The strategic objective of the YESDGs project was to raise awareness and create a conducive transnational ecosystem for active engagement of young people in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Regarding implementation, the main project objective of YESDGs was to promote pro/active citizenship amongst young Europeans on issues and themes related to the Sustainable Development Goals, by a) supporting them to understand the relevance of the SDGs to their local context; b) identifying and co-developing tools to empower them to amplify their voices on climate change actions; and c) empowering them to identify and drive local actions. The project met these objectives.
The project proposal was conceived as a means of increasing awareness, knowledge and capacity amongst young people around the Sustainable Development Goals, and the role which young people can play in increasing awareness and knowledge within their peer groups and their broader communities. Partners had identified knowledge gaps amongst the target group relating to the SDGs, and their purpose as a means of driving balanced social, economic and environmental development and sustainability. YESDGs has had a particular focus on environmental sustainability and project activities were designed not only to develop replicable tools and learning materials, but also to educate the target group about a) how local actions align with the SDG goals, b) how they can support the global SDG objective of ensuring that all people enjoy peace and prosperity, and c) how action in one small area may positively affect outcomes in other areas. The YESDGs project successfully responded to this need to build awareness, knowledge and capacity, and resulted in the publication of a Youth Manifesto for the SDGs, and a suite of learning materials for use by youth workers and young people who have identified similar learning needs in their own environments.