Report on Youth-Led Initiatives Addressing Sustainable Development Goals in Fort Worth

Introduction: A Collaborative Framework for Global Action

A recent event at Conundrum Farms exemplified a strategic partnership aimed at advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The collaboration between the FunkyTown Food Project and Fort Worth Sister Cities’ Global Leaders in Action program brought together local youth and international students from Indonesia, China, Italy, and Eswatini. This initiative serves as a model for SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, by creating a platform for cross-cultural dialogue and shared learning on critical global issues such as food security and inequality.

The event’s core activities included a farm tour, shared meals, and structured discussions, designed to foster leadership and understanding of local and global community impact.

Addressing SDG 2: Zero Hunger and Sustainable Agriculture

The FunkyTown Food Project’s summer internship program directly confronts the targets of SDG 2: Zero Hunger by educating youth on sustainable food systems. The program challenges participants to critically analyze the mechanisms that lead to food insecurity.

• Education on Sustainable Agriculture: The six-week paid internship provides high school students (ages 14-17) with practical knowledge of sustainable farming practices.
• Global and Local Perspectives: Interns engaged in dialogue with international peers, comparing food distribution and waste management practices, such as those in Eswatini, with local realities.
• Data-Driven Discussion: The program grounded conversations in factual data, highlighting that Texas has the highest rate of food insecurity in the nation, with the North Texas metro area ranking third. This raises awareness of the urgent need to achieve SDG 2 targets locally.
• Systemic Critique: Participants learned about the corporate food system, including how federal subsidies for commodity crops like corn and soy contribute to the proliferation of processed foods, a practice misaligned with sustainable production.

Confronting SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

A significant focus of the initiative was placed on SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, by examining disparities in food access and health outcomes within Fort Worth. The program aims to make participants aware of the socio-economic divides that impact their own communities.

1. Highlighting Local Disparities: The program contrasted ZIP code 76107, one of the city’s most affluent areas, with 76104, a historically Black and economically disadvantaged neighborhood.
2. Connecting Inequality to Life Expectancy: It was noted that the life expectancy in the 76104 ZIP code is 12 years below the national average, a statistic directly linked to systemic challenges, including a lack of access to healthy food.
3. Raising Awareness: The initiative seeks to bridge the awareness gap, particularly among youth from more privileged backgrounds, regarding the profound inequalities present in their immediate vicinity.

Promoting SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)

The program’s curriculum establishes a clear link between food systems, public health, and consumption patterns, thereby addressing SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being and SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.

• Contradictory Food Policies: Discussion centered on a 2022 Farm Action report that found U.S. federal subsidies heavily favor crops used for processed foods over fruits and vegetables, which contradicts national dietary guidelines. This highlights an unsustainable model of production and consumption.
• Public Health Consequences: The report links poor diets, exacerbated by these policies, to rising rates of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, directly impacting the achievement of SDG 3.

Fostering SDG 4: Quality Education and Global Citizenship

Both the FunkyTown Food Project and the Global Leaders in Action initiative are fundamentally educational, contributing to SDG 4: Quality Education, specifically Target 4.7, which calls for education for sustainable development and global citizenship.

Program Educational Objectives:

1. To provide youth with knowledge and skills for promoting sustainable development, including sustainable agriculture and social justice.
2. To foster critical thinking about the complex systems that govern food access and community health.
3. To cultivate leadership skills through practical application and cross-cultural exchange.
4. To empower young people to translate knowledge into tangible action within their home communities and countries.

Conclusion: Empowering Youth as Agents of Change

The collaborative event successfully created a space for youth to understand their role within a larger global community and their potential to effect change. Participant Ka’Miyah Roberts, 15, was inspired by international perspectives on reducing food waste and expressed a desire to apply these lessons through local action, such as gardening. The program demonstrates that tackling complex challenges outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals begins with education, perspective-sharing, and empowering individuals to initiate change within their own communities.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights several issues that are directly connected to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger: The core theme of the article is food insecurity. It discusses local and global perspectives on hunger, access to food, and sustainable agriculture through the FunkyTown Food Project.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article explicitly links poor diets resulting from food insecurity to negative health outcomes. It mentions that “Poor diets contribute to rising rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease” and points to a lower life expectancy in a food-insecure neighborhood.
• SDG 4: Quality Education: The FunkyTown Food Project is an educational initiative. It offers a “paid six-week internship to high schoolers” where they “learn sustainable agriculture, social justice topics and more,” directly contributing to education for sustainable development.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article emphasizes the disparities in food access and health outcomes between different communities. It contrasts a wealthy ZIP code (76107) with a poor, historically Black neighborhood (76104) where residents “lack access to healthy foods” and have a significantly lower life expectancy.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The entire event described is a “collaboration between FunkyTown Food Project and Fort Worth Sister Cities’ Global Leaders in Action,” showcasing a partnership between civil society organizations to achieve common goals.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 2.1: “By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people… to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.” The article’s focus on “food insecurity” in North Texas and the project’s aim to tackle it directly relates to this target.
2. Target 2.4: “By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices…” The FunkyTown Food Project teaches interns about “sustainable agriculture” and challenges them to think about “local-global food systems.”
3. Target 3.4: “By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases…” The article connects the lack of healthy food to “rising rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” which are non-communicable diseases.
4. Target 4.7: “By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development…” The internship program educates youth on “sustainable agriculture, social justice topics,” and “leadership and community impact,” which are key components of education for sustainable development.
5. Target 10.2: “By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… race, ethnicity… or economic or other status.” The article highlights the inequality faced by residents in the “historically Black neighborhood” of 76104, which suffers from poor food access and lower life expectancy, an issue the program seeks to address through awareness.
6. Target 17.17: “Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships…” The collaboration between the FunkyTown Food Project and Fort Worth Sister Cities is a direct example of a civil society partnership working on sustainable development issues.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions or implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Prevalence of food insecurity: The article provides a direct indicator by stating that “Texas leads the nation in food insecurity, with North Texas ranking third among metro areas, according to the North Texas Food Bank.” This measures progress towards Target 2.1.
• Life expectancy at birth: The article uses this as an indicator of inequality and poor health, noting that in ZIP code 76104, “the life expectancy is 12 years below the national average.” This can be used to track progress for Target 3.4 and Target 10.2.
• Mortality rate from cardiovascular disease and diabetes: The article implies this indicator by stating that “Poor diets contribute to rising rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.” Tracking these rates would measure progress towards Target 3.4.
• Number of youth educated on sustainable development: The article mentions the “paid six-week internship to high schoolers 14 to 17” and the “two-week summer initiative” by Global Leaders in Action. The number of participants in these programs serves as an indicator for Target 4.7.
• Access to healthy food: The article implies this as an indicator by highlighting that “Residents in 76104 lack access to healthy foods.” Measuring the number of grocery stores or farmers’ markets per capita in different ZIP codes would be a way to track progress towards Target 2.1 and 10.2.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: fortworthreport.org