WMU Hosts Workshop on the UN Global Goals at the annual KATAPULT Conference
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The World Maritime University (WMU) was invited by United Nations (UN) City School Services, YOUNG, to contribute to the third annual KATAPULT Conference that took place at UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark on 12 September. The Conference focused on advancing education related to the UN Global Goals. The WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (GOI) joined the City of Malmö, Marine Education Center and the Global Ocean Literacy Initiative (GOLI) to host an interactive workshop as well as engage with educators and conference participants at an onsite information booth.
The “All Hands on Deck: Educating the wave makers of tomorrow - Ocean Literacy and Coastal Communities” workshop, co-hosted by WMU, City of Malmö and Marine Education Centre, was aimed at “training the trainers” by offering practical examples and co-creating new strategies and methods with participants on how to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into education at all levels. The focus was on equipping educators with tools, ideas, and creative practices to sustainably incorporate the SDGs and Ocean literacy teachings into a wide range of educational activities. In setting the scene, colleagues from WMU, the City of Malmö and the Marine Education Center emphasized the importance of ocean literacy to increase awareness of our impact, both negative and positive, on the health, wealth and sustainable use of the oceans and how educating young professionals and citizens within our communities can have a significant positive impact.
Participants were divided into two groups and tasked with generating ideas for creative SDG workshops that could be implemented for different target audiences. Outputs of the discussions emphasized making the SDGs more tangible through practical examples such as using water experiments to illustrate pollution. The concept of “SDG Suitcases” emerged, where each suitcase represents a specific SDG, encouraging hands-on exploration of global challenges like marine conservation. Further outcomes included the need to emphasize the interconnectedness of the SDGs, their impact on target progressions, and the importance of coming up with creative ways/tools for educators to demonstrate this in a classroom/lecture. Participants also discussed fostering a sense of collective responsibility among students and using social media platforms to raise awareness. The importance of collaboration across sectors and engaging governments in systemic change was underscored, with real-life examples illustrating issues such as the importance of gender equality.
The information booth offered an opportunity for the 275 registered conference participants to engage with ocean, environment, and sustainability experts from the WMU-GOI, the City of Malmö, the Marine Education Center, and GOLI. The booth featured various interactive activities and provided informational materials on how educators can integrate the UN 2030 Global Goals and sustainability topics into their curricula and educational activities. The main SDGs addressed in both the workshop and the information booth included Goal 4 on Quality Education, Goal 5 on Gender Equality, Goal 6 on Clean Water and Sanitation, Goal 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities, Goal 13 on Climate Action, Goal 14 on Life Below Water, Goal 15 about Life on Land, and Goal 17 focused on Partnerships for the Goals.
The University welcomed the collaboration with UN City School Services and is open to further collaboration with educators to engage and empower youth, give back to the community and build capacity.
For more information on the conference please visit the official conference website. To access materials from the workshop, please contact the WMU-GOI at goievents@wmu.se.
About YOUNG
Since 2017, UN City School Service, YOUNG, has been actively engaging primary and secondary school students across Denmark, providing education on the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Originally offering visits exclusively to UN City, the program has since expanded to include monthly outreach, where educational consultants travel to schools across the country to deliver lessons directly in classrooms with the vision to inspire the next generation by deepening their understanding of the UN's work and the importance of the SDGs.
About the World Maritime University
The World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden is established within the framework of the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations. The mission of WMU is to be the world centre of excellence in postgraduate maritime and oceans education, professional training and research, while building global capacity and promoting sustainable development. WMU is an organization by and for the international maritime community and is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Agenda.
About the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute
The World Maritime University (WMU)-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (GOI) is an independent focal point for the ocean science-policy-law-industry-society interface where policymakers, the scientific community, regulators, industry actors, academics, and representatives of civil society meet to discuss how best to manage and use ocean spaces and their resources in accordance with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Institute was inaugurated in May 2018 and made possible through generous support from The Nippon Foundation of Japan, the Governments of Sweden, Canada, and Germany, as well as the City of Malmö.
