Our
Impact.

Mobilizing youth to shape a sustainable world for future generations.
2019-2020 at a glance

+85%

Increase in young leaders trained and educated in 2019-2020, than previous year.

530

Trained young leaders to educate their communities on sustainable development.

536

Solutions mentored and incubated.

2600

Community of program members, organizations and team members.

2102+

Youth community leaders educated

1023

Sustainable solutions ideated and incubated

127

Countries involved

195

Volunteers

Cultivating the next generation of leaders in sustainable development.

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network - Youth Initiative (SDSN Youth) was established in 2015 to train and equip young leaders with the knowledge and resources to build a more sustainable future.

OUR GOALS

Educate youth

about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and create pathways for learning them.

Connect youth

to exchange ideas, share experiences, and collaborate to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Support youth

in the creation and scaling of innovative solution for the Sustainable Development Goals.

We have 22 regional and national networks in various continents.

Each regional/ national network focuses on:

  • Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • The Paris Agreement on a local level.

GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Climate change threatens livelihoods, triggers conflicts, accelerates biodiversity collapse, and deepens poverty and increases inequality.

The COVID-19 crisis perfectly demonstrates the world’s serious lack of resilience and preparation for the challenges ahead. Urgent changes are necessary to prevent the escalation of these challenges. Despite efforts and progress over the past 5 years, no country is on track of achieving the SDGs.

THEORY OF CHANGE

Youth plays a critical role in accelerating progress towards sustainable development. Through their unique qualities, values, and attitudes, young people can bring about 
rapid change and pioneer a new system that leaves no one behind, shares knowledge across borders, and prioritizes social issues like extreme poverty, inequality, and growingly complex governance.

OUR METHODOLOGY

SDSN Youth bridges the gap by upskilling young people with tools and resources to tackle the most urgent problems in their communities, and supporting them in shaping amore sustainable future.

The Director of SDSN Youth leads a team of

185

Staff members

35

Countries

22

Regional & national networks

4

Global programs

2230

SDSN community members

750

Organizations within the network

In the following areas:

Cities & urban communities

Local Pathways Fellowship

Education for sustainable development

Global Schools Program

Universities & campuses

SDG Students Program

Innovation & social entrepreneurship

Solutions Program

OUR STRUCTURE

OUR TEAM VALUES

Shared Vision & Mission

A common purpose, an aligned vision to make impact.

Initiative & Ownership

Taking responsibility.

Teamwork & Coorperation

A cohesive team that works together.

Open Communication

Openness and transparency leads to better teams.

Be Global, Be Local

Respecting and integrating different backgrounds.

Enjoy Yourself

Making meaningful connections while making meaningful impact.

SDSN Youth is one of the largest global youth networks with team, network and program members from all over the world, contributing to and mobilizing for sustainable development on the ground.

127

Countries involved

4

Continents

SDSN YOUTH NETWORKS & MEMBERS

Amazonia

COVID Response Alliance

in alliance with Amazon Sustainable Foundation & 40 partner organizations

+5

integrated universities

Andes

Established a permanent network of youth representatives

Canada

Together | Ensemble 2020 Conference

featured 36 students across 6 provinces

Maintained year-long social media campaign #YouthCAN2030

Caribbean

Includes widespread reach across many regions in the Caribbean

Mexico

Mexican Youth and Senate workshop

on training in legislation with a sustainability perspective

Soon to be launching 3 national open programs

Global Schools Program

The Global Schools Program is an initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network to support UNESCO’s Global Action Program on ESD.

Through research and advocacy, participants develop the knowledge, resources, and skills to support education systems in shaping a more resilient and sustainable world.

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

+749%

Number of advocates

7,720

Schools reached

1,000

Schools signed up

PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS

89%

of Global Schools Advocates felt that their work has helped them grow and contributed towards their professional and personal goals.

85.6%

of Global Schools Advocates felt that their work has had a positive impact on their communities.

88.3%

of Global Schools Advocates felt that their work has increased awareness of the SDGs in their communities.

CASE STUDY

"My period of advocacy for the GSP was very challenging yet rewarding. I was able to interact with several students, teachers, school heads and even government officials, discussing and promoting education for sustainable development."

SDG Students Program

The SDG Students Program engages higher education students active on university campuses worldwide.

Students are equipped with the resources necessary to become young professionals who will take their sustainability literacy, passion, and energy into a diverse range of occupations, industries, and roles upon graduation.

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

277

Hub solutions

2,083

Hub members

25

Countries

PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS

Launched pathways for solution-focused initiatives

such as for UNLEASH 2019 in Shenzhen, China.

Launched two new webinar series

featuring Sir Bob Watson, Dr. Lisa Dale, Joshua Powell, and Aizhan Kapysheva.

Launched OneHub

an initiative to facilitate cross-hub collaboration through project-based and conversation-driven connections between SDG Coordinators.

CASE STUDY

“My engagement with SSP opened a door to UNICEF Youth Advocates. I help the programming to ensure meaningful engagement for young people passionate about the SDGs. Through the role, I also work to make sure children’s rights are included in broader youth policy.”

Vatican Youth Symposium

The Vatican Youth Symposium aims to provide a platform for youth-led or youth-focused action on the SDGs, to engage in dialogue and to work together.

In 2019, we gathered 90 young changemakers and leading experts from various sectors, including the Italian Minister of Education Lorenzo Fioramonti, Alexandria Villasenor, Avianka Aventurin, Nikhil Seth, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, and Monsignor Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, among others.

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

14 million

Twitter impressions

250+

Participants

50+

Represented countries

Membership Program

The Membership Program is a network of student associations, youth-led and youth-focused organizations, and other institutions dedicated to youth empowerment and the implementation of the SDGs.

Members get access to resources such as research and events, contribute to practical solutions and be a part of a community with hundreds of global experts and academics in sustainable development.

The team began a program refresh, looking at improving Member experience and engagement.

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

105

Countries

677

Members

CASE STUDY

"SDSN Youth Indonesia ran an open forum to discuss SDG progress within the country. Run by SDSN Youth Indonesia and Gerakan Indonesia Diet Kantong Plastik (GIDKP). The event invited members from both the SDSN network and the youth network, with 100 participants in order to outline steps of collaboration with each other, and government bodies."

Youth Networks Program

The Youth Networks Program focuses on youth-led action at a local level. It is backed by the wider SDSN network of universities and knowledge centers. The program currently covers 22 national/regional networks.

The team will focus on developing initiatives to strengthen Network Coordinator’s network strategy and regional collaboration, particularly in Latin America and Africa.

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

112

Countries

23

Country/region coordinators

PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS

New networks launched

Launched 2 new youth networks: SDSN Youth Black Sea and SDSN Youth Kenya.

Multi-language resources

Published Youth, Peace & Security and theGlobal Schools Program curriculum reports in Spanish and Portuguese.

Inter-Americas Newsletter

Published Inter-Americas newsletter, a monthly bulletin for Member Organizations with information of American networks, such as news, opportunities, upcoming activities, and courses.

CASE STUDY

"SDSN Youth Korea launched SDG Youth Research to run policy forums to capture the future generations' perception of the Seoul SDGs. This was run over 4 iterations with support of the Seoul Institute. Representatives from 54 youth member organizations participated in the forum. The discussions were documented in a 33-page report and delivered to the mayor of Seoul."

Local Pathways Fellowship

The Local Pathways Fellowship is a 10-month training program that provides young urban innovators with the tools to design and implement programs that champion local pathways to sustainable development.

Our third cohort of the Local Pathways Fellowship kicked off in February 2020, with 137 young urban leaders spending 10 months to develop practical solutions for SDG 11 in the cities they represent.

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

112

Cities reached in 55 countries

360%

Increase in applications

144%

Growth in no. of fellows

PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS

95

concrete projects that successfully localize SDG 11.

22

solutions published in the “COVID-19 Rapid Response Solutions for Cities” report that address COVID-related challenges.

International visibility

gained by members through events, lectures, radio and magazine interviews, and publications of their work.

CASE STUDY

“The Local Pathways Fellowship is a big milestone for my career. A year after I became a fellow, an NGO with ECOSOC status asked me to join them as a UN representative. Since then, I have spoken to more than 1,300 youth from over 50 countries about the SDGs and the Fellowship. I am grateful to have grown together with the world’s most brilliant young urban leaders!”

Solutions Program

The Youth Solutions Program helps accelerate the growth of youth solutions through a startup incubator and community of experts and resources: to refine their pitches, secure funding, connect with experts and mentors, and find new partnerships to grow their SDG solution.

KEY STRATEGIC OUTCOMES

188+

Countries

250

Total innovators

2%

Month-over-month hub growth

PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS

31

new projects in COVID-19 solutions from UNLEASH partnership, with 350 innovators and facilitators.

50

youth-led solutions published in the 3rd edition of the Solutions Report.

1,033

submissions of solutions for the Solutions Report to be featured in the 2020 edition.

CASE STUDY

“Since our graduation from the Investment Readiness Program, we have launched our service in 24 countries across Europe, doubled our team and secured funding from private investors. Combining innovation and sustainability is a safe bet when creating opportunities for growth, entrepreneurship, and success.”