CIFAL Atlanta- UN SDG Student Leaders in the COVID-19 Context
The COVID-19 global pandemic took the world by storm and has changed the way we live our lives. COVID-19 has especially affected populated cities around the world, like Atlanta. There have been countless families greatly impacted by the virus that have been able to receive assitance, relief, and support through initiatives and programs spearheaded by Atlanta youth leaders. This virtual panel discussion was an opportunity to highlight students have committed their time to projects inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the UN sustainable development goals.
The webinar aims to:
- Highlight student leaders who have engaged in tackling community issues during the global pandemic
- Educate participants about initiatives created to benefit the community to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and/or promote the sustainable development goals.
- Offer student leaders a platform to promote their programs and projects created to improve the community
This webinar began with a five-minute welcome and introduction from CIFAL Atlanta’s director and Executive Director of KSU Division of Global Affairs, Dr. Binbin Jiang. Opening statements were given by Ms. Vanessa Ibarra, Director of the City of Atlanta Office of International Affairs and afterwards, Dr. Jiang introduced each panelist. 5 student panelists had 5 minutes to following projects/initiatives:
- Science and COVID-19
- Community Garden Best Practices Toolkit
- Mapping COVID-19 Testing Site Locations
- The Xylom
- Recycled Art as Activism
At the conclusion of the panel, Ms. Julia Genth, UNITAR Project coordinator, gave a brief presentation on Youth leadership opportunities and Ms. Lola Owokoniran, CIFAL Atlanta Program Manager, CIFAL Atlanta, moderated the Q&A session between the participants, speakers, and student panelists.
The 1-hour virtual event was created to highlight the 5 students presenting their COVID –19 and/or SDG-related projects. Participants had the opportunity to submit questions to the webinar chatbox to further the conversation around sustainable solutions to bettering the community during turbulent times.
This virtual event is intended for students, staff, and faculty of Kennesaw State University as well as members of the greater Atlanta Community interested in learning about students who have worked to benefit their communities, through SDG and COVID-19 projects.