On the Design of a Youth-Led, Issue-Based, Crowdsourced Global Monitoring Framework for the SDGs

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a novel methodology and design to contribute towards the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by member states of the United Nations for a better and more sustainable future for all. We particularly focus on achieving SDG 4.7—using education to ensure all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. We describe the design of a crowdsourced approach to monitor issues at a local level, and then use the insights gained to indicate how learning can be achieved by the entire community. We begin by encouraging local communities to identify issues that they are concerned about, with an assumption that any issue identified will fall within the purview of the 17 SDGs. Each issue is then tagged with a plurality of actions taken to address it. Finally, we tag the positive or negative changes in the issue as perceived by members of the local community. This data is used to broadly indicate quantitative measures of community learning when solving a societal problem, in turn telling us how SDG 4.7 is being achieved. The paper describes the design of a unique, youth-led, technology-based, bottom-up approach, applicable to communities across the globe, which can potentially ensure transgressive learning through participation of and monitoring by the local community leading to sustainable development.

Progress by Research to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in the EU: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Given the tremendous role of Education and Culture in promoting the 2030 Agenda and a more sustainable society [137,138] set a theoretical framework for implementing the SDGs in university programs. Focusing on achieving target 4.7, Reference [78] designed a youth-led framework for monitoring SDG achievement. Reference [139] twinned the U-I-G Triple Helix framework for Innovative Development (University-Industry-Government) with a U-P-G (University-Public-Government) Triple Helix.…”

Engaging Youth Led Organizations for Inclusive Service Innovation: Illustrative Case Study

“…The potential for youth led social innovation to start societal improvements by collaborating across diverse areas has unquestionably been acknowledged by the United Nations, with numerous initiatives being implemented and integrated in various developed and developing countries as well as in emerging economies 4 . Studies have identified positive elements of collaboration between youth and local organizations: Those include knowledge transfer, capacity building and outreach [31].…”

“…For achieving the SDGs and developing sustainable communities, we need youth to be an important part of the solution. For example, they must be involved in setting the global health agenda [3], education [4], environment development [5], or social innovation [6], even in activism, mobilizing for political change [7]. In the words of Mr. Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General (Sep 24, 2018) "All our hopes for a better world rest on young people.…”

Education for Sustainable Development in Educating Cities: Towards a Transformative Approach from Informal and Non-Formal Education

“…Regarding the methodology, both identify the transformative approach as optimal, since this approach facilitates better than any other a construction of beliefs, values and practices compatible with a more responsible lifestyle in a social and ecological approach. A transformative methodology is based on an experiential learning pedagogy, capable of incorporating the socio-emotional dimension of learning [9] and generating profound and long-term impacts in the communities where it is implemented.…”

“…The school has less critical potential than other educational scenarios, limited by the pressures of public powers and the economic world to alienate it socially, and to align it with the productive forces at the service of the market [10]. For this reason, non-formal and informal education contexts emerge as powerful alternatives [5,9,[11][12][13].…”