Why joining the SDG Achievers Academy
With only five more years to go until the world will, or at least should, be ready to present the overall achievements in regards to the Sustainable Development Goals, we gather youth, academics, and practitioners to share and discuss selected lighthouse projects. These projects focus on: SDG 9, the circular economy; SDG 2, healthy food; SDG 3, health and wellbeing; as well as SDG 16, building trusted institutions.
We are ready to Accelerate
50 students from high schools and universities across the world will work together with 50 practitioners from governments, city administrations, foundation and companies on each of the four SDG areas of focus in order to see where and how these inspirational solutions have potential for acceleration across the world, how to finance these developments, which metrics makes the most sense to create tools and transparency around, as well as, compelling impact and implementation metrics.
The faculty of this first SDG Achievers Summer Academy represent all spectra of research as well as conceptual design thinking in order to empower all one hundred participants to understand, adapt and improve the presented options, as well as finding ways to evaluate, judge and fast-track future developments. Each participant will receive a certificate in one or even all four Masterclasses depending on how many courses they are able to successfully complete.
“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl,
but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” Martin Luther King Jr.
Learning from the Future
The overall design of all four Masterclasses is rooted in the conceptual premise of Learning from The Future. Therefore, each Masterclass will focus on (i) accelerating the implementation of SDGs 2, 3,9 and 16, and (ii) asking the question of where do we want to be in 5, 10, and 20 years? While at first glance this may seem cumbersome, the intent of these classes can best be illustrated by watching carefully how champions in sports or music prepare before they are set to perform. True champions are trained by their world class coaches and teachers to envision what will come next and to develop strategies in order to anticipate excellence. In this same spirit, The SDG Achievers Summer Academy exists to create champions of sustainable development who possess the unique skillset required to navigate the complexities and successfully achieve the Global Goals.
The VIP Programm
The second structural principle of the 10-day program is that success does not come easily. Historically, significant advancements in humankind are rarely achieved without a series of trials and errors. Each evening, a VIP (Very Injured Person) shares their experiences of overcoming dramatic challenges to pursue their purpose and goals. Inspired individuals are essential for implementing any concept or project. A dual-learning approach with technical instruction combined and anchored to purpose and passion is crucial for the success of the SDG Achievers Summer Academy.
From SDG Academy to the World
With each Masterclass being turned into online classes, the San Marino SDG Achievers Summer Academy has the goal to share its content and findings with other students and universities. To that end, the Summer Academy is partnering with the UN Academic Impact Network which consists of more than 2,000 University Presidents with the intent of spreading this knowledge. Additionally, we will encourage future Summer Academies at alternative venues
while continuing to expand our knowledge base. These sister events are also an opportunity for the alumni to continue to grow their networks of like-minded individuals, as well as potential collaborators in SDG related projects.