SDG Working Group created on campus
This fall, a passionate team of students—known as the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Working Group—will educate, connect and mobilize students to make positive change on campus, as well as advance the SDGs at the University of Manitoba.
The group will raise student awareness of the United Nations SDGs, mobilize students and student groups around the SDGs, and act as a point of contact between the UM student body and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Youth. They will help students learn about and take action on the SDGs as well as work with UM leadership and faculty to promote the integration of the SDGs into campus activities.
The SDG Coordinator, Soomin Han, shares her excitement of the UM Working Group coming together:
“The world faces many complex and interconnected challenges and barriers that require creative and innovative solutions to address them. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals establish the goals that will guide these solutions. As the SDG Coordinator for the University of Manitoba under the guidance of Sustainable Development Solutions Network Youth and the UM Office of Sustainability, my goal is to create a community that centers marginalized experiences and their critical role in developing solutions, making information accessible, develop interdisciplinary partnerships, and create a safe co-learning space where folks can learn/unlearn, share, and collaborate. I am looking forward to meeting and learning from everyone as we build a community focused on SDGs at the U of M campuses!”
The 2020-21 UM SDG Working Group members include:
- SDG SDSN Youth Coordinator
- Soomin Han (Environmental Studies – Policy and Law)
- SDG Working Group Members
- Chantal Vachon (Environmental Studies – Sustainable Development and Business)
- Taylor Galvin (Environmental Studies – Wildlife Biology/Management – President of UM Indigenous Concerns on the Environment)
- Nicholas Pasieczka (Engineering – Electrical with focus on Renewable Energy)
The primary responsibilities of the SDG Working Group will include:
- setting up an SDG Student Hub on campus — will act as a platform to build a community of students interested in taking action on the SDGs
- managing core operations of the SDG Student Hub — includes recruiting, engaging and meeting fellow students while organizing meetings and core functions with the Hub community
- facilitating and supporting the SDG Student Hub – arrangement of casual community gatherings, informal networking events and other social functions to promote a sense of community and social ties between members
- educating the UM community – includes opportunities to collaborate with UM leadership, senior faculty members and teaching staff to promote the integration of SDGs into student orientation processes, extracurricular activities, core syllabus, and other areas of learning and teaching
Combining the goals of UM’s Sustainability Strategy and the SDGs will help to bring innovation, research and valuable partnerships to our campuses. With the help of the SDG working group, the UM will continue progress at all levels.
To follow the progress and learn more about the SDG Working Group, follow UM Sustainability on social media @SustainableUofM or visit umanitoba.ca/sustainability. Interested in volunteering with the UM SDG Working Group? Email sustainability [at] umanitoba [dot] ca.