Photo gallery: High school photojournalists capture MIAA playoffs – The Boston Globe

Report on the Globe Sports Photojournalism Program and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Program Overview

An initiative by The Globe provides a sports photojournalism program for high school students, coinciding with the MIAA state tournaments. This report analyzes the program’s structure and its contributions to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• Objective: To provide students with practical experience in sports photojournalism.
• Scope: Open to all high school students within the state.
• Cost: The program is offered free of charge to all participants.
• Output: A weekly photo gallery, with the 70th edition recently published, showcasing student work from various athletic competitions.

2.0 Analysis of Contributions to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The program makes significant contributions to several key SDGs, particularly in the areas of education, health, and equality.

2.1 SDG 4: Quality Education

The initiative directly supports the goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

• Inclusive Access: By being free, the program removes financial barriers, making vocational training in photojournalism accessible to students from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Skill Development: Participants gain hands-on skills in photography, journalism, and digital media, which are valuable for future employment and higher education.
• Equitable Opportunity: It provides a platform for students across the state to have their work published, offering equitable opportunities for portfolio development and professional recognition.

2.2 SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being & SDG 5: Gender Equality

The program’s focus on school sports promotes well-being while its content demonstrates a commitment to gender equality.

• Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles: The documentation and celebration of youth sports encourage active and healthy lifestyles, aligning with SDG 3 targets.
• Equal Representation: The photo gallery provides balanced coverage of both male and female sporting events, empowering female athletes and promoting their achievements on an equal platform. This supports SDG 5 by enhancing the visibility of women and girls in sport.
• Covered Activities Promoting Well-being:

1. Soccer
2. Football
3. Field Hockey
4. Cross-Country
5. Volleyball
6. Cheerleading

2.3 SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

By offering a high-value educational experience at no cost, the program helps to reduce inequalities in access to developmental opportunities.

• Economic Accessibility: The no-cost model ensures that a student’s economic situation does not preclude their participation in skill-building extracurricular activities.
• State-Wide Reach: The program is available to students across the state, not just those in concentrated urban or affluent areas, fostering broader regional inclusion.

3.0 Program Participation and Contact Information

3.1 Current Status and Output

The program is active during the MIAA state tournaments. The 70th weekly gallery features over 60 photographs capturing a range of competitive sports and celebratory moments, demonstrating the talent cultivated through the initiative.

3.2 Enrollment and Inquiries

Enrollment remains open to interested high school students. For further information or to address questions regarding participation, the designated contact is John Vitti.

Analysis of the Article in Relation to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
2. SDG 4: Quality Education
3. SDG 5: Gender Equality
4. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

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

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
     
     Explanation: The article is centered around high school sports, showcasing students participating in “soccer, football, field hockey, cross-country, volleyball, and cheerleading competitions.” Participation in such physical activities is a key component of a healthy lifestyle, which helps in the prevention of non-communicable diseases and promotes overall physical and mental well-being.

2. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
     
     Explanation: The article highlights the Globe’s “one-of-a-kind sports photojournalism program” for high school students. This program provides young people with practical, technical skills in photojournalism, which are relevant for future employment opportunities in media, arts, and communications.

3. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.
     
     Explanation: The article and the accompanying photo captions implicitly demonstrate gender equality by covering both male and female sports. It mentions and shows images from “The Westwood girls’ soccer team,” the “girls’ 1C divisional meet,” and girls’ field hockey, alongside boys’ soccer and football. This equal representation highlights the full participation of girls in school sports.

4. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, colour, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
     
     Explanation: The article explicitly states, “This photo program is free for high school student in the state to join.” By removing financial barriers, the program ensures that students from all economic backgrounds have an equal opportunity to participate and develop new skills, thereby promoting social and economic inclusion.

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

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Implied Indicator: Participation rate of youth in organized sports.
     
     Explanation: The article showcases a wide range of sports competitions (“soccer, football, field hockey, cross-country, volleyball, and cheerleading”). The existence and celebration of these MIAA state tournaments imply a system for tracking participation and success, which can be used as a measure of youth engagement in physical activity.

2. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Implied Indicator: Number of youth enrolled in skills development programs.
     
     Explanation: The article describes a “sports photojournalism program” and provides a sign-up link. The number of students who sign up and participate would be a direct indicator of youth enrollment in a program that develops technical and vocational skills. The mention of the “70th weekly photo gallery” also indicates a consistent and long-running program with active participation.

3. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Implied Indicator: Proportion of coverage and participation by gender in sports.
     
     Explanation: The photo gallery, as described, covers a mix of boys’ and girls’ sports. An analysis of the gallery’s content could provide a ratio of male-to-female sports coverage, serving as a qualitative indicator of equal representation and participation in this public sphere.

4. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Mentioned Indicator: Policies and programs that promote equal access.
     
     Explanation: The article’s statement that “This photo program is free for high school student in the state to join” is a direct example of a policy aimed at reducing economic barriers. The indicator is the cost of the program, which is zero, directly measuring its accessibility and contribution to equal opportunity.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: bostonglobe.com