In 2015, United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is framed around 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN describes these goals as “an urgent call for action by all countries,” emphasizing the importance of global partnerships.

Each of the 17 SDGs has implications for higher education.

This podcast focuses upon the civic and political engagement of young people interacting with the SDGs, specifically SDG 16 and its intersections with other global challenges. The recording explores the experiences of three university students at different stages of their learning cycles during the visit to the United Nations Headquarters New York to sit in on a High Level Political Forum for SDG 16 to hear senior ambassadors discuss the need for greater progress in peace and social justice. In the context of growing apathy amongst young people towards mainstream politics and low levels of political knowledge that often impede a person’s ability to engage in democratic decision-making, this podcast sought to capture the feelings of the students towards these issues during their time in the corridors of power at the United Nations, New York. The podcast is led by Dr Mark Charlton of De Montfort University.

For more information, please check these resources.

• Barrett, M.D., Pachi, D., 2019. Youth civic and political engagement, First Edition. ed, Adolescence and society. Routledge, New York.
• Henn, M., Foard, N., 2014. Social differentiation in young people’s political participation: the impact of social and educational factors on youth political engagement in Britain. Journal of Youth Studies 17, 360–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2013.830704
• Rosenqvist, O., 2020. Rising to the Occasion? Youth Political Knowledge and the Voting Age. Brit. J. Polit. Sci. 50, 781–792. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123417000515