Upper School students at Ranney School (Tinton Falls, N J) have embarked on a first-of-its-kind partnership with the United Nations and Monmouth University (West Long Branch, NJ) to educate the community about global sustainable development goals. As part of this unique project, students visited UN Headquarters in New York City in Feb. 2016 to participate in the ECOSOC Global Youth Forum. The conference focus was Youth Taking Action to Implement the 2030 Agenda, the 2030 agenda being the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs. The SDGs are a group of 17 goals adopted by the UN member states in September 2015 aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring prosperity for all, with specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years.

Our students attended as observers and to gather information for their own research projects on the SDGs, which they hope to present at the UN later this spring. Part of the event also focused on ways in which young people can actively play a role in communicating the SDGs to their own communities, including through the use of current and innovative communication tools. “It was an amazing experience to be at the United Nations. From the speakers and sessions, I learned why it is essential for young people to be more proactive in helping implement the sustainable development goals of 2030. It was interesting to see how various countries took different approaches on implementing the sustainable goals and helping the younger generation become global citizens.” –Anisha Gupta, Class of 2018.

Learn more at www.RanneyMonmouthUSDGspartnership.com