The program launched into the third week with a session revolving around the theme of ‘SDGs: Behind The Scenes’ where the mentors provided ideas to make a difference in society. As usual, they followed it up with a timeline to give an overview of the topics that would be covered throughout the session.
The Sustainable Development Goals Are A Universal Call Of Action
They started by introducing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, which were adopted as a universal call of action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
The mentors then moved onto five important branches of the UN, namely UNCTAD, UNCSW, UNDP, UNESCO & UNHCR- all of which play different roles to help build a sustainable future. While briefing the students about these organizations, the mentors also gave them an insight into other entities working independently of the UN; such as the World Bank, WWF, and WTO.
The session was concluded by an interactive change-making game to this insightful session. Now that the changemakers had familiarised themselves with the policy-making process, it was time for them to step into the shoes of countries and test their newly acquired skills.
Student-Run Youth Organisations Are Spearheading The Change
Each person selected a country and was presented with a wide range of scenarios. The task was to decide the policy most suitable for the welfare of their nation. Through the different takes, each student had contributed to the interesting discussion. The formulated policies covered the spheres of education, gender equality, peace, and climate change.
Since inspiration is one of the prime factors to excel, the mentors introduced some prominent changemakers who continue to inspire the youth. Beginning with Anshu Gupta, popularly known as the clothing man of India, who is the founder of Goonj-one of India’s leading non-profit organizations that has successfully transformed the culture of giving in India by treating cloth as a sustainable resource for the underprivileged.
Next on the list was Megha Bhatia, founder of Our Voix, a youth-led organization working toward the primary prevention of child sexual abuse. She has received several accolades for her efforts. Lastly, they introduced Niyati Sharma who started Pratisandhi- a student-run youth organization that works towards educating the youth about sexual health.
After appreciating these inspiring changemakers, the mentors concluded the session by assigning a series of interesting and relevant tasks. Yet another engaging week came to an end, with the aspiring changemakers equipped with a fire to put their plans to action.