You might or might not have heard about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), a series of 17 interlinked global goals designed to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all! More than just knowing these goals exist, there is value in knowing how we can all pursue these goals through our own choices and actions.
In the spirit of that, our GESS EdTech team created an exhibition about the UN SDGs in the GESS library to enrich our students’ learning. What was their motivation behind this exhibition about the UN SDGs and how was it executed? We interviewed EdTech Coach Iulius Carebia to find out more!
Why did you choose to exhibit the UN SDGs?
In line with our focus on the Global Collaborator standard, our Department decided to exhibit the UN SDGs as collaborating globally is the key to achieving these goals. With COVID-19 causing the world to experience a totally different situation, our team realised that the UN SDGs would be subject matter for an important and meaningful exhibition that would be a wakeup call for students to broaden their perspectives and work with others on a local or global level, physically or virtually.
Why did you and your team choose to execute the exhibition in this way? What were your thoughts?
Once we decided to focus our theme on Sustainability with the help of the SDG this year, the road was clear. We spent countless hours brainstorming and concluded that the event would be school-wide – educating our students from the Preschool level up to Secondary school level. This explains our use of different tools in the exhibition – videos, books, infographics and posters – which would allow students of different levels to understand the initiatives via different means.
The Sustainable Development Goals are important, world-changing objectives that require cooperation among leaders, international organisations and governments. Although it may seem impossible that an average person can make an impact, we want our students to understand that change starts with them, with every one of us. We can simply adopt small, easy changes into our daily routines and if we all do it, we could make a big difference to our world together! Even the most indifferent one of us can be a part of the solution!
What are the 3 main things you hoped to achieve in our students’ learning through this exhibition?
The answer to this question goes hand-in-hand with the exhibition class that we have prepared for our students.
Firstly, we wanted to create awareness and help our students learn about the different cultural norms and practices in our world. To do so, we prepared a few games and cool activities for learners in both English and German. As our students are growing up in an increasingly interconnected and multicultural society, they will need to be aware of different cultural norms and practices around the world so that they can succeed and thrive. Learning about the UN Sustainable Development Goal helps our students to develop deeper insights into issues around the world.
Secondly, we wanted our students to be inspired and encouraged to take action. Once learners have a good understanding of the SDGs and their importance, we believe that they will be inspired to make positive changes. In fact, we have witnessed our students’ actions through a variety of projects happening at school. The XSproject and their leader, Retno Hapsari of Jakarta, spoke to our students about their community project which aims to change the concept of recycling materials by collecting plastic waste and transforming it into products. I believe that our students were moved by this presentation to consider the impact of the plastic waste they generate.
Thirdly, we hoped that through this exhibition which showcases how the SDGs facilitate problem-solving to achieve practical goals, our students can become global citizens that are passionate about caring for others and our world.
Which is your favourite SDG and why?
I think “Goal 12: Responsible Consumption” resonates the most with me. The target of this goal is the usage of eco-friendly production methods and reducing the amount of waste. We all buy things and consume a lot of resources, and with this goal, it becomes important to be thoughtful and mindful in our buying. I think it is our duty as global citizens to be aware of whether the things we consume come from sustainable origins.
With regards to Goal 12, my colleague Jan discovered an amazing project in Germany where people are allowed to vote for their product. Learning from this project in Germany, our students took up this opportunity and made a mini project where they voted and discussed how food should be produced.
What has been students’ response to the exhibition?
Positive! I am sure that almost all our students took part in our classes during the UN SDG exhibition. We also created a Flipgrid channel where students could reflect on their learning. On the channel, we asked our students about what they learnt and how can they relate to the Sustainable Development Goals after learning about them. We were impressed by their overwhelming responses and heartened to see that students want to participate in this global movement.
