The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the SDGs or Global Goals are a series of seventeen goals created by the United Nations as a call to action for many nations around the world to help improve and meet certain criteria. The goals range from “No Poverty” to “Climate Action” and represent the ideal position a country can be in to maintain good conditions. Analy High School students across many classes created posters highlighting specific areas of each goal in honor of the Global Goals Week, from September 20-29. I interviewed Ms. Rachel Ambrose, who teaches Global Studies, Ethnic Studies, and AP US History for more information on the subject.
What was the goal of creating posters about the SDGs?
Ambrose explains how the global goals are created to focus on major areas that, if the goal were reached, could drastically improve the quality of life for the people in that country. She describes how the posters were created and their purpose, noting that “hopefully [the posters] spur people to action by exposing them to world problems and potential actions that can be taken to effect change.”
How many people contributed to the project, and where will the posters be displayed?
Photo Credit: Rachel Ambrose
The posters will be displayed all around Analy, with “the winning posters on view at the Sebastopol Regional Library.” Ambrose continues to say “Six Global Studies classes and the Ethnic Studies class all contributed posters to the awareness campaign.” This means that over two-hundred students worked on the posters! If you are interested in seeing the finalists of the posters, you can find a comprehensive list of the winners here.
What can someone who has just learned about the SDGs do to help, and why should Analy students be interested in the SDGs?
The United Nations has many online resources with things you can do to help. A couple of ideas are globalgoals.org and a list of 170 actions that you can take to help work toward the goals. Ambrose also recommends the Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving the World, which has even more ideas. “It really doesn’t matter where you start or which action you take,” she explains, “the important thing is to DO SOMETHING. Apathy is the enemy.” She then explains how this can affect Analy students and why they should care. She notes that in both Global and Ethnic Studies, (which are both required for the Globally Proficient Scholars program here at Analy) students learn about a concept called the Universe Of Obligation. Ambrose explains what this is with a simple question. “What is our duty to others around the world who are suffering around the world?” This question carries a lot of weight, and captures some thoughts about human nature. “Ideally,” Ambrose continues, “I would like to encourage my students to care about people they’ve never even met, instead of only caring about something if it’s happening directly to them. Empathy and connection are the goals.”
