SDG Talks

Aims of the tool

* To understand what the Sustainable Development Goals are and what they are for.
* To explore how the SDGs are present in our lives.
* To encourage a commitment to change in order to contribute to their development and to social transformation.

Description of the tool

Through the Fundación Salamanca Ciudad de Saberes (Salamanca, City of Knowledge Foundation), Fundación Plan B Educación Social provides schools with workshops about different topics, such as SDG’s, child participation, conflict resolution, and more. Education is more than what happens in the classroom, so these workshops strive to foster participation, critical thinking and sustainable habits in a fun way. They also promote human rights with their open methodology, which promotes diversity and dialogue.
The example provided is a workshop that was done about the SDGs with high school students and students in professional training.

Steps (adapted to the SDG’s workshop)
If you want to carry out a similar workshop in a school near you, after establishing contact with the school, you must choose a topic that is relevant for the children, youth or adults that would attend the workshop.
Next, you should decide how you want to present the topic. If you’re working with children or youth, it’s best to present it in a dynamic way and include game-based learning. Adult audiences are also keen on game-based learning, but make sure you make it age-appropriate.
If you decide to have a workshop on the SDGs, you can first make a presentation on them to see how much the group knows and help them fill in the gaps. Make the presentation dynamic and encourage participation throughout.
After the presentation, you can pass out copies of the Explanation of SDGs sheet for the group to refer to while they carry out the following activities.
Depending on how much time you have for the workshop, you can now use the Colourful conversation cards. Split the group into pairs or smaller groups and have them quiz each other on the SDGs.
The next part of the activity is the board game. Depending on the number of participants, you may need to print out or prepare a few of the game boards and perhaps split the group into smaller groups to play together. You need game pieces for each player and one dice per game board. All players start on square 1. When you land on an SDG, you have to explain what it is and give at least one example. When you land on the jail square, you need to stay there for your next turn. When you land on a bridge icon, you pass to the available square. If you land on a dice, roll again. If you land on the death symbol, you’re eliminated. If you land on the SDG symbol, you need to name all of the SDGs.
Leave at least 10 minutes for debriefing at the end of the session. If necessary, groups may need to stop playing the game a little early.

Recommendations
Since you may have never worked with this group before, it might be useful to do some icebreaker activity at the beginning to help them feel more comfortable with you and open to share their experience and learning process.
In the same class, you may have students with different levels of knowledge about the topic at hand, so it’s important to be flexible and adapt accordingly (especially the introductory presentation).
It may be a good idea to ask in advance about students with disabilities so you can adapt your game/activity/presentation accordingly.

Debriefing
What did you learn today in this workshop?
How do you think this topic affects your life? Give specific examples.
What can you do in your life to uphold human rights?
How can you promote the SDG’s in your daily life?