The event is organized by:

Center for Sustainable Development, Climate School Columbia University

https://csd.columbia.edu/

Climate Education for a Resilient Future, Earth Network at the Climate School

https://people.climate.columbia.edu/networks/profile/climate-education-for-a-resilient-future

Youth Empowerment & Engagement for Sustainable Development: Lessons Learnt and Policy Insights

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.

When: Apr 15, 2025 9:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://columbiauniversity.zoom.us/meeting/register/xj1FUBLMSHaDB683g9TvNg

Event Description: The panel will discuss the forthcoming special Issue: Policy Perspectives on Education for Sustainable Development, hosted by the Journal of Education for Sustainable Development. The aim is to garner reflections on how ESD has transitioned from policy to practice and where that will leave the world in 2030, with a focus on the powerful role of youth.

This panel will highlight key initiatives in education for sustainable development (ESD), offering valuable lessons for youth engagement. The discussion underscores the gap between policy design and real-world impact, a challenge youth often face when advocating for change. Emphasizing youth-led innovation reinforces that young people must be seen as co-creators, not just beneficiaries. Case studies on whole-school and systemic approaches illustrate the power of structured sustainability education, yet they raise questions about accessibility and scalability for all students. The focus on cities as policy spaces highlights the need for localized, youth-inclusive governance in ESD. These discussions must move beyond frameworks to action, ensuring youth are not just included but empowered as leaders of sustainable development.This panel will provide valuable reflections from young people, experts, and practitioners on how to enrich ESD via youth engagement and empowerment to enhance impact for global development.

Through a youth-lens, we ask participants to reflect on the following questions:

• Midway through the UN’s most ambitious development agenda, how effective are implementation strategies and current conceptualizations of ESD in moving the world towards the targets set for 2030?

• How does the field of ESD align or misalign with global development objectives?

• What kind of education do we need to address the pressing challenges of the twenty-first century?

Co-Moderators:

Amber Webb, U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network

Ishaan Bharadwaj, Youth Eco-Ambassador, Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University

Speakers:

• Wendy Purcell, Sumie Song, Matthew Witenstein, & Radhika Iyengar on “Empowering Youth-led Innovation to Accelerate Sustainable Development”

• Livleen Kahlon on “Promoting an enhanced learning about environment through a whole school approach and non-formal education tools: a case study of GREEN Olympiad”

• Pramod Sharma on “Galvanising Education for Sustainable Development Practice through the Greening Education Partnership: Steering Green Schools Toward 2030 and Beyond”

• Doo Rhee Lee, Imesha Ediriweera Patabendige, Jessie Wetherby, Maha Malik, and Laura Engel on “The Global Governance of Education for Sustainable Development: Cities as Critical Policy Spaces”

Discussants:

• Shrey Aggarwal, Youth Eco-Ambassador, Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University

• Eshaan Akula, Youth Eco-Ambassador, Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University

Further information on the “Policy Perspectives on Education for Sustainable Development” hosted by the Journal of Education for Sustainable Development can be found at: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jsd

Editors:
Amber Webb, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Radhika Iyengar, Columbia University
Charles Hopkins, York University
Katrin Kohl, York University

Language: English