Global Citizenship and Sustainability

Student changemakers met on Thursday to discuss how to achieve their sustainability goals.

UN Sustainability Goals

Participants of University of Kent’s online experiential Global Citizenship course attended a workshop on Thursday to help them bring their sustainability ideas to life.

What was the course about?

The course, which took place in February and early March and was delivered by global leadership organisation Common Purpose, empowered students to play an active role in advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by learning how to make small and important incremental changes.

This involved coming up with a project idea that worked towards a sustainability goal of their choice.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals provide a foundation upon which to build and achieve a global sustainable future. The 17 goals – which include no poverty, zero hunger, reduced inequalities, affordable and clean energy, climate action, responsible consumption and production, and quality education – are designed to tackle global challenges.

In total, 74 University of Kent students took part in the online course alongside 16 students from partner universities Hong Kong Baptist University and University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Participants included both undergraduate and postgraduate students from across the University.

Participant Wadana Khan said that the online course offered

“a great way of delving into the importance and significance of the UN SDGs and comprehending its practical application. Focusing on one SDG truly allowed me to critically explore and analyse it, whereby figuring out practical solutions enhanced my pragmatism. The skills I acquired from this course will tremendously benefit me when thinking critically about events and during group work.”

Students at the Global Citizenship and Sustainability Workshop

What was the workshop about?

The Thursday workshop provided a space for the course participants to reflect upon the longer term impact of their project. It provided support from both academics and professional services staff on how to realize their project idea.

Students firstly pitched their idea and considered what success would look like for their individual project. They discussed logistical ways to implement their idea and next steps for advancing towards their sustainability goal.

First-year Psychology student Lilia proposed a resource designed to help students with their mental health, especially those from minority groups. The workshop provided a space to discuss tangible outputs for the project, including the potential for a Moodle resource and mental health peer mentors.

Jess, a third-year Environmental and Social Science student who is completing a placement as Sustainability Projects Officer in the Kent Sustainability Team, discussed learning how to help facilitate carbon literacy training and reinvigorating the student-led Sustainability Working Group.

Both students were offered insight, expertise and advice on how to take their projects forward from representatives across the University, including from Human and Social Sciences Student Experience, The Law School, the Kent Sustainability Team and Global and Lifelong Learning.

Students at the Global Citizenship and Sustainability Workshop

Sustainable Development Goals

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals invite everyone to take action to safeguard the planet and address social needs. To deliver these goals by 2030, we all need to be taking ambitious action on sustainability and global citizenship.

If you want to be a changemaker and help work towards sustainability goals, you can start by following the Kent Sustainability Team’s various projects, including the Kent Community Oasis Garden on the Kent Sustainability blog.

Or keep an eye on the International Programmes News and Events Page for upcoming Global Citizenship and Sustainability news and events.