Name: Janica Ysabelle J Gerzon
Grade 11 - Bl. Peter of Gubbio
ADVOCATING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
What are Sustainable Development Goals, and how do they contribute to our everyday lives? Is it an important aspect of our lives? Or is it merely a suggestion for us humans? Sustainable development goals, from the word “sustainable," tell us that it can maintain our planet without worsening its condition. As we develop our planet, we must not forget its effect on us humans and the environment around us. This is a call to action for us to do something for our earth, as it has always provided us humans. This was created with the aim of "peace and prosperity for People and the planet. The word “goals” tells us that we haven’t achieved these suggested ways to save the planet yet, and it is merely maintained as a plan for the future rather than an action we should be taking. This is a call to action to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy health, justice, and prosperity. No one must be left behind with this movement.
As we all know, sustainable development goals include the following goals: No poverty, Zero hunger, Good health and well-being, Quality education, Gender equality, Clean water, and sanitation, Affordable and clean energy, Decent work and economic growth, Industry, innovation, and infrastructure, Reduced inequalities, Sustainable cities and communities, Responsible consumption and production, Climate action, Life below water, Life on land, Peace and justice, strong institutions, and Partnerships for the goals. These are the goals that we as humans must achieve with one another, and it is well-known and thought as a fact that these goals exist for the improvement and development of humankind.
As a student, I lean towards the ideas of quality education, gender equality, decent work, academic work, climate action, and reduced inequalities. Quality education, gender equality, and decent work and academic work can help a lot of students in school life, creating a steady system and a peaceful environment for both students and staff. In my opinion, this could mean there can be free primary and secondary education, equal access to education and technical tools for learning, an increased supply of teachers and educators, scholarships, and so much more that can help a child grow and learn to be a proficient citizen with wisdom and knowledge. As we continue with quality education, we as students can achieve decent academic work as we have more learning tools and methods as our education improves.
But, even with quality education, we still cannot achieve a peaceful and healthy social environment. This is where gender equality and reduced inequalities goals come into play. The barrier between female and male students and staff stereotypes would slowly but steadily fade, and there would be no condescension between peers and faculty based on gender. As for Reduced inequalities, this SDG calls for reducing inequalities in income as well as those based on age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status within a country. Achieving this goal would help us achieve equality and world peace, which would debunk judgment and look down/condescension with peers. This is a chance for us to accept those who are different as one of us with no discrimination. Different people are living, breathing people like us too, so there is no reason for us to treat them differently and treat them as if they are lowly or are not on our level, as we are all equal anyway.
Furthermore, if we can obtain quality education, we can easily achieve other goals. As we know, having knowledge and wisdom is power. Education provides us with these qualities we need in life, as being educated promotes understanding and cooperation among community members wherein we can achieve goals such as reduced inequalities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, peace and justice, strong institutions, gender equality, and partnership for the goals. Education can also help us form bonds and establish relationships between community and local governments, businesses, and other organizations with prior training from a school that teaches self-control, discipline, and critical thinking. Not only does quality education teach us to bring peace to our community, but it also helps our economic growth. The school also provides students with the knowledge necessary to get better jobs and higher wages, enabling them to escape poverty in the future.
Moreover, education also strengthens social mobility, allowing individuals to climb the socioeconomic ladder through hard work and dedication. For some individuals, education promotes employment, earnings, health, and poverty reduction. This can help us reach such goals as no poverty, decent work and academic work, good health and well-being, and partnership for the goals, which is a huge advantage for humans, our economy, and our environment. Now, local communities can also play a critical role in realizing our Sustainable Development Goals through actions, partnerships, and innovation. We, as a community, play a huge part in our progress towards achieving these goals. Our communities could start by Promoting inclusive education and supporting health and well-being, such as establishing or supporting schools and learning centers that can help children, especially those living far from civilization, have access to education and develop their skills. We could also, as a community, raise awareness about illness and sickness or disease prevention, education on pregnancy or maternal health, and mental health issues. We could also find our voice and promote peace and equality towards one another and be a good example to our peers.
Another way we can help achieve these goals as a community is to support small and local businesses in the Philippines to help economic growth. This can be a chance for us to stand up and play a role in promoting peaceful conflict resolutions towards one another, fostering a culture of dialogue, fairness, and inclusion in the world. As we promote peace and justice, we must also know how to collaborate with others and form partnerships for collective action wherein communities can collaborate with local authorities, businesses, or small entrepreneurs to develop localized action plans to ensure SDGs are tailored to their specific needs that give way for communities to organize advocacy campaigns and movements to raise awareness and mobilize people around important local and global issues. If we work together as one, we communities can reach these goals as our local communities contribute to the realization of the SDGs through hands-on efforts and collaboration that addresses our different challenges and opportunities. Our direct involvement ensures that the benefits of sustainable development are inclusive and impactful. Although some of these empowerment actions towards our goal already exist, it is still not enough to reach said goals, which is why we as humans must work harder to carry through and get our desired result that can help humanity and planet Earth.
As an individual, I have done things personally to help promote Sustainable Development Goals, such as donating clothes and food items to those affected by calamities. I also buy products from local stores and shops, wherein my mom also resells local products. I have also tried volunteering and taking my time to go to shelters and help distribute donations, whereas the job may be tiring but is so rewarding just seeing people smile and light up as they thank us. I also take care of myself and my health by eating proper meals, exercising and meditating, and advising my friends about healthy habits and they were inspired by my routine. I also help them through their struggle with their mental health and offer a lending ear whenever they need someone to talk to. As an individual, I am actually an open-minded person, which is why I treat everyone equally with respect and understanding, as well as kindness. I strongly stand against discrimination, as I am strongly against it because I believe that all people deserve to be treated properly without any rank or stereotypical views in life. I also help out in keeping our planet safe in simple acts like gardening with my mother, throwing trash in the proper bins, turning off water and lights when not in use, and using only the needed amount of water, as I also avoid using plastics or buying products that use too much plastic and waste. These may not be much, but little actions can lead to great results in the future that can, little by little, build up and create an impact.
Moving forward, I will explore more ways to promote SDG, make a difference, and make my voice heard. We can only help each other in this lifetime, and we must use our time here on Earth wisely, so why not use it to serve our planet and respect each other as we are all equally human and also live on this planet with us? Making this reflection has opened my eyes to a bigger point of view where it teaches me that small actions together have such a big impact, especially when we as individuals join as one. It made me see how even a small part of what we do every day can be bigger as we continuously do it every day. Like how we slowly but surely kill and harm our planet every passing day, and we are too focused on our perspectives to see the bigger picture of how our actions harm the people and environment around us. This reflection made me dig deep into my inner thoughts and made me realize that the good we do will be reflected in the world as we can influence and mobilize the people around us just to be a responsible and respectful citizen.
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