King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia

Fostering scientific literacy for sustainability: The SDG Collection by KAUST, UNDP & Frontiers for Young Minds

In a collaborative effort, KAUST, the United Nations Development Programme, and Frontiers for Young Minds launched 'The SDG Collection: How science can help us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals' (SDGs). This pioneering educational resource is designed to inspire the next generation to achieve the SDGs through science and technology. It features engaging articles written by scientists and an interactive peer-review process, making the complex world of sustainability accessible and engaging to children worldwide.

Aimed at promoting scientific literacy and exposing children to the importance of science for sustainable development, the collection will also be translated into Arabic to ensure accessibility to all Arabic-speaking children.

Top 3 Learnings

1. Collaboration amplifies impact: Our Partnership with an NGO and an IGO extended the reach of our mission to drive educate for sustainable development.
2. Engage with youth: We tailored this program to maximize youth engagement and reach the future changemakers of tomorrow, fostering both learning and ownership around the final products.
3. Education drives sustainability: We can only achieve sustainability if everyone understands its importance and that it needs to be our standard practice. By making a project that is cross-generational and rooted on scientific literacy as a mean to sustainable development, we ensure that different generations get educated and aware of sustainability challenges but also what is being done to act on them. It also fosters hope and trust in science.