Students leading students: a qualitative study exploring a student-led model for engagement with the sustainable development goals
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
ISSN: 1467-6370
Article publication date: 19 August 2022
Issue publication date: 3 February 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Higher education institutions (HEI) play a critical role in developing student leaders equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to mobilize societal changes that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for. To broaden this understanding, this study aimed to engage with student leaders of a grassroots, student-led initiative at the University of Calgary, the Sustainable Development Goals Alliance (SDGA), to better understand the experience of students who took on leadership roles in organizing SDG engagement activities.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative thematic analysis was used to understand the experiences of 12 student leaders involved in SDG programming. Semi-structured interviews asked participants to reflect on their key learnings, skills development and overall student’s experiences of leaders involved in SDG programming. Thematic analysis was applied to determine emerging themes.
Findings
Analyses showed that taking a leadership role in the SDGA empowered students to deepen their engagement with the SDGs and overcome barriers such as lack of knowledge and feelings of powerlessness. Secondary findings showed that community-building, flexibility and a sense of ownership were key strengths of the program and contributed toward student leaders’ feelings of hopefulness, self-confidence and inspiration.
Originality/value
This work offers a window into the experiences of student leaders who have worked to advance SDG engagement within their institution. Our findings suggest that student-led initiatives represent untapped potential for HEIs to prioritize and support to help deliver on their SDG implementation and engagement efforts. As HEIs offer a vital space for innovation, policy and capacity building towards implementation of the SDGs, this work demonstrates how student leadership can yield grassroots influence on HEI commitments and responses to the needs of students.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors received financial support for this project from the Sustainable Development Goals Funding Program provided by Economic and Social Development Canada and administered by the University of Calgary’s Office of Sustainability. The authors are grateful to the participants, students and staff at the University of Calgary who were involved in this project and have helped to advance sustainability engagement in our campus and community. The authors wish it to be known that they believe the first four authors to be regarded as Joint First Authors.
Citation
Lee, B., Liu, K., Warnock, T.S., Kim, M.O. and Skett, S. (2023), "Students leading students: a qualitative study exploring a student-led model for engagement with the sustainable development goals", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 535-552. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-02-2022-0037
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited