Report on Youth-Led Initiatives in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Case Study: Shomy Chowdhury and Awareness 360

Shomy Chowdhury is an award-winning Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) activist from Bangladesh whose work exemplifies the critical role of youth in addressing global poverty. In 2014, Chowdhury and co-founder Rijve Arefin established the organization Awareness 360. The initiative was inspired by the tragic death of Chowdhury’s mother from diarrhea, a preventable illness that highlights deficiencies in public health infrastructure and directly relates to Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). Awareness 360 is dedicated to empowering youth globally, guiding them to design and execute community service projects that align with and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Organizational Framework and Core SDG Focus

Awareness 360’s Mission

Awareness 360 provides training and mentorship to young people between the ages of 14 and 25, equipping them with the skills to become effective community leaders. The organization’s framework is fundamentally built upon the Sustainable Development Goals, which serve as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all.

Key Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

• SDG 4: Quality Education – The goal is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality – This goal aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, addressing systemic disparities worldwide.
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation – The objective is to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for everyone.
• SDG 13: Climate Action – This goal calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Youth Mobilization Strategies for SDG Attainment

Methods of Engagement

1. Social Media Engagement: Young people leverage online platforms to disseminate information about poverty and related SDGs. Through content creation and digital advocacy, they raise awareness and mobilize collective action for anti-poverty initiatives.
2. Volunteering: Through direct involvement with local organizations such as food banks and shelters, youth support vulnerable populations and contribute to achieving SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). International opportunities, such as the Peace Corps, allow for global contributions to these goals.
3. Fundraising: Youth-organized fundraising events, from community sales to online campaigns, generate crucial financial resources for non-profit organizations. These funds support educational programs, direct aid, and development initiatives that advance a range of SDGs.
4. Political Advocacy: By contacting elected officials, young people advocate for policies addressing the root causes of poverty. This civic engagement can influence legislation related to SDG 4 (Quality Education), affordable housing, and employment opportunities, thereby promoting SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

Conclusion: The Impact of Youth in the Global Development Agenda

The work of Shomy Chowdhury and numerous other young individuals demonstrates the significant potential of youth involvement in combating global poverty. Their efforts underscore that age, financial status, or professional networks are not prerequisites for contributing meaningfully to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the global effort to alleviate poverty.

Analysis of SDGs in the Article

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

The article explicitly identifies four Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the organization Awareness 360 focuses on. These goals are central to the mission of the organization and the activism of its founder, Shomy Chowdhury.

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The article states that Awareness 360’s mission includes a focus on SDG 4, which aims to “ensure everyone gets a high-quality education” and helps them “learn throughout their lives and gain important skills.” The organization’s model of offering training and mentorship to young people to become community leaders directly aligns with this goal.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  SDG 5 is mentioned as a key focus, with the article noting its aim to “achieve full equality for all genders, especially empowering women and girls.” The story of Shomy Chowdhury, a young female activist leading a global organization, serves as a powerful example of this empowerment. The organization’s work empowers all youth, contributing to gender equality by providing equal opportunities for leadership.

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  This is a core theme of the article. Shomy Chowdhury is described as a “water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activist.” Her motivation stems from her mother’s death due to diarrhea, a preventable illness linked to a lack of clean water and sanitation. The article explicitly states that SDG 6 “ensures everyone everywhere has access to clean water and proper sanitation.”

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article lists SDG 13 as another focus for Awareness 360, describing it as “dedicated to tackling the specific problems brought on by climate change.” The youth-led actions described, such as social media engagement and contacting representatives, are methods that can be used to advocate for climate action.

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

While the article does not list official SDG target numbers, the descriptions of the organization’s work and the youth activities point to several specific targets.

• 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. The article highlights that Awareness 360 “offers training and mentorship to young people aged 14 to 25, empowering them to become community leaders,” which directly contributes to building relevant life and leadership skills.
  • Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. The organization’s focus on the SDGs and guiding youth to “initiate and implement vital community service projects” is a form of education for sustainable development.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in political, economic and public life. The profile of Shomy Chowdhury as a young female founder and leader of an international organization embodies this target. The organization’s work to empower all youth, including girls, to become “community leaders” also supports this goal.

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  • Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. Chowdhury’s work as a WASH activist, inspired by a death from a water-related illness, is aimed at preventing such tragedies by improving access to clean water.
  • Target 6.2: By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations. The focus on WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) inherently includes this target, as the organization’s projects address these fundamental needs.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  • Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning. The article describes how young people “utilize social media and online platforms to disseminate information” and “educate peers.” This digital advocacy is a direct form of awareness-raising on issues including climate change.

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

The article implies several ways to measure the impact of the activities described, which can serve as informal indicators of progress.

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  • Implied Indicator: The number of young people (aged 14-25) who receive training and mentorship through Awareness 360. This would measure the reach of the educational component of their work.
  • Implied Indicator: The number of community service projects initiated and implemented by the youth who have been trained. This measures the practical application of the skills and knowledge they acquired.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  • Implied Indicator: The number and proportion of young women and girls participating in and leading community projects. This would measure the organization’s success in fostering female leadership.

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  • Implied Indicator: The number of community projects focused on improving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). This would directly measure the effort being put into achieving SDG 6.
  • Implied Indicator: Reduction in water-borne illnesses like diarrhea in communities where Awareness 360 projects are implemented. The article mentions that diarrhea “kills more than 1 million people annually,” making its reduction a key, albeit high-level, indicator of success.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  • Implied Indicator: The volume of social media engagement (e.g., posts, shares, discussions) generated by youth to “disseminate information” on climate change. This measures the scale of their awareness campaigns.
  • Implied Indicator: The number of communications (calls, emails, letters) sent by young people to their elected officials advocating for policies related to climate action. This measures their civic engagement on the issue.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: borgenmagazine.com