This post is written by Jacinta Chen (Pomona College ‘21) and Olivia Shinners (Occidental College ‘21), Student Researchers, Office of the Mayor of Los Angeles.

  • The problem: While young people remain underrepresented in local government processes, underutilising university partnerships limits cities’ progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

  • Why it matters: University students can help advance the implementation of the global goals and will serve as future changemakers in their cities.

  • The solution: City governments should invest in university partnerships to amplify the voices of youth in the localisation of the SDGs and other global agendas.

"These partnerships can also add value by harnessing students’ energy for social change."

The Covid-19 pandemic has created tremendous challenges in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making city-level localisation and multi-sector partnerships essential strategies.

As Erin Bromaghim and Angela Kim of the Office of the Mayor of Los Angeles have argued, university partnerships provide additional capacity and support for cities’ local SDG measurement and reporting.

We agree, and believe these partnerships can also add value by harnessing students’ energy for social change, involving young residents in city government planning and processes, and encouraging the next generation of changemakers to localise implementation of the SDGs.

University students’ energy for social change

Given the lack of representation of youth in all levels of government, city partnerships provide a channel for university students to contribute solutions to complex social problems. According to a poll from the Centre for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, young people aged 18–24 “believe they can make a difference, and stand ready to make their voices heard.”

This enthusiasm is demonstrated by a significant increase in youth involvement in voter outreach and registration, political campaigns, and marches or demonstrations from 2018 to 2020. Many university students belong to this young demographic of bright and energetic residents who are keen to catalyse social change and serve their local communities.

"Students expand their civic knowledge by researching city governments’ responsibilities and jurisdictions, examining local issues, and meeting with officials."

Further, students are well-versed in ideas of diversity, inclusivity, and equity, allowing them to provide multiple, creative ideas on how to fulfil the SDGs and leave no one behind. We are eager to apply social change theories learned in the classroom to “real world” contexts.

During the Spring 2021 semester, the City of Los Angeles worked with two separate cohorts of students—one from Occidental College and one from Pomona College—on a project intended to reveal best practices for measuring gender equity at the city level. While assigned the same project, the two student teams adopted distinctive processes and proposed unique data indicators.

There was, however, a noteworthy connection between the students’ policy recommendations. Both student cohorts recognised the value in disaggregating data by sexual orientation and gender identity, even though there is little precedent for this kind of data collection.

Making residents of the city

City partnerships increase students’ stake in local governance. Students expand their civic knowledge by researching city governments’ responsibilities and jurisdictions, examining local issues, and meeting with officials.

As student researchers for the City of Los Angeles and its global partners in the City Hub And Network for Gender Equity (CHANGE), we have learned to deeply appreciate city governments’ role in delivering essential programmes and services.

With personal ties to the city government, students have come to recognise that cities and their residents are uniquely positioned to drive systemic change. Our partnership has empowered us—as current residents of Los Angeles—to investigate local problems and share our perspectives with policymakers.

Enabling students to engage in city government establishes new channels to capitalise on residents’ perspectives. As one classmate emphasised, “We don’t have to wait on the political climate of a whole nation to shift to start making progress on equity.” Students are members of the community who are excited to be a part of grassroots, local politics to ignite real change.

Young people are key stakeholders in localising global agendas

By assisting cities in implementing the SDGs, students can serve as key stakeholders in the pursuit of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. City networks working in partnership toward this global development agenda, including CHANGE, C40 Cities, Metropolis, and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), offer students the chance to see their local leaders and governments participate in international dialogue and policy setting.

While balancing their historical and cultural differences, cities are united in their responsibility to improve the quality of life for their residents. Our analyses of existing city initiatives have shown us the promise of exchanging ideas through subnational diplomacy.

Though national governments head our foreign policy and international commitments, such commitments can only be realised through action at the local level, providing students with an opportunity to engage and lead. In Los Angeles, student action has helped diffuse seemingly abstract, global norms to more tangible, local contexts, including by connecting the city government to community organisations and residents.

Experiential learning has taught us the importance of the SDGs to everyday life, as well as the potential for cities to tackle global challenges. As underscored by one of our peers, we now understand “how large a role cities play in the implementation of the goals, policies, and norms that… larger government entities are often responsible for creating.”

Further collaboration between students, faculty, and city officials can create a new generation of leaders who will champion sustainable development and understand it as a bridge between local action and global goals. As future elected officials, civil society advocates, and changemakers, students can continue to work with our cities to strengthen commitment to the SDGs.

Sustainable development will only be achieved if the global goals are implemented at the local level, and action can be accelerated effectively through partnership. University partnerships can be valuable—both for city governments and for students who seek social change as city residents. As SDG stakeholders of today, students can continue to build more equitable, innovative, peaceful, and sustainable cities of tomorrow.

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(Image Credit: Don Milici, courtesy of Occidental College)