end volunteer experience, from joining

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

the team to settling into their roles.

Average team community engagement grew by 13% from 2019 to 2020.

LOOKING FORWARD In the coming year, we will focus on innovating our volunteer recruitment operations and marketing, including branding and operational efficiency, as well as enhancing team culture and volunteer experience.

+24.5%

RECRUITMENT RATE

As a result of revamping our recruitment efforts, the volunteer recruitment rate grew from 2.5% to 27%. More candidates were being moved forward as we target volunteers with relevant experience.

WHAT’S NEW •

Launched a new pilot initiative on sustainable development communication.

•

Launched a Growth team that identifies gaps in the Youth x SDG space that SDSN Youth can fill with new pilot initiatives.

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

FUNDRAISING & PARTNERSHIPS MOBILIZING FINANCIAL RESOURCES & PARTNERSHIPS, AND COLLABORATING ON GLOBAL EVENTS

LOOKING BACK

PARTNERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS

The Global Fundraising & Partnerships team

GLOBAL CITIZEN

mobilizes financial resources and collaborative partnerships to support SDSN Youth’s operations, and collaborates on global events to facilitate dialogue on youth-related issues.

Through collaborative partnerships, the Global Fundraising & Partnerships team has facilitated educational and solution-based workshops/ conferences for over 1,000 attendees.

2019-2020 were marked by numerous collaborative events and global campaigns.

Undoubtedly, COVID-19 has posed challenges for our in-person conferences, and resulted in a shift to Vatican Youth Symposium and the postponement of the Global Goal Live 2020 campaign.

Official Policy & Research Partner for the Global Goal Live 2020: The campaign, which was supported by celebrities such as Usher and Hugh Jackman, aimed at raising funding from high-net-worth individuals, governments, individual donors, and companies to help bridge the SDG financing gap for LIDCs.

UN 2030 STRATEGY HUB COVID-19 UN Task Force: The task force convenes UN agencies, programs and partners to coordinate the UN response to COVID-19.

FRIENDSHIP AMBASSADORS FOUNDATION UN Youth Assembly 2019 & 2020: The Assembly convenes over 600 changemakers aged 16-32 from more than 100 countries to discuss human development, the environment, and peaceful societies.

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COMMUNICATIONS EDUCATING & ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE SDGS, AND CELEBRATING SUCCESS OF THE TEAM

LOOKING BACK

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

The focus of the Global Communications team

We are most active on Twitter, Facebook and

2019-2020 was branding and marketing refresh:

Linkedin, and occasionally on Instagram. With

from visual identity to program logos, from our

more efforts spent on Linkedin, the number

narrative to our website. Meanwhile, we continue

of followers almost quadrupled in the first

to step up our social media efforts especially on

8 months of 2020. From January 1 to August

Linkedin. Notable achievements include:

31, SDSN Youth on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin has gained:

Boosting engagement on International Youth Day: This International Youth Day on August 12, we invited our global network to take part in our #EngageYouth4SDGs digital campaign on social media. The hashtag generated 2.3 million reach and 6 million impressions on Twitter alone.

Taking part in UN Youth Envoy’s Reach Not Preach series: 11 contributors in SDSN Youth

+16,760 FOLLOWERS

1.67 million IMPRESSIONS

joined the “Reach Not Preach” Youth Takeover run by the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth. The op-eds covered various issues ranging from racism to feminism, from innovation to communication.

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

71k

ENGAGEMENTS

AS OF AUGUST 31, WE HAD...

18.6k FOLLOWERS

41.6k FOLLOWERS

18.6k FOLLOWERS

5.6k

FOLLOWERS

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

EDUCATION

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GLOBAL SCHOOLS PROGRAM CREATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH EDUCATION The Global Schools Program is an initiative of the SDSN Youth to support UNESCO’s Global Action Program on ESD. Through research and advocacy, participants develop the knowledge, resources, and skills to support education systems in shaping a more resilient and sustainable world.

TARGETED SDGS

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

+749%

NUMBER OF ADVOCATES

Number of Global Schools Advocates grew

LOOKING BACK The team launched an ESD research pilot that aims to reform national curricula and

7,720

align them with the SDGs, particularly Target

SCHOOLS REACHED

7 of SDG 4: Quality Education. The pilot was

The 450 Advocates from cohort 2 have

run in Morocco, Ghana, and Turkey through

presented in more than 2,009 schools and

curriculum mapping and implementation.

completed outreach to 7,720 schools.

LOOKING FORWARD The team will be launching the education

1,000

research pilot as a formal initiative and

SCHOOLS SIGNED UP

expanding to 3-5 new countries as well as

1,000 schools have signed up to the Global

shifting the program’s target participants from

Schools Program, covering 45,000 teachers

students and young professionals to educators,

and 850,000 students across 80 countries.

as the latter enables direct reach and impact into the schools.

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by 749%, from 53 to 450 in cohort 2.

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

Geographical reach of the Global Schools Program

PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS

89% of Advocates felt their

85.6%

of

work has helped them grow

their

work

and

positive

contributed

to

their

professional and personal

Advocates has

impact

communities.

felt

had on

88.3%

of

Advocates

felt

a

their work has increased the

their

awareness of the SDGs in their communities.

goals.

“I have gained global connection and built competent leadership and professional skills to make a positive impact on over 2,000 rural school children in my local community and Ghana.”—Global Schools Advocates Survey

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IMPACT STORY REFLECTIONS FROM GLOBAL SCHOOLS ADVOCATES IRYNA PONEDELNIK AND ELIANA FLEIFEL The Global Schools Program recruits and trains community leaders and organizations to advocate for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in their communities, and supports schools in implementing our curriculum in classrooms. In cohort 2, we had more than 450 advocates from over 80 countries.

EDUCATION BEYOND CLASSROOMS Working with teenagers is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. They are the future of our country and the world.

It is important to convey the gravity of the global problems facing them, while putting these problems into local context. And then explain that there is a plan to help solve these problems—the SDGs. I often communicate with teenagers at my work.

Through combining different activities such as

What I have found is that, to effectively engage

lectures and quests, schools can organize an

them with the SDGs, a lecture is not enough.

extra-curricular day dedicated to the SDGs. I

We need to involve them in hands-on work

have organized and conducted such “SDG day”

and explain how their decisions can affect

activities in Minsk and several towns in Belarus.

the planet and its people.

ENGAGING BELARUSIAN YOUTH THROUGH GAMES That’s why I engage students through the SDG quest—a game with a series of tasks to be completed as they run around different “stations.” For example, the task for SDG 12 is to sort out trash correctly, and that for SDG 11 is to play the role of a deputy mayor and think about what decisions will make the city sustainable.

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

IRYNA PONEDELNIK Global Schools Advocate, Belarus

DON’T JUST EDUCATE

MAP

For six months, I was on a mission to integrate

Students were asked to draw two arrows that

the SDGs into the K-12 system in Waterloo

showed direct and/or indirect links between

Region. In all the schools I presented at, students

their suggestion and two other SDGs. Along the

and educators expressed interest in the SDGs.

arrow they drew, they would write a few words

But if awareness and inspiration was all I

explaining the link. Mapping allows students

sparked, I wouldn’t have done the job I set out to

to critically think about the ways sustainability

do. I dedicated much of my time thinking of ways

issues are interconnected, and how their action

to empower my audience to be actors for the

can have ripple, holistic effects on other issues.

SDGs. I asked myself, how could I prove that a 9th grader could advance these goals as much as a policy maker? Could I show the ripple effects that

CHALLENGE

their individual actions would have on multiple

After having a class reflection on the outcomes

SDGs? Could I challenge them to act on what they

of the ideation and mapping exercise, students

learned when I am gone? These questions led to

were handed a sticky note at random as they

the creation of a learning activity with 3 aspects:

left the classroom. This random sticky note was

Ideate, Map, and Challenge.

returned to them as a challenge to take action.

The challenge component of this activity was so successful that one student approached me with the dream to major in international development.

If there is one thing I truly hope advocates do is empower and encourage action as much as they educate and inspire. Don’t just leave your audience with a basic knowledge of the SDGs,

IDEATE

leave them with a conviction that they can do something about them.

Once the SDG framework was introduced to the class, I asked students to suggest one action they could take in their personal lives that would advance any of the SDGs. Each answer was written on a sticky note and then handed to the student that contributed the answer.

Students were then asked to pin their sticky note to one of the 17 SDGs projected against the white board. Ideation encourages students to brainstorm and share ideas for sustainable

ELIANA FLEIFEL

action, and then see the impact of that action

Global Schools Advocate, Canada

on the advancement of an SDG.

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SDG STUDENTS PROGRAM TRANSFORMING THE WORLD’S UNIVERSITIES INTO HUBS OF LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT FOR THE SDGS The SDG Students Program engages higher education students active on university campuses worldwide. The objective is to equip students with the resources necessary to become young professionals who will take their sustainability literacy, passion, and energy into a diverse range of occupations, industries, and roles upon graduation.

TARGETED SDGS

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES We launched the SDG Students Program Certificate, co-signed by Ban Ki-moon (Ban Kimoon Centre for Global Citizens), Chandrika Bahadur (President of the SDSN Association), and our Director Sam Loni.

SDG HUBS Each year, we recruit young leaders as SDG Coordinators in charge of organizing hands-on activities through an SDG Hub on campus.

LOOKING BACK In 2019-2020, we focused on refining our best practices for SDG Coordinator engagement and on restructuring the program, which included:

skills needed to enact change in local communities.

restructuring key features of the program and expanding geographical reach; restructuring

Bridging hubs with projects on the ground:

engagement and training initiatives; launching

Action opportunities in collaboration with the

the SDG Students Program certificate.

Local Pathways Fellowship.

LOOKING FORWARD

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Global SDG Students Program Virtual Summit: Gathering all SDG Coordinators at a

Skills in Sustainability Training Program: A

virtual summit with high-level panel discussions

full-year program delivered through monthly

and breakout sessions to reflect on the year,

workshops to SDG Coordinators, focusing on the

celebrate successes, and craft future initiatives.

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

Geographical Reach of the SDG Students Program

PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS

Launched

pathways

for

Launched two new webinar

Launched OneHub to facili-

solution-focused initiatives,

series.

speakers

tate collaboration between

such as UNLEASH 2019 in

include Sir Bob Watson, Dr

SDG Coordinators through

Shenzhen, China.

Lisa Dale, Joshua Powell and

project-based and conver-

Aizhan Kapysheva.

sation-driven

Featured

connections.

“As an SDG Coordinator, I feel that I have the support of SDSN Youth to reach out to leading experts and activists as panelists and guest speakers.

It is a wonderful platform for youth that comes with a sense of friendship, family, and cooperation.”—Ana Leticia Rodriguez Barroso, SDG Coordinator, Tecmilenio University, Mexico

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IMPACT STORY INTERVIEW WITH EZRA YEGO, SDG COORDINATOR AT STRATHMORE UNIVERSITY IN NAIROBI, KENYA What distinguishes the SDG Students Program from other international youth organizations with university chapters is how it encourages students to take creative lead in local innovation and action. We interviewed Ezra to learn more about his journey with the Program so far and what impact the hub has had on him and his local community.

BECOMING A COORDINATOR Back in 2017, Ezra was a fresh-eyed first-year

INTRODUCING MANDATORY SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION

who had just completed an internship at an oil

Thanks to Ezra’s persistence and dedication, the

and gas company, and stayed on afterwards for

Strathmore Hub introduced sustainability units

a paid part-time role during the school year.

into the curriculum at the University.

At the same time, the previous SDG Coordinator

“It was difficult at first. We lobbied to change

was setting up the first Hub in Strathmore.

the curriculum entirely, but that couldn’t happen because there were national standards

While settling into his new role, an

on that, so it was beyond the university’s power

advertisement for the SDG Hub captured Ezra’s

to approve such a thing.”

attention. “I had heard about the SDGs from where I was working. And they are such a

“So we found a way around it.”

colorful thing, it triggers your mind.”

Ezra and the Hub strategized and redirected So when Vicky’s email came with the

their efforts at course lecturers across

opportunity, Ezra took a bold chance. “I left

departments. “We tried to get course lecturers

a paid job to take a volunteer experience in

to introduce classes that relate their course

SDGs.” The first months of the switch were

content to sustainability. So we can ensure the

difficult, but he did not regret it.

Strathmore community knows about the SDGs.”

“I have acquired a network of international

After overcoming initial challenges, this time it

and young African leaders. I have traveled

was a success. SDG content was implemented in

through this role. I have learned to think

courses across four schools spanning business

more strategically, while also learning from

and humanities courses.

our own community of young people who are passionate about sustainable development.”

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

“Now 95% of the students know about the SDGs.”

COMMUNITY INTEGRATION

STRATHMORE SDG SURVEY

Besides the lack of SDG content in the

Ezra’s fight to put sustainability at the heart of

curriculum, Ezra was also frustrated with existing

Strathmore’s community through engagement

student clubs at the university. “The clubs focus

and mandatory SDG education worked.

on what they do, say, debate. But they don’t focus on debates about sustainability.”

In February 2020, the Hub conducted a survey to better understand their progress in spreading

As SDG Coordinator, he shifted this culture by

awareness of the SDGs, and to identify priority

building partnerships with student clubs and

issues that concern the Strathmore community.

bringing them onboard with the SDGs. Hub members attended clubs’ meetings to bring the

Out of a sample of 154 students, 95% were

SDGs into discussions and conversations.

aware of the SDGs, 53% learned of the SDGs while at university, and most were willing to work

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have also

with SDSN Youth to help localize sustainable

partnered with the Strathmore Business School

development in their immediate network.

and Kenya Model United Nations to host the SDGs Impact Summit at the UN Office at Nairobi

The report that detailed the project’s background,

in May 2020.

methodology, data analysis, conclusions and recommendations was then shared with other

“This way we make sure young people know

SDG Student Hubs which are also seeking to

how sustainability ties in with their daily lives.”

enact changes in their local communities.

“SDSN Youth has opened many doors for me, one of which is the UNICEF Youth Advocates Program.

I help its development to ensure meaningful SDG engagement for youth.”

EZRA YEGO SDG Coordinator

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

SOLUTIONS

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LOCAL PATHWAYS FELLOWSHIP EQUIPPING YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS FOR PROBLEMSOLVING AND LOCALIZATION OF SDG 11 IN THEIR CITIES The Local Pathways Fellowship is a 10-month action-oriented training program, where young innovators are provided with the training, tools, network and visibility opportunities they need to develop tailored solutions to local challenges and take charge of the project from ideation to execution as they leverage their insights.

TARGETED SDGS

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

112

CITIES REACHED

Local Pathways Program Afghanistan Argentina Australia Azerbaijan Bangladesh Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso

The 2020 cohort reaches 112 cities in 55

LOOKING BACK Our third cohort of the Local Pathways Fellowship kicked off in February 2020, with 137 young urban leaders spending 10 months to develop practical solutions for SDG 11 in the cities they represent. In comparison to our 2019 cohort, the number of fellows saw a staggering 144% increase, from 56 to 137 fellows.

We also focused on improving Fellow

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different countries.

360%

INCREASE IN APPLICATIONS

Applications for the 2020 cohort increased by 360% compared to previous year.

144%

experience, specifically on quality of content,

GROWTH IN NO. OF FELLOWS

pathways for further action, and fellow peer-to-

The 2020 cohort grew by 144%, from 56 to

peer engagement.

137 fellows.

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Chile China Colombia Cyprus Equador Egypt

France Germany Ghana Greece Guatemala Hong Kong India Indonesia Iran

Italy Malaysia Philippines PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS Ivory Coast Mauritius Poland Ireland

Malawi

Peru

Jordan Kzakhstan Kenya Kiribati Lebanon Liberia

Mexico Mongolia Nepal Netherlands Nigeria Pakistan

Portugal Romania Russia Rwanda Senegal Singapore

Geographical reach of the Local Pathways Fellowship

Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tanzania

Thailand Tunisia Turkey Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States of America Uruguay

The 2020 cohort resulted

Published

in

Rapid

the

development

of

the

Response

Venezuela Zambia Zimbabwe

“COVID-19 Solutions

Fellows gained international visibility

through

events,

95 concrete projects that

for Cities” report with 22

lectures, radio and magazine

successfully localize SDG 11.

solutions

interviews, and publications

that

address

COVID-related challenges.

of their work.

“The Local Pathways Fellowship is a big milestone for my career. A year after I became a fellow, an NGO with ECOSOC status asked me to join them as a UN representative. Since then, I have spoken to more than 1,300 youth from over 50 countries about the SDGs and the Fellowship. I am grateful to have grown together with the world’s most brilliant young urban leaders!”—Fransiska Tirtoadisurja, Indonesia

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IMPACT STORY INTERVIEW WITH LETICIA RIZÉRIO, 2019 LOCAL PATHWAYS FELLOW FROM BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL The Local Pathways Fellowship brings together a network of young urban leaders to advance local dialogue, collaboration and problem-solving around the SDGs, and to make cities and urban settlements “smart, fair and sustainable.” We interviewed Leticia to learn more about her project and its impact on the local community.

PROJECT

SOLUTION

The voices of Belo Horizonte women:

In order to better plan and manage urban

Collectively building public spaces that are

environments so that they are safe and inclusive

safe and inclusive for all.

for women and girls, managers and planners must have accurate information about women’s

CHALLENGE

experiences in the city. The best way to do this is

In Belo Horizonte, Brazil, women and girls

part of the decision-making process.

through consulting and making them an integral

face violence not only in their homes and relationships but also in public spaces. Whether

As a Local Pathway Fellow, Leticia organized

it is due to intimidation, harassment, or fear,

two large seminars with the Belo Horizonte

violence limits women’s mobility, influencing

government, bringing together civil society,

the way women use and occupy public spaces in

academia, and the city council to debate the

the city. This brings deeper reflection on where,

lack of a gender perspective in city planning.

how and when women are allowed to walk in their own cities.

Also, she organized a women’s security audit in the outskirts of Belo Horizonte in order to bring women together to evaluate the safety of public spaces and to recommend changes and improvements. The Women’s Safety Audit uses a participatory methodology designed to: 1. Provide detailed information on women’s security issues within a given space; 2. Generate recommendations for improvement; 3. Empower women to work with local decision-makers to advocate for positive change in the community.

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

IMPACT

REFLECTION

The events, workshops, and activities organized

“During the first six months of research and

during the Local Pathways Fellowship brought

investigation, followed by another six months of

together more than 200 people, including

implemention, I cannot count how many times

city officials, students, urban planners, and civil

I asked myself, will I make a difference? Dealing

society organizations.

with such a complex problem that involves multiple actors made me doubt myself and my

The Women’s Safety Audit carried out on the

ability to make an impact. However, I knew I

university campus gained national attention, as

should put my energy in realizing my belief: to

it was part of the urban circuit organized by the

change the reality of my city for the better.”

UN-Habitat.

“I have been harassed many times in Belo Also, in collaboration with civil society

Horizonte, both in public spaces and on buses.

organizations, Leticia secured a budget of

When I went out alone at night, I felt the fear

approximately $20,000 from the state

of not coming home alive. I was afraid for my

government to finance new mechanisms for

friends, for my sister, for all the girls I didn’t

reporting harassment on public transport,

even know. It was this fear of the city that made

which will soon be implemented across the city.

me want to change it. The Fellowship gave me confidence, independence, and power, which I had never experienced before. I am proud to have chosen this path and I will continue my fight to create a safer and more inclusive city for women and girls.”

“After I finished the Fellowship, I was invited by the city hall to create a gender plan for two important projects in Belo Horizonte.”

LETICIA RIZÉRIO Local Pathways Fellow

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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SOLUTIONS PROGRAM ADVANCING SDG INNOVATION THROUGH AN ECOSYSTEM OF EXPERTISE, FUNDING, TRAINING AND OPPORTUNITIES The SDGs are ambitious goals that cannot be achieved without innovation. The Solutions Program, which includes the Solutions Report, the Solutions Hub and the Investment Readiness Program, is an ecosystem of resources that helps young people overcome barriers to launching, implementing, and scaling innovative solutions.

TARGETED SDGS

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

+50

INNOVATORS

Youth Solution Program Afghanistan Albania Algeria Armenia Argentina Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bangladesh Benin

The 2019 Report featured 50 new innovators.

LOOKING BACK The Solutions Program had over 4,000 applications for the Solutions Report, and 5

INNOVATORS COMPLETED IRP

solutions were awarded a $5,000 USD grant

Among the 50 innovators featured, 15

with the help of our partner JCI. The Investment

completed the Investment Readiness Program.

Readiness Program had its most successful edition yet, with 39 participants and 46 innovators, and 10 venture-ready pitch decks.

Finally, the Solutions Hub community continued to grow, from 300 to 373 total members and 88% of them returning continuously.

LOOKING FORWARD The Solutions Report will feature the top 50 most innovative solutions by the end of the year, and continue providing a platform and opportunities for the Solutions alumni.

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15

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

2%

MOM GROWTH FOR THE HUB

The Solutions Hub saw a 2% month-overmonth growth rate, with 373 hub members.

Bhutan Bolivia Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada

Equitorial Guinea Guatemala Italy PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS Estonia Guinea Ivory Coast

Cape Verde Chad Chile China Colombia Dominican Republic Democratic Republic of Congo Ecuador Egypt

El Salvador

Greece

Ireland

Ethiopia Fiji France Gabon Gambia Germany Ghana

Haiti Honduras Hong Kong India Indonesia Iran Iraq

Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Korea Lebanon Lesotho

Partnered

with

Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands Nicaragua Nigeria Pakistan Papua New Guinea Paraguay

Peru Philippines Poland Puerto Rico Romania Russia Rwanda Saudi Arabia Senegal Sierra Leone

Singapore Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland

Syria Taiwan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tunisia Turkey Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom United States of America Uzbekistan Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zamia Zimbabwe

Published the third edition

The Solutions Report had

to convene 350 innovators

of

1,033

and facilitators to create

featuring

solutions

solutions.

for

UNLEASH

Liberia Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Marocco

Geographical reach of the Solutions Program

COVID-19,

the

Solutions 50

Report

youth-led

submissions

for

solutions to be featured in the 2020 edition.

resulting in 31 new projects.

“Since our graduation from the Investment Readiness Program, we have launched our service in 24 countries across Europe, doubled our team and secured funding from private investors. Combining innovation and sustainability is a safe bet when creating opportunities for growth, entrepreneurship, and success.”—Ioanna Stanegloudi, Co-Founder of Finclude

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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IMPACT STORY REFLECTIONS FROM INNOVATORS YOKE PEAN THYE AND RAFAELA CAVALCANTI The Solutions Program aims to amplify voices of young leaders and innovators, and bridge the gap between them and other stakeholders such as businesses, governments, and fellow citizens, by enabling young people to communicate their undertakings, forge new partnerships, and ultimately be the driving force behind the 2030 Agenda.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE AND CAPACITY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Last year, WISE - WASH in Southeast Asia, a

Finally, just knowing that we were selected out

non-profit organization working for social

of thousands of applications has been a source

and environmental change, was featured in

of encouragement for us. Young people’s

the Youth Solutions Report. Being part of the

ideas are often dismissed, and we often doubt

Report and the Investment Readiness Program

ourselves and our projects as well. So this has

has benefited our organization in several ways.

given us confidence that our efforts are on the right track to make the world more sustainable!

First, recognition by a UN initiative adds legitimacy to our work. As a young youth-led organization, it is not easy to be taken seriously. But being one of the 50 game-changing projects selected

by SDSN Youth gives us an edge when we seek funding or explore collaboration with other organizations. We include this accomplishment in our applications and pitches whenever we can!

Second, the Investment Readiness Program was an excellent motivator for our team to consider all aspects of our business model in detail. Not only were there structured lessons and tasks, but we were also assigned two experienced mentors who regularly provided feedback to improve on our ideas. From articulating our vision and mission to applying lean startup principles, and then to developing a revenue

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and cost model, our team learned new tools

YOKE PEAN THYE

to strengthen our project.

Co-Founder of WISE-WASH

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

INNOVATING FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE FINANCIAL SYSTEM I can still remember the excitement of receiving

CloQ’s mission is to diminish financial

the news that I was chosen as a 2019 SDSN

vulnerability, improve inclusion in the financial

Youth innovator as if it happened today. More

system, and support the expansion of financial

than the excitement, the first feeling I had was

services to those who need it most. Since

of reassurance, that the project I have been

CloQ’s inception, I had it clear in my mind that

developing for over 3 years was acknowledged

I wanted to build something that could change

and recognized by world-leading experts, as a

the world and have a positive social impact.

project tackling a world problem and advancing

However, such a change does not materialize

the achievement of the SDGs.

just by having the right intentions.

My project, CloQ, innovates the traditional

As an SDSN Youth innovator, I was able to

microcredit process, using technology to

attend a 3-months online course. Every week

improve results, increase reach and scalability,

I learned more about building a social impact

and minimize cost. CloQ is a mobile app for

business. I refined the SDGs that my project

loan requests that contain nudges on financial

impacts on, and engaged with an amazing

education and gives a CloQ credit score

mentor, Jean Kaluza, throughout the course.

based on behavioral data. The app does not

The mentorship was tailored to my specific

require proof of income, a credit score from a

needs, and I received a great amount of advice

traditional credit bureau, or financial data in

that led to immediate changes. I am proud to

order to offer a loan. By leveraging behavioral

be part of this community that works on

data, insight on clients can be obtained and

building a better world, and I can only thank

their risk can be quantified without financial

Jean, for the support and SDSN Youth for the

history. CloQ serves as a platform to connect

opportunity to showcase youth projects that

credit providers to those who need credit.

can have a significant positive impact!

RAFAELA CAVALCANTI Founder and CEO of CloQ

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

COMMUNITY

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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VATICAN YOUTH SYMPOSIUM PROVIDING A PLATFORM FOR YOUNG LEADERS TO COLLABORATE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

LOOKING BACK The Vatican Youth Symposium aims to provide a platform for youth-led or youth-focused action on the SDGs, to engage in dialogue and to develop partnership opportunities.

The theme of the 2019 Symposium was Intergenerational Leadership: Laudato Si’ and Sustainable Development Goals.

We gathered 90 young changemakers and leading experts from various sectors, including the Italian Minister of Education Lorenzo Fioramonti, Alexandria Villasenor, Avianka Aventurin, Nikhil Seth, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, and Monsignor Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, among others.

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

14 million TWITTER IMPRESSIONS

250+

PARTICIPANTS

50+

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CAPACITY BUILDING, COLLABORATION AND ACCELERATING ACTION ABOUT THE PROGRAM The Membership Program is a network that youth organizations (Member Organizations) join for capacity building, collaboration, and accelerating their own organization’s mission.

youth-led and youth-focused organizations, and other institutions dedicated to youth empowerment and implementation of the SDGs.

LOOKING BACK

Members get access to resources such as

The team began a program refresh, looking at

research and events, contribute to practical

improving member experience and engagement.

solutions, and be a part of a community with hundreds of global experts and academics in sustainable development.

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Member Organizations are student associations,

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

YOUTH NETWORKS PROGRAM DRIVING LOCAL AND REGIONAL YOUTH-LED ACTION FOR THE SDGS

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

REGIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

The Youth Networks Program focuses on

NEW NETWORKS LAUNCHED

youth-led action at a local level. It is backed by the wider SDSN network of universities and knowledge centers. The program currently

Launched 2 new youth networks: SDSN Youth Black Sea and SDSN Youth Kenya.

covers 22 national/regional networks.

MULTI-LANGUAGE RESOURCES

LOOKING BACK

Published Youth, Peace & Security and the

The focus of the Youth Networks program was

Global Schools Program curriculum reports

to strengthen regional collaboration between

in Spanish and Portuguese.

the networks and localize our initiatives.

INTER-AMERICAS NEWSLETTER

LOOKING FORWARD

Published Inter-Americas newsletter, a

The team will focus on developing initiatives

monthly bulletin for Member Organizations

to strengthen Network Coordinator’s network

with information of American networks, such

strategy and regional collaboration, particularly

as news, opportunities, upcoming activities,

in Latin America and Africa.

and courses.

SDSN YOUTH NETWORKS Europe • Black Sea • France • Greece • Mediterranean • Northern Europe • Russia • Turkey

Americas • Amazonia • Andes • Canada • Caribbean • Mexico

Africa

Asia-Pacific • AusNZPacific • Hong Kong • Indonesia • Korea • Philippines • South Asia

• Great Lakes • Kenya • Nigeria • Sahel

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

NETWORKS: AFRICA

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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OUR REACH IN AFRICA COUNTRIES COVERED BY OUR AFRICAN NETWORKS

SDSN YOUTH GREAT LAKES Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda SDSN YOUTH KENYA Kenya SDSN YOUTH NIGERIA Nigeria SDSN YOUTH SAHEL Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

GREAT LAKES HOSTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF RWANDA, COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS The Great Lakes Regional Network focuses on educating young people about the SDGs and creating sustainable solutions.

LOOKING BACK We facilitated a program for University of Rwanda students to learn about sustainable development in business, which ran through a MOOC run by Open University of Mauritius and Commonwealth of Learning. Contextual understanding of the SDGs within the business sector enabled students to link their knowledge and skills to SDG implementation.

LOOKING FORWARD We hope to continue our membership drive, SDG campaigns, SDG seminars, and launch a new initiative for regional debates and essay competitions on SDG implementation.

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

120

STUDENTS TRAINED Trained 120 students on the role of sustainable development in the business sector.

22

SUMMER CAMP PARTICIPANTS Trained 22 students in our SDG Summer Camp.

7

UNIVERSITIES REACHED Elected SDG student ambassadors from 7 universities.

3

NEW SDG HUBS Launched 3 new SDG Student Hubs in the Great Lakes region.

3

SEMINARS DELIVERED Delivered 3 SDG seminars to external parties.

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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NIGERIA HOSTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, NIGERIA As the most populous African country with a large percentage of young individuals, the Nigeria National Network focuses on harnessing their potentials to achieve the SDGs.

LOOKING BACK

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

Some of our priorities were to: increase our local presence with representatives from

WEBINAR ON POST-COVID OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE SDGS

every institution in the country; engage more

We organized a webinar on the “Role of

stakeholders and policy makers on critical

Youths in Achieving the SDGs and Post

youth-related issues; create policies which

COVID-19 Opportunities in the Decade of

will help empower more youths; reduce

Action” to promote SDSN Nigeria and enable

unemployment to its barest minimum.

young people to better understand the

LOOKING FORWARD We will organize a second webinar on “Youths, Peace and SDGs: Mobilizing and Strengthening the Psyche of Youths in Peace-building Towards Achieving the SDGs in Nigeria.”

SDGs. The webinar enlightened youths to utilize their advantages and was the first of its kind to be held by the network owing to the pandemic ravaging the world.

The key objective of the webinar series was to promote better understanding about the SDGs and the operations of SDSN Nigeria and SDSN Youth, as well as to facilitate a forum for practical discussion and exchange of ideas and reflections that addresses the challenges faced by Nigerian youths.

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

SAHEL HOSTED BY CHEIKH ANTA DIOP UNIVERSITY OF DAKAR, WITH PRESENCE IN 3 UNIVERSITIES IN SENEGAL The Sahel Regional Network focuses on establishing student engagement across all member Institutions in Senegal and expanding to the rest of the Sahel region.

LOOKING BACK Not only did we set up 2 new SDG Hubs, but we also held weekly forums where Hub members can learn about the SDGs. In August 2020, we ran a camp to educate participants plantation techniques in reforestation,

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

2

NEW SDG HUBS Established 2 new SDG Student Hubs in the Sahel region.

sowing in hotbeds, composting techniques and various ways to maintain a greenhouse.

During the same month, the Sahel network team also partnered with the SDG Student hub at UCAD and organized a study trip to the Delta of Saloum. The trip’s objective was to identify the need of those populations and reflect on potential sustainable development projects. We are preparing a report and a documentary in English and French about the challenges faced by the island community.

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

NETWORKS: AMERICAS

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53

OUR REACH IN THE AMERICAS COUNTRIES COVERED BY OUR AMERICAN NETWORKS

SDSN YOUTH AMAZONIA Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French, Guiana, Guyana, Perú, Suriname, Venezuela SDSN YOUTH ANDES Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela SDSN YOUTH CANADA Canada SDSN YOUTH CARIBBEAN Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States Virgin Islands, Venezuela SDSN YOUTH MEXICO Mexico 54

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

AMAZONIA HOSTED BY AMAZONAS SUSTAINABILITY FOUNDATION The Amazonia Regional Network focuses on mobilizing universities and youth-led organizations, as well as sharing SDG-based knowledge in the Amazonian region.

LOOKING BACK

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

We engaged 5 universities and 3 SDG

COVID RESPONSE ALLIANCE

Coordinator programs to develop research

In April 2020, we launched an alliance with

projects on diagnosing sustainability within

the Amazon Sustainable Foundation and 40

institutions; translated SDSN global materials

partner organizations to raise funds as a

to Spanish and Portuguese to make content

response to the COVID-19 crisis for riverine

more inclusive; spoke on how the SDGs help the

and indigenous populations in the State of

indigenous people and other Amazonian natives

Amazonas, Brazilian Amazon.

improve their own communities at the Vatican Youth Symposium.

+5

UNIVERSITIES IN THE NETWORK Integrated 5 universities from the Amazonian region into the network.

ANDES HOSTED BY YACHAY TECH UNIVERSITY The Andes Regional Network focuses on local solutions in different areas, such as plastic recycling, e-trash collection, gender equality, and social entrepreneurship.

LOOKING BACK We established a permanent network of youth representatives around the region and created stronger partnerships.

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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CANADA HOSTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO, CANADA The Canada National Network focuses on national mobilization of youth on campuses across Canada to act, learn, and engage with the SDGs.

LOOKING BACK

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

We mobilized youth on network campus

TOGETHER | ENSEMBLE 2020

institutions through a number of initiatives:

The SDG Leaders for Campus Action

•

A national conference on the SDGs

workshop for the Together | Ensemble

and workshop for SDSN Youth Canada

2020 conference in May 2020 was created

members, with student participants from 18

in collaboration with 2 SDG alliances, which

institutions across 6 provinces in Canada.

featured 36 student participants from 18

A year-long social media campaign

institutions across 6 provinces in Canada. The

#YouthCAN2030.

workshop aimed to build a network of youth

Context-specific coaching, training and

groups and encourage peer-to-peer learning.

• •

strategic planning mentorship through the Network Coordinator to support the launch

After the conference, a national collaboration

of SDG initiatives on campuses.

network of SDG Hubs and alliances was formed by student leaders across Canada.

It features SDSN Canada member hubs and non-affiliated alliances with students of varying expertise of implementing the SDGs on their campuses. The network is currently creating a National SDG Community of Practice to provide student leaders across Canada with a digital platform to connect, share best practices, promote resources, and amplify youth voices in sustainability.

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

MEXICO HOSTED BY UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO AND TECNOLÓGICO DE MONTERREY The Mexico National Network focuses on awareness of the 2030 Agenda, sustainability and community development projects, as well as creating action-led opportunities with relevant decision-makers for youth activists in Mexico.

LOOKING FORWARD

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

We will be launching 3 national open programs focused on training processes, as well as

WORKSHOP BETWEEN MEXICAN YOUTH AND THE SENATE

the national-level Solutions Report 2020, in

We organized a workshop between

order to highlight the work of young Mexican

Mexican youth and the Senate. In 4 days,

entrepreneurs and innovators.

participants received training on legislation with a sustainability perspective. They then worked on the analysis of specific legislative projects and topics, and made proposals to the Senators on ways to strengthen such legislations and to include youth perspectives.

We had representations from 23 out of 32 states, 35 participants and 2 members of indigenous communities. 15 Senators also participated in the workshop, which makes up 10% of the Chamber.

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

NETWORKS: ASIA-PACIFIC

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

59

OUR REACH IN ASIA-PACIFIC COUNTRIES COVERED BY OUR ASIA-PACIFIC NETWORKS

SDSN YOUTH AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND & THE PACIFIC American Samoa, Australia, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Réunion, Samoa, Solomon Islands, TimorLeste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna SDSN YOUTH HONG KONG Hong Kong SDSN YOUTH INDONESIA Indonesia SDSN YOUTH KOREA Republic of Korea SDSN YOUTH PHILIPPINES Philippines SDSN YOUTH SOUTH ASIA Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka 60

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND THE PACIFIC HOSTED BY MONASH UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA The AusNZPac Regional Network engages youth, particularly university students, in the achievement of the SDGs and creates opportunities for them to participate in policy dialogues, SDG localization, and developing solutions.

LOOKING BACK

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

We focused on Australian collaboration and

SDG YOUTH FORUM

supporting local programs.

On 12 February 2019 we hosted a forum titled “Youth at the Forefront of SDG Implementation,” which brought university students and representatives from leading youth-led and youth-focused organizations in Australia together to explore the critical role that young people play in achieving the SDGs.

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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HONG KONG CO-HOSTED BY THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG AND THE HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB The Hong Kong Network focuses on educating youth on SDGs through campus-based campaigns and local community seminars.

LOOKING BACK

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

Our priorities were to reach out to other tertiary

D4S WORKSHOP

institutions within Hong Kong and to engage

We engaged with the Hong Kong Baptist

more young people who are eager to contribute to sustainable development.

University in a workshop titled Design for Sustainability (D4S). The workshop recruited postgraduate students and staff from local

LOOKING FORWARD We will be focusing on scaling up student engagement within the city.

IT companies to integrate SDGs into game designing for primary school students. The aim of the workshop was to raise awareness for the SDGs amongst tertiary institutions, as well as in younger generations.

The workshop included lectures, fieldwork, interviews, and group discussions for generating innovative and interdisciplinary game design. Participants also had opportunities to do prototyping and real implementation with partners from NGOs, schools and district communities. 30 participants design 5 games and played together with 100 primary students.

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

INDONESIA HOSTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF INDONESIA The Indonesia National Network focuses on promoting membership programs, strengthening member organizations’ awareness on the SDGs, and campaigning towards their SDG-focused achievements.

LOOKING BACK

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

Our focus areas were capacity building and

PUBLIC DISCUSSION SERIES

collaboration between member organizations.

In 2019, we partnered with @america (US Cultural Center) to host a series of public discussions from September to November, to showcase our member activities and achievements.

Since COVID-19 has presented disruptions to our forums, we have moved online to host Instagram Live discussions. The discussions promote member organizations’ work and achievement towards the SDGs.

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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KOREA HOSTED BY THE OJEONG RESILIENCE INSTITUTE, KOREA UNIVERSITY The Republic of Korea National Network focuses on solidifying youth organizations related to the SDGs, post-2020, and GCED, as well as increasing the impact of their activities through connecting with IGOs, NGO, and CSR-CSVs.

LOOKING BACK

YOUTH-SDGS KOREA OWG

Our 2019-2020 priorities covered 3 key themes:

The UN has made tremendous progress towards implementing the SDGs with

Collaboration: By establishing a committee for

discussions at the High-Level Political Forum

mutual learning and exchange between youth

and the General Assembly Open Working Group

groups in various SDGs agendas, we expanded

with UN Major Groups and other stakeholders.

the consensus for problem-solving and laid the

In Korea, “National SDGs” (K-SDGs) and “Local

foundation for cooperation.

SDGs” (L-SDGs) were established to localize the mandate of the SDGs at national and

Education: Our educational initiatives helped

local levels. However, youth opinion was not

strengthen the knowledge of Korean youth and

sufficiently reflected in the process of defining

enable them to easily understand SDG targets

K-SDGs and L-SDGs for Korea and Seoul.

and their relevance to their daily lives.

We launched the SDG Youth Research (SYR) and ran

64

Solutions: We worked closely with multiple

a policy forum to capture future generations’

levels of governmental institutions, universities

perception of Seoul’s L-SDGs, which ran over

and student organizations in order to foster

4 iterations with the support of the Seoul

cross-sector collaboration.

Institute. Youth representatives from 54 youth

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

member organizations participated in the forum.

The discussions were documented in a 33-page report and delivered to the mayor of Seoul.

Through the SYR, we have gained insight of what is needed to achieve the SDGs in Korea.

We have learned that it is much more effective to recommend SDG-friendly legislation, rather than simply give feedback on Seoul’s L-SDGs. As public awareness of the SDGs is poor, we believed it was critical to incorporate youth opinion with little or no knowledge of the SDGs. As a result, a consortium was signed with the Capital Area Youth Culture Network (a community of youth volunteer organizations, youth media organizations, and youth artists

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

16

LECTURES DELIVERED Delivered 16 lectures across 8 months with SDG Youth Academy.

65

TARGETS FEATURED ON SOCIAL Produced SDG Youth Social Media Cards for 65 targets (from 1.1 to 8.5).

Working Group (Y-SDGs Korea OWG).

+1,500

8 public meetings were held and led by 17

Attracted 54 youth organizations from

youth leaders to design Youth SDGs Korea

37 universities and 9 networks, a total of

and to apply them in daily lives. The “Youth

around 1,500 individuals to SDG Youth

SDGs Korea” report will be delivered to the

Committee from 2019 to 2020.

groups) to launch the Youth-SDGs Korea Open

PEOPLE AT YOUTH COMMITTEE

representatives of each political party and to various think tanks in late-2020.

1ST ANNUAL POLICY REPORT Published the first annual policy report that

LOOKING FORWARD We will continue to publish annual policy

includes the voices of young people in SDG implementation.

reports that monitors and tracks SDG-related policies from each political party. We hope that policy makers realize that people, especially future generations, are invested in sustainability and their engagement in SDG-related legislative activities will increase their chances of reelection. The Republic of Korea can achieve the SDGs through the legislative activities of National Assembly members with our guidance.

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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PHILIPPINES AN INDEPENDENT NON-PROFIT ORGANISATION The Philippines National Network works on key issues in the Private Sector and Government, such as Family Planning and Reproductive Health, Human Rights, AntiPoverty and Sustainable Communities.

LOOKING BACK We developed the interactive COVID-19 Dashboard in partnership with the Ayala Corporation and IBM, as an initiative in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

200,000

MONTHLY DASHBOARD VISITS

Philippines. Fed by official data from the

The COVID-19 Dashboard is our flagship

Department of Health and local data gatherers,

project for 2020 to help curb the pandemic and

the dashboard provide up-to-date data on the

‘infodemic’ in the Philippines.

pandemic and the national situation.

With over 200,000 visits per month, the Together with partners, we have launched

COVID-19 Dashboard provides young Filipinos

different features on the dashboard, such

access to timely, factual and unbiased news

as Youth Heroes, which features local youth

and information about COVID-19.

initiatives to combat the pandemic, and SAM, an AI messaging bot.

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

SOUTH ASIA HOSTED BY THE ENERGY AND RESOURCES INSTITUTE (TERI), INDIA The South Asia Regional Network focuses on catalyzing the engagement of young people in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan to implement the SDGs.

LOOKING BACK Our priorities for 2019-2020 were largely based on translating ideas of the SDG Clubs and Campus SDG Ambassadors into tangible solutions for greater impact. The focus was on current issues and the network-curated activities which link them to various SDGs through talks by experts, workshops, quizzes and awareness campaigns.

LOOKING FORWARD

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

300

QUIZ PARTICIPANTS Hosted India’s biggest sustainability quiz with participation of 300 students.

REPORT ON AIR POLLUTION IN INDIA Produced the “State of Delhi’s Air 2020”

We will focus on translating ideas into

report, a public perception study analyzing

tangible solutions that are motivated by

the impact of air pollution on the lives of

multidisciplinary academic courses offered

people living in Delhi and how they are

by institutions.

dealing with it, as well as factors driving their involvement to manage the crisis.

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

NETWORKS: EUROPE

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

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OUR REACH IN EUROPE COUNTRIES COVERED BY OUR EUROPEAN NETWORKS

SDSN YOUTH BLACK SEA Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine SDSN YOUTH FRANCE France SDSN YOUTH GREECE Greece SDSN YOUTH MEDITERRANEAN Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey SDSN YOUTH NORTHERN EUROPE Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway SDSN YOUTH RUSSIA Russia SDSN YOUTH TURKEY Turkey 70

SDSN Youth Impact Report 2020

GREECE HOSTED BY NATIONAL KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS, GREECE The Greece National Network focuses on engaging with youth locally, working alongside policy makers and receiving assistance from field experts..

LOOKING BACK

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

The key focus of 2019-2020 was student

E-DEMOCRACY PROJECT

engagement and restructuring of the SDSN

SDSN Youth Greece collaborated with Get

Youth Greece team. The network worked closely

Involved to organize the e-Democracy

with the local SDG Students Program members,

Project. This was an exclusive e-Conference

ramped up team numbers and ran various

for members of our network, selected

educational events.

individuals and organizations, which highlighted and critically analyzed national and global challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The motto of the event was: “in order to get the right answers, we need to ask the right questions�. To achieve this, the delegates were divided into three committees: the Committee on Economic Science, the Committee on Political Science and the Committee on Public Health. All three committees raised issues linked to SDGs and various other topics.

The event provided young people a voice to express their ideas, opinions and concerns of the pandemic. The project was supported by the UN Major Group for Children and Youth, and a report was produced in Greek, outlining the ideas and solutions discussed.

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MEDITERRANEAN HOSTED BY ANTA CHIARA LAB RESEARCH & INNOVATION CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SIENA, ITALY The Mediterranean Regional Network focuses on mobilizing young people with expertise and interest in sustainable development to realize educational, research and outreach initiatives in the Mediterranean area.

LOOKING BACK

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

Our goal was to expand the network of member

TOWARDS COP 21: YOUTH EVENT

organizations in SDSN Youth Mediterranean by

In October 2019, we helped facilitate the

attracting youth-focused institutions that are

“Towards COP 21: Youth Event” in Naples.

interested in sustainability. We achieved this

The event was organized by UNEP/MAP and

through partnerships with stakeholders and

the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and

scaling our membership drive.

Sea, in collaboration with the Municipality of Napoli and the Institute for Studies on

LOOKING FORWARD To further promote Agenda 2030, we are planning a variety of multicultural activities on sustainable development, such as local, national and regional events, actions and campaigns – to involve more young representatives from both the Northern and Southern coasts of the region.

the Mediterranean of the National Research Council (ISMed/CNR), supported by SDSN Youth Mediterranean.

The event enhanced the role of young people aged 18-25 in the protection of the Mediterranean marine environment and in the achievement of the UN Agenda 2030 in the region. Messages from the youth were presented at the plenary session of COP21 of the Barcelona Convention.

Proposals were then developed to be presented to the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea (IMELS).

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NORTHERN EUROPE HOSTED BY CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY & THE UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN The Northern Europe Regional Network focuses on bringing Nordic actors together to strengthen cross-disciplinary collaboration for the SDGs.

LOOKING BACK

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

Our priorities for the network were to continue

SDG COLORING BOOK

scaling the network and establishing strong

In 2019, we also focused on delivering

communication platforms for the network.

accessible information about the SDGs by creating different types of information material such as the SDG Coloring Book.

The collection featured a group of regional young artists and illustrators, and the illustrations can be used as conversation starters or for educational purposes. Each illustration portrays the artists’ unique style and perspective.

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RUSSIA HOSTED BY THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL ACADEMY OF NATIONAL ECONOMY AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION The Russia National Network focuses on SDG education, promotion towards students and engagement with volunteers and local communities.

LOOKING FORWARD

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

•

Expanding cooperation with local students

STUDENT HUBS SUPPORT

communities on the SDGs in more cities and

One of the newest initiatives is the Student

universities;

Hubs’ actions support, which cooperates

Mobilizing and supporting online webinars

with SDG Student Hubs from different

and conferences about Sustainable

universities and supports them with

Development;

resources from SDSN Youth Russia. One of

•

Student Hubs’ actions support;

the examples is MGIMO Goes Green student

•

Regional initiatives: SDSN Youth Russia

hub support in their initiative to translate

annual meeting, EcoCup festival, Sustainable

SDSN Australia’s guide “Getting started with

Development week.

the SDGs in Universities.”

•

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TURKEY HOSTED BY BOĞAZIÇI UNIVERSITY, TURKEY The Turkey National Network focuses on localizing the SDGs, building partnerships for the SDGs, and engaging youth.

LOOKING FORWARD

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

We are looking to strengthen operations and

SUSTAINABILITY FESTIVALS

continue to scale education and action for all

We organized “Sustainability Festivals”

Turkish students.

at universities to explain the concept of sustainability in an interactive way.

FRANCE HOSTED BY CY CERGY PARIS UNIVERSITÉ, KEDGE BUSINESS SCHOOL & PSL UNIVERSITY, FRANCE The France National Network is a new network working with SDSN France to expand its reach.

LOOKING FORWARD

NETWORK ACHIEVEMENTS

We plan to build the social media presence of

VOLUNTEERS INITIATIVE

SDSN France and SDSN Youth France.

We initiated the SDSN Youth Volunteers Initiative, a collaborative effort of all the European Networks.

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HOW TO GET INVOLVED?

LEARN MORE ABOUT US Website: sdsnyouth.org Facebook: @SDSNYouth Instagram: @sdsnyouth Linkedin: /company/sdsnyouth Twitter: @SDSNYouth

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PARTNER WITH US We have 22 National/Regional Networks, where our Network Coordinators work towards mobilizing local youth around the SDGs. If you would like to collaborate with one of our networks, please find your local network and contact them with the listed email.

JOIN OUR PROGRAM Global Schools Program globalschoolsprogram.org SDG Students Program sdgstudent.org Local Pathways Fellowship localpathways.org Solutions Program youthsolutions.report

VOLUNTEER WITH US We’re always looking for volunteers!

•

Our open positions

•

Our areas of work

•

How to apply

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SDSN YOUTH IMPACT REPORT 2020 Production by the SDSN Youth Team Cover & Layout Design by Amy Au Graphic Design by Molane Hu and Zen Koo © 2020 Sustainable Development Solutions Network - Youth