Dialogue about the SDGs

AIM OF SESSION 

This session aims to open a collective dialogue around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as one of the major narratives shaping sustainability today. Rather than treating the SDGs as fixed or technical targets, participants are invited to explore them as stories, starting from their own context and interests.  

Through dialogue, reflection, and creative exercises, participants question what inspires them about the SDGs and what feels limiting. The goal is to deepen awareness of personal and collective interpretations of sustainability, and to practice framing it in their own context, listening to other perspectives, and having a critical reflectionpausing to critically reflect, discussing and reconciling different (possibly conflicting) ideas - all essential abilities for navigating complex societal challenges. 

By engaging with diverse perspectives, participants learn to connect their stories with the global story of the SDGs, developing the capacity to situate themselves and their contexts and discipline within broader sustainability narratives and transitions. 

The practices developed in this session directly contribute to BUas’ Climate & Sustainability Education Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs). Students analyse the interdependencies between sustainability issues and societal narratives (ILO 1), and reflect on their own current and future roles, personal and professional, in contributing to sustainable development (ILO 2). In doing so, they strengthen their ability to think systemically, communicate across differences, and act with awareness and responsibility in complex contexts. 

BACKGROUND 

This workshop was facilitated with first-year students from Data Science & AI Creative Business (Academy for Games & MediaGM) at Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas). The session was part of a broader experiment in participatory and experiential learning, where facilitators and students explored creative ways to engage with sustainability. 

The SDGs were introduced as an entry point to reflect on the “big story” of our times, how societies frame problems and solutions through narratives. Using storytelling tools such as Dixit cards, students were encouraged to connect emotionally and imaginatively to the sustainability agenda by reflecting on questions such as “What keeps you awake?” This approach helped make the SDGs personally meaningful rather than abstract, while highlighting the power of conversation in shaping collective understanding. 

FACILITATION 

The facilitator’s role is to create a reflective and inclusive space for dialogue, one that values interaction, expression and listening. The aim is not to teach about the SDGs (specific materials have been developed by the team at BUas which fulfil this purpose – see ‘Example set-up’ below with link to video “Episode 5: Sustainable Development Goals”), but to help students discover what these goals mean to them and to others and how their ideas on sustainability reflects on the goals. 

Facilitators begin by situating the SDGs within the larger societal narrative of crisis and change, emphasizing that there are many storytellers and competing versions of sustainability. Using some creative tools such as Dixit cards, participants explore, in a more metaphorical way, the images that resonate with them personally. By sharing in pairs and later as a group, they begin to surface contextual, emotional, and intuitive connections before moving into analytical discussion. 

Next, facilitators guide students using another creative tool:  “One-to-Many” exercise, where individual reflections evolve into collective insights through iterative rounds of dialogue in pairs, small groups, and larger clusters. This structure encourages perspective-taking, sharing and reconciling ideas, and synthesis, core transversal skills in sustainability education. 

Facilitators are invited to close the session by acknowledging the students’ contributions, inviting student to circle back -  how their  stories connect to the SDGs and how they might continue to inform their studies and projects. 

Important elements to take into account when designing this dialogue session: 

• Create a safe and open environment: Make it clear that the workshop is an experiment in dialogue, not a test of knowledge. Encourage curiosity and respect for diverse viewpoints.
• Use evocative tools and prompts: The Dixit cards support metaphorical associations and storytelling, helping to bridge personal experiences with global issues.
• Move from personal stories into collective dialogue: The  exercise “One-to-Many” offers a natural progression from individual reflection to collective meaning-making.
• Be mindful of facilitation presence: Facilitators can share small personal examples to make students feel at ease but should avoid steering the conversation or imposing opinions.
• Encourage synthesis at the end: Conclude with a collective reflection where students connect their stories with the SDGs, articulating what shifted in their understanding and what they might take forward. 

See an example of structure here below.