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“After learning about the SDGs, I cannot ignore them and I want to play my part in achieving them. And I will begin the change from myself and my surroundings,” said one participant.
In July and August 2017, the United Nations Office (UNO) in Yerevan and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Armenia organized a campaign to promote greater youth involvement in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through educational games.
More than 100 young people and seven youth NGOs participated in the cities of Yerevan, Stepanavan, and Gyumri in Armenia. The events were the result of a partnership with United Youth Union and Y-Peer Armenia, two local youth NGOs that have worked with UNO Yerevan since Spring 2017 on innovative ways to teach youth about the 2030 Agenda.
The games included a theoretical component to learn about the concept of the SDGs. Then, participants identified and proposed solutions to raise awareness of the Goals before splitting into teams to take part in web-based games developed by youth NGOs. The games helped youth not only relate to, but also to quickly apply, the concepts they learned.
Participants enthused about the opportunity to learn about serious topics in fun and creative ways.
“After learning about the [SDGs], I cannot ignore them and I want to play my part in achieving them. And I will begin the change from myself and my surroundings,” said Lilit Hakobjanyan, one of the participants in Stepanavan. Lilit became a facilitator for the next games in the city of Gyumrim. This kind of peer training is another key part of the campaign.
Expected to expand to other regions of Armenia in the future, this initiative aims to support the work of the UN to raise awareness on the SDGs, particularly with youth. Locally, the United Nations - through UNDP - supports the Government of Armenia in implementing an “SDGs Lab”, so that no one is left behind in this country in achieving the Goals.
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Source: UN DPI