Crafts4SDGs

– From Learners to Changemakers

Crafts4SDGs is a cross-cultural youth project that empowers vocational students from Denmark and Kenya to become changemakers for sustainable development—through food, dialogue, and hands-on learning rooted in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the principle of Leave No One Behind.

🎓 A Learning Journey Across Borders

The project engages Danish students from vocational schools and FGU institutions in a year-long program that embeds sustainability and development cooperation into their education. Activities include:

  • Workshops across schools in Denmark

  • A 12-day exchange in Nairobi, Kenya

  • Peer-to-peer dissemination of new knowledge to fellow students back home

In Kenya, participants are hosted by the region’s largest culinary college, Kenya Utalii College, where they work together across cultures to develop innovative food solutions and communication strategies for a more sustainable future.

🗣️ Dialogue, Ownership, and Public Engagement

The learning experience culminates at major democratic events—such as the People’s Dialogue Festival in Nairobi—where students share their insights and co-created solutions in open dialogue with youth, politicians, businesses, and civil society. This public engagement reinforces ownership and encourages students to speak up as informed, active citizens.

🌱 Focus on Key SDGs

Crafts4SDGs centers on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and its sub-targets, using food and nutrition as entry points to understand vocational education’s role in shaping a better future. Other key goals addressed include:

  • SDG 4.7: Integrating global citizenship and sustainability into vocational education

  • SDG 12: Promoting responsible consumption and production (12.2, 12.3, 12.5, 12.8)

  • SDG 13: Highlighting the climate impact of food systems

  • SDG 1, 5, and 10: Raising awareness of poverty, gender equality, and inequality

  • SDG 17: Demonstrating effective partnerships and global cooperation in action (17.6, 17.8, 17.17)

Through open discussions—including ethical dilemmas such as local food use vs. export dependencies—students engage critically with real-world challenges. The project emphasizes the Do No Harm principle as part of responsible, reflective learning.

🤝 A Scalable Model for Global Learning

Crafts4SDGs is a tangible example of how vocational education can drive global awareness, equity, and innovation. It activates young people who are often left out of global conversations—showing that no one is too young or too vocational to make a difference.

X
Y
Time