The Sustainable Development Goals set forth by the United Nations is a framework for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
The SDGs are grouped into four categories: Social, environmental & economical. Yet all are highly intertwined as one aspect greatly affects another. The frameworks are tiered with 237 unique indicators and can be quite daunting to understand in one sitting. Richmond High got the chance to learn about each of the 17 goals and gained a high-level of understanding for the purpose of the SDGs.
In the process of learning, Richmond High really enjoyed an online version of the SDG board games. Students were able to annotate freely on the board to mark their positions. Once they land on a questions square, they receive the opportunity to advance again for answering an SDG question correctly.
The session was wrapped up by recognizing that all citizens, including the high school students can live by the SDG framework by being a thoughtful consumer, whether it is sourcing more sustainable fashion by thrifting or decreasing the in-take of meat products.