Introduce the UN Social Development Goals (SDGs)

You can now introduce the UN SDGs (Social Development Goals) with One Globe Kids. In short, after you visit one of the friends, next, explore a global issue that is linked to the story’s country and the rest of the world.
The generations that are currently in elementary school will inherit a world full of issues. Most importantly, these issues can only be solved together. By working with One Globe Kids in your class, students not only learn how to collaborate across all kinds of boundaries. On top of that, they will also explore where the world needs help and what they can do.
One Globe Kids is designed for the youngest global citizens. It lays a foundation for the next steps in exploring the world. However, it is the only program targeting elementary-age students, before they go online, participate in virtual exchanges, go on school trips, learn languages, and study abroad. Global citizenship education will make sure that they can collaborate successfully across all kinds of boundaries to take on global issues like those defined in the SDGs.
The seventeen UN Social Development Goals are a great way to explore what the world is like. As a result of learning about them, students around the world are educated about how we all need to work together to make life awesome for everyone.

About the SDGs

The goals were defined in 2016. So, that year serves as a starting point for the state of the world. From then on, worldwide governments, companies, organizations, and citizens work collectively towards these goals that are set for 2030.
The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) are:

In addition, if you are looking for stats and data for each goal, you will find them here.

One Globe Kids SDG Discussion Themes

The One Globe Kids stories are designed to see similarities between life at home and elsewhere globally. As you will see, all children featured in the stories share about their day, including where they go to school, what they eat, where they get their food, and what they do to help around the house and in their communities.
In the One Globe Kids program’s activities, you will find one or more discussion themes to dive deeper into one element of a story. As of 2021, we are rewriting all of them to line up with one of the SDGs. While there are many amazing resources out there to teach young global citizens about these goals, we figured that now that you are working with One Globe Kids, this is a logical thing to add.
No, K-2 is not too young to discuss world problems. As long as you give students the feeling that they can be part of the solution. And young children love to help make the world a better place. In addition, they are often passionate about animals, nature, and things being fair. You can see these discussions as a first introduction to the goals. Global citizenship education is about investigating the world and connecting the global to the local. By introducing the SDGs to the youngest students, we plant a seed for them to believe that they can be changemakers. By discussing what is going on in the world, how children feel about that, and making the connection to local situations, students learn perspective-taking and compassion.
In higher grades, there will be time to work with the SDGs in more detail and during other subjects. However, you are never too young to be a changemaker. That is why we encourage you to end each discussion with an action plan. What can you do, close to home, to help reach the goals?
So, keep an eye on the Discussion themes this year. One by one, we will connect them to the SDGs. We started with:
  • My Norway Discussion Theme – SDG 14 Life Below Water
  • My Palestine Discussion Theme – SDG 2 Zero Hunger

Like to know More about SDGs in your classroom?

  • For the youngest students, look here for more resources.
  • If this is your first time teaching your students about the goals, start here.
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