By Telma Costa, CPADA
CPADA took the SDGs to schools as part of the Make Europe Sustainable for All Project. Through a scavenger hunt, students and teachers were able to get familiar with the 17 SDGs, and think about how they can have different meanings in the reality of different countries. For example, for those living in Portugal, SDGs 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) seem as simple as having doctors and water, but for children and families in less developed countries these represent a challenge to survival, especially in the current reality of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The last of the SDGs is 17 (Partnerships for Development), so one of the goals of this treasure hunt was to demonstrate the ultimate lesson: that to achieve the other 16 SDGs, simple teamwork and partnership are essential to reach the end! Of course, everyone won … even if the prize was simply more knowledge! The school we worked with is located in a municipality near Lisbon with a high rate of needy families, and the Project provided these children with another adventure – a visit to the Lisbon Oceanarium and a workshop on biodiversity that explained the human impact on its decrease and how this contributes to climate change. This was a great example of a small action that helped impact those who are the future of our planet!