Do you know the acronym SDG? The Sustainable Development Goals are the globally established targets by the United Nations to tackle challenges such as poverty and health threats. In total, there are 17 SDGs that the world must achieve through joint action to create a better world by 2030.
At first glance, the topic may seem quite ambitious, but these goals outline paths for measures to be implemented not only on a macro scale but also in everyday community life. In schools, the topic can serve as a great starting point to encourage students to identify solutions for local challenges and, in doing so, support their soft skills. According to Maria Guillermina Garcia, Project and Research Manager at Cenpec, the SDGs at school can inspire STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) projects developed by young people eager to put their hands to work.
“Proposing solutions for real challenges requires investigating problems that cannot be solved from a single perspective, discipline, or approach. The SDGs contribute precisely to broadening this outlook,” says the Cenpec manager, a nonprofit organization that serves as a technical partner for Solve for Tomorrow in Brazil. According to Garcia, the SDGs at school encompass a broad and relevant set of contemporary issues that demand an interdisciplinary approach.
In other words, the goals are interconnected and encourage young people to think in this way. For example, eradicating poverty (SDG 1) is not possible without ensuring clean water and sanitation (SDG 6). Students begin to reflect on how these themes interact and require solutions driven by empathy.
However, integrating the SDGs at school is not always a simple task. It is essential to engage the entire school community. “Schools that are more integrated with their communities and already incorporate local demands and students’ realities into their Pedagogical Political Project are certainly more connected to the sustainable goals,” says Garcia. To achieve this, she recommends investing in continuous teacher training and encouraging a critical and investigative approach among students.
Brazilian chemistry teacher Gustavo Bezerra believes that bringing the topic into the classroom fosters students’ practical knowledge. “They realize that the ideas they execute in projects could be scaled up and make significant changes in quality of life,” he argues. He was the mentor of the “Filtropinha” project, winner of Solve for Tomorrow in Brazil in 2024, which developed filters using pinecone husks to treat manipueira, a toxic liquid discarded in manioc flour production.
He also mentored the “EKOfraldas” project, in which students created biodegradable and cost-effective diapers based on SDG reflections, after observing the environmental damage and financial burden that disposable diapers imposed on families in the community.
Meanwhile, the “Apyphore” project, a 2024 finalist in Costa Rica, leveraged the SDG approach to develop a technological solution to optimize beekeeping and preserve bees. When the team studied the importance of bees, they identified various SDGs directly linked to their work, such as Good Health and Well-being. “It wasn’t just about thinking of a single problem but considering what other issues we could address to make the project fully sustainable,” explains the mentor teacher, Yamil Vega Diaz.
By aligning projects with the SDGs, young people develop skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, leadership, and citizenship. Maria Garcia of CENPEC believes that when students are encouraged to identify possible solutions to problems in their communities, they come to understand that local issues have global impacts and vice versa. “Even if the primary goal is not to solve the central problem of that SDG, which is broader and of global magnitude, it is possible to establish connections with what is observed and experienced in the daily life of that locality,” she concludes.
Get to Know the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:
- No Poverty
- Zero Hunger
- Good Health and Well-being
- Quality Education
- Gender Equality
- Clean Water and Sanitation
- Affordable and Clean Energy
- Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- Reduced Inequalities
- Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Responsible Consumption and Production
- Climate Action
- Life Below Water
- Life on Land
- Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
- Partnerships for the Goals
