High school students participate in the UN sustainable development goals challenge in Liverpool
University of Wollongong (UOW) global brand ambassador and cricketing legend Adam Gilchrist, AM, today (27 February 2020) attended the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals challenge (SDG) hosted at the University’s South Western Sydney campus in Liverpool.
The SDGs set in 2015 by UN are the world’s best plan to build a better world for people by 2030.
Approximately, forty Years 11 and 12 students from ten South Western Sydney high schools participated in the workshop, delivering a one-minute business pitch to a judging panel comprising Adam Gilchrist, UOW Chief Operating Officer (COO) Damien Israel and Senior Lecturer, Dr Belinda Gibbons.
Adam has been a Global Brand Ambassador for the University of Wollongong since 2008 and is committed to building stronger relationships with government, business leaders and alumni while raising the University’s international profile.
The cricketing legend said implementing SDGs are crucial to keeping our planet healthy for the current and future generations to come.
“I am delighted to be part of such an important event organised by the University. These kids are the future leaders of our country and it is important that they understand the needs of our planet,” he said.
Mr Israel said the University’s vision is to support the implementation of the sustainable development goals in order to meet increasing demands for growth built on human development, environmental protection and natural resource preservation.
“We have put various measures in place to track our performance as an organisation committed to achieve these goals,” Mr Israel said.
As part of the strategic plan, the University has put SDGs as one of its twelve KPIs to measure its performance and progress in global sustainability.
As quality education is one of the seventeen SDGs, the students were asked to design a product, service, or initiative that can provide an inclusive and equitable learning environment for students.
“It’s great to see students working on business ideas that have a meaningful purpose. The University is always looking to provide a platform for people to work on global challenges and make this world a better place to live.” Dr Gibbons said.
While distributing prizes, Adam also interacted with students and shared his experiences as an international sportsperson, his role as an ambassador for UOW and various charitable organisations and giving some encouragement to students.
“I’m always looking forward to be part of such events as they inspire me to give back to the community,” Mr Gilchrist said.
Adam has represented UOW domestically and internationally, and is a crucial part of UOW’s global growth strategy.
