RCE Greater Atlanta - 2023

SDG Futures Fellowship
Basic Information
Title of project : 
SDG Futures Fellowship
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Greater Atlanta
Contributing organization(s) : 
RCE Greater Atlanta
Sustainable Georgia Futures
Re’Generation Movement
Comunidad Connect
Karmalize
Greenhouse Accelerator
Career Centers from Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State University
Consulate General of Canada to the United States, in Atlanta
City of Atlanta Office of Resilience
Center for Sustainable Communities
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Kristina Chatfield
Organizational Affiliation: 
Program & Operations Manager, Serve-Learn-Sustain, Georgia Institute of Technology
E-mail: 
kchatfield30@gatech.edu
Language of project: 
English
Date of submission:
Thursday, July 27, 2023
Web link: 
https://rcega.org/sdg-futures-fellowship
Does this project link to any education and/or sustainable development policy or policies?: 
No
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Americas
Country: 
United States
Location(s): 
Greater Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Ecosystem(s):
Urban/Peri-urban
Target Audience:
Higher, Youth (Informal)
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Rising from the ashes after the American Civil War, Atlanta became a beacon of the “New South,” growing into a cosmopolitan city of the American South driven by a modern economy, a vibrant and diverse citizenry, and a spirit of “good trouble” to create positive change. In the decades since the Civil Rights Movement was born here, the region’s rapid growth has created great wealth and prosperity for many. Yet for those living south and west of the growth line bisecting the region, this 50 years of growth has come at great cost: jobs, opportunity and high quality of life.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
RCE Greater Atlanta aims to advance the SDGs through an equity and justice lens, model inclusive and collaborative communities, and nurture strong youth leaders. This program focuses on youth leadership and professional development, designed to prepare students to pursue careers that have impact or incorporate SDG impact into other fields of work.
Contents
Status: 
Completed
Period: 
October, 2022 to April, 2023
Rationale: 
The SDG Futures Fellowship is aimed at education about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), leadership, and professional development. It is a student fellowship program, co-developed and co-led by students and staff from Georgia Institute of Technology and Kennesaw State University (KSU) along with support from seven community partners: Greenhouse Accelerator, Sustainable Georgia Futures, Karmalize, Re’Generation Movement, City of Atlanta, Center for Sustainable Communities, and United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The program served as the primary youth (ages 17-29) engagement program for the RCE Greater Atlanta network in 2022- 2023. It is inspired by KSU’s Distinguished SDG Ambassador Program, which fostered youth leadership and provided students with the opportunity to promote the UN SDGs in their local and campus communities.

The fellowship program uses the Global Goals (SDGs) and the Global RCE Network as a framework for problem-based learning focused on local sustainability challenges. In addition to preparing students to pursue careers that have an impact or incorporate SDG impact into other fields of work, the program promotes long-term partnerships between fellows, community-based and nonprofit organizations, HEIs, and the RCE Greater Atlanta network.
Objectives: 
This is a year-long fellowship program spanned the academic year 2022-23 and was open to college students from the 11 RCE Greater Atlanta affiliated higher education institutions. Students learned about sustainability challenges in and around Atlanta and around the world, and how communities can organize to tackle these issues.

The fellowship aimed to:
- Educate students about the UN SDGs through a justice and equity lens
- Expose students to SDG-related problems and solutions both locally and globally
- Train students to advance the UN SDGs in their daily and professional lives
- Help students incorporate “impact” into their definitions and pathways for career success
Activities and/or practices employed: 
For the 2022-23 cohort, 27 fellows were chosen, representing eight Higher Education Institutions across Greater Atlanta. They worked together in teams assigned to each of the seven partners (Greenhouse Accelerator, Sustainable Georgia Futures, Karmalize, Re’Generation Movement, City of Atlanta, Center for Sustainable Communities, and USGBC). Teams were formed based on student interest and they worked with their partner organization on diverse projects. Their projects spanned a wide variety of topics and goals, from creating a voluntary local review of progress on the SDGs for the City of Atlanta, to creating social media marketing campaign for a platform that supports socially impactful businesses across the country.

Apart from working on their specific projects, the fellowship provided fundamental knowledge about the UN SDGs, focusing on their local implementations by featuring various social, governmental, and climate centric organizations from Greater Atlanta in connection with SDG focused learning modules.
Size of academic audience: 
27 fellows
Results: 
For the 2022-23 cohort, 27 fellows representing eight Higher Education Institutions across Greater Atlanta were chosen for the inaugural cohort. They worked together in seven project teams, who chose their teams based on their interest and worked on diverse projects alongside community organizations including government, nonprofit and commercial ventures. Their projects spanned a wide variety of topics and goals, from creating a voluntary local review of progress on the SDGs for the City of Atlanta, to creating social media marketing campaign for a platform that supports socially impactful businesses across the country.

Apart from working on their specific projects, the fellowship provided fundamental knowledge about the UN SDGs, focusing on their local implementations by featuring various social, governmental, and climate centric organizations from Greater Atlanta.
Lessons learned: 
Overall, the program was a success. In a post program survey, students demonstrated increased knowledge of the SDGs. Over 90% of the Fellows indicated that they would stay engaged with the RCE. Using the survey results, we are tweaking some aspects of the program for the 2nd year student group.
Key messages: 
The fellowship program uses the Global Goals (SDGs) and the Global RCE Network as a framework for problem-based learning focused on local sustainability challenges and prepares students to pursue careers that have impact.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
The Fellows program was also connected to our Mentorship Program.
Funding: 
RCE Greater Atlanta’s SDG Futures Fellowship is supported by grants from the Atlanta Global Research & Education Collaborative (AGREC) and the Georgia Tech Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER)
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all 
Indirect
SDG 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation 
Indirect
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
Indirect
SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 
Direct
SDG 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development 
Direct
Theme
Curriculum Development 
Indirect
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
state: 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 4 - Mobilizing youth 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
state: 
Direct
Update: 
No
I acknowledge the above: 
Yes