Thank you to all the students and faculty who stopped by our table event to learn about our program and share their thoughts about global education! We were so excited to see how enthusiastic and supportive everyone was. We plan to do it again, so watch for more dates to come!

• Also, be sure to stop by Ecofest tomorrow from 9-6 pm on the ground floor of the Atrium building. We’ll see you there.

Please join us today at City Tech from 1-2 pm in front of the Welcome Center (Atrium building, first floor) to learn about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda. Specifically, let’s talk about goal 4, Quality Education for all, and what it means to you and how you can get involved in helping to achieve this global goal. We’ll be filming and sharing ideas and refreshments. Come have a snack and chat with us!

By Farjana Shati:

The bitter cold weather seems to be never ending as the semester is progressing. Just as I am eagerly waiting for spring warmth, mild weather and flowers, I cannot wait to finish my midterm exams, especially my Arabic exam. I am a fulltime student after all and my studies are among my top priorities and they occupy most of my time. Along with prepping for the midterms, I have been reflecting on interactions and conversations with my fellow City Tech students regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as I gear up towards my signature project as the CUNY Youth Ambassador (CYA).

Few weeks ago, in my environmental economics class (ECON 2505ID),I asked my fellow classmates if any of them had heard or was aware of the UN or UNESCO. To my surprise, only 15% of the students mentioned that they had heard of the UN and only one students had previously heard of the name UNESCO. I am certain that if I had pushed on and asked about the specifics of their knowledge about these global agencies, I would have been even more surprised! In this class, we are learning about environmental and food sustainability, yet, none of my fellow classmates knew anything about the UN’s SDGs or the 2030 agenda! My econ professor gave me the opportunity to briefly promote the campaign run by UNESCO to call on governments to make the right to education enforceable in national law in all countries. I was very excited to bring forward to my class the possibility to put the coursework and curriculum into a relevant and current global context, and to invite them to become actively involved in sustainability issues and quality education. I was able to persuade 20% of the students to sign the online petition. Of course, I wanted to have a 100% success rate, but, it was a good start, and it made me think about more creative ways to advocate what I believe is crucial and essential for a better future.

As I continued to interact with my friends, classmates, and other students on campus to promote the campaign to sign the online petition, I unfortunately discovered that the majority were unable to mention anything about the SDGs. The blank stares from my fellow peers when asked about the UN, UNESCO or SDGs was playing on repeat in my mind as I continued to develop and plan my signature project as CYA. When I was thinking of ways to raise awareness among the student body at City Tech on issues on quality education, gender equality and UN SDGs, I knew that my campus was a lush field! Many of us have never had the chance to think on a global scale and explore issues on sustainable development at the level that encloses governments, the private sector, the public sector, universities and individuals all together – something that the 2030 agenda challenges by its ambitious SDGs and its 15-year delivery timeframe. I have high hopes for my signature project. I want to have deep conversations with students during my video project and open table events on these issues. Ultimately, to advocate involvement and commitment from them. It is crucial that we students get more involved on our campuses and in our societies to bring change for ourselves and for the world we live in.

What would the world look like if we can harvest the energy and passion from our youth and pour it into goals like quality education and sustainable development? I can only imagine, but I am thrilled that I can be an active player in trying to explore the answers to this powerful question!