RCE Greater Atlanta - 2024

SDG Futures Fellowship
CSV
Basic Information
Title of project : 
SDG Futures Fellowship
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Greater Atlanta
Contributing organization(s) : 
Sustainable Georgia Futures

Center for Sustainable Communities

Karmalize

Praise House Project

Wundergrubs

Morehouse School of Medicine Center of Excellence on Climate and Environmental Health (COE)

My Green Earth

Re:Loom
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
Format of project: 
PowerPoint
Language of project: 
English
Date of submission:
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
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
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 eight community partners: Sustainable Georgia Futures, Center for Sustainable Communities, Karmalize, Praise House Project, Wundergrubs, Morehouse School of Medicine Center of, Excellence on Climate and Environmental Health (COE), My Green Earth, Re:Loom. The program served as the primary youth (ages 17-29) engagement program for the RCE Greater Atlanta network in 2023- 2024. 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.
Objectives: 
This year-long fellowship program spanned the academic year 2023-24 and was open to college students from the 11 RCE Greater Atlanta affiliated HEIs. 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: 
Eight community organizations served as project leads, all of whom have engaged in some way as part of the RCE Greater Atlanta network. The Fall 2023 semester was focused on SDG learning, with the fellows completing several learning modules as well as engaging in sessions with local community organizations, learning about their work related to specific SDGs. In the Spring 2024 semester, fellows were divided into project teams and paired with a community partner on a project related to the SDGs. Student teams presented their project deliverables at the end of the program.
Size of academic audience: 
22 fellows
Results: 
For the 2023-24 cohort, 22 fellows representing nine Higher Education Institutions across Greater Atlanta were chosen for the inaugural cohort. They worked together based on their interests and worked on diverse projects alongside community organizations including government, nonprofit and commercial ventures. Their projects spanned a wide variety of topics and goals.
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
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
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