Sustainable Development Goals and Youth: You don’t want to miss two things! Sustainable Development Goals are a series of global goals introduced by the United Nations in 2015 as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The SDGs aim to end poverty, provide access to education and healthcare, grow economies, and protect the environment. They also include goals that focus on youth, such as “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
It has been estimated that in 2020 there will be 1 billion people between the ages of 10-24. The UN has stated that youth unemployment is one of the most significant global challenges, and ensuring that youth have access to jobs, education, and healthy living environments will be critical.
To achieve the Goals, many initiatives must be put in place by corporations and governments. Several things are being done across industries, from Microsoft to United Nations (UN), to provide better education opportunities for youth worldwide.
It has been suggested that youth should be targeted as the future leaders of tomorrow, and initiatives are being put in place by many organizations to assist with this process to encourage youth engagement through different innovative solutions.
What is the active role of the youth in achieving sustainable development goals?
The world faces many global issues, such as poverty, drought, climate change, and food crisis. The current generation of youth will be essential in eventually solving these issues and ensuring a better future for future generations.
One of the significant causes of youth unemployment is that employers still do not see young people as capable enough to perform specific tasks at work.
However, they generally use less qualified older people for their jobs. This is seen in many countries worldwide, and it must be changed if the Sustainable Development Goals are to be reached.
The United Nations stated, “Many of the 500 million young people, especially young women, who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) have dropped out of school early but still want to work, or are not finding jobs despite having completed their education.
This is an issue in many countries, and if these young people are not given a chance, they will be left to join criminal gangs, or worse, they will resort to becoming victims of human trafficking.
If the Sustainable Development Goals are going to be achieved, youth must be given equal opportunities to reach their full potential as working members of society.
For the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved, the role of the youth is crucial and must not be forgotten.
What can students do for sustainable development?
As students, they are well poised to participate in the sustainable development campaign. They can gain a deeper understanding of what sustainability means and how it affects the world that they live in now. They are also likely to feel more inclined to help the environment if they see that we are destroying it because our greed is not sustainable.
They should also be encouraged to raise awareness about sustainability issues on campus, as their peers will see them as spokespeople on these issues.
Many college students are already working on sustainability issues. Some of the best ways for college students to work on unsustainable development is by undertaking innovative projects that focus on specific areas. For example, a student interested in water resource management may look at the amount of waste in their school and devise a plan for how to address it or study contamination rates in nearby streams and come up with an idea as to how to improve them. Another way for college students to make an impact is by researching topics they are unfamiliar with, which can help shape what type of career they want.
College students have also been tackling these issues outside of the classroom too, such as starting their environmental club or engaging with classmates about it during lecture sessions. Students have also created a group to attend conferences at places like the UN to learn more about their sustainability efforts.
Empowering Youth for sustainable development goals
To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the youth must be involved. It has been stated that “If only 10% of young people were involved in local decision-making on issues that affect them, it would make a significant difference.” If governments and others genuinely want to develop a sustainable future, they need the help of the youth. If more people are involved, work can get done quicker, and there would be a greater understanding of the issues. Without youth, there will be no career opportunities for the child, and the future for everyone will be bleak.
The United Nations has introduced SDSN Youth, a network that gathers young people from all over the world who have ideas on how to make a difference. The SDSN Youth have come up with an innovation lab in New York for all of the SDSN Youth to convene and exchange new ideas for sustainability. The goal is to build “a global network of ambitious, active, and future-oriented young people. They also encourage other youth to follow suit by creating programs that will bring them together to make a change in their communities and, ultimately, their world.
Sustainable Development Goals and youth engagement programs
The United Nations has created the Youth2030 initiative to mobilize youth activists on sustainable development issues. The Youth2030 is a global platform of youth leaders that the United Nations coordinates and it has four main goals:
1. Create a network of young people who care about the planet and seek change to support it, setting ambitious goals for active engagement.
2. Mobilize and engage with youth to enact change where it is needed most
3. Bring about change in policy-making and implementation through knowledge-sharing and advocacy programs
4. Support youth to learn and develop their skills and competencies so they can be empowered to make a difference in their communities
