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Local Problems, Global Issues – SDGs and you.
What are the SDG’s Anyway?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also known as the Global Goals, are a set of 17 interconnected goals aimed at making the world a healthier, cleaner, and more equitable place for everyone. Spearheaded by the United Nations and unanimously adopted by the UN’s 193 Member States in 2015, the SDGs are a call to action for governments, civil society, the private sector, and ordinary citizens to create and implement sustainable solutions of any size for the world’s biggest problems.The SDG agenda covers everything from socio-economic to governance to environmental issues, with each goal encompassing its own range of targets.
Why are the SDG’s important for our Animate Application?
The SDGs are unique as they contain the first set of targets for Global Health to incorporate both developing and developed countries. The SDGs empower and call on every citizen to make the change they want to see. Both Social Innovation Fund Ireland and Medtronic believe that communities around Ireland are coming up with innovative solutions to the issues facing them locally. There is no reason these solutions cannot scale up or contribute to larger solutions to global health issues and inequalities. So while the SDGs have a global view, addressing issues on a local level first can facilitate growth and impact both nationally and internationally.
How do I relate my project to the SDGs?
For our Animate 2017 Healthy Community Awards, we are looking for your project’s alignment with any of the targets falling within SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being). Here’s a few examples of the kinds of projects and ideas we’re looking for and how they correspond to SDG 3 targets:
- TrimTots (SDG 3.d: risk reduction)
UK social enterprise TrimTots is a healthy lifestyle programme targeting preschool children and their families for the prevention and treatment of obesity. The community based intervention utilises nutrition, art, music, and cooking to establish healthy dietary and activity patterns for the whole family.
- Ninja Riders – (SDG 3.6: reduction deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents)
Ninja Riders is Currently being piloted in Milan, it engages young people in participative communities through a set of gamified digital tools. This digital innovation identifies young driver attitudes and behaviour to promote behavioural change, resulting in safer roads for everyone.
- Seniorpreneurs (SDG 3.4: promotion of mental health and well-being)
SeniorPreneurs is an organisation based in Australia designed to encourage senior entrepreneurship through the use of networking, training, and business coaching. Senior entrepreneurs enjoy a wide range of benefits shown to increase their quality of life resulting in improved mental health and well-being.
Local Problems, Global Issues – SDGs and you.
04.07.2017What are the SDG’s Anyway? The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also known as the Global Goals, are a set of 17 interconnected goals aimed at making the world a healthier, cleaner, and more equitable place for everyone. Spearheaded by the United Nations and unanimously adopted by the UN’s 193 Member States in 2015, the SDGs … Continue reading Local Problems, Global Issues – SDGs and you.
Start with ‘Measurement’ in mind
01.03.2017On January 5th, Day 1 of the THINKTECH Accelerator, our Awardees hit the reset button. A new year meant being open to new thinking. Everyone had committed to a number of technology based milestones to be completed by June so the pressure was on. Helen McBreen of Atlantic Bridge Ventures set the tone for the … Continue reading Start with ‘Measurement’ in mind
What is Social Innovation Fund Ireland’s Education Fund?
12.01.2017Ireland is renowned for having one of the most highly educated workforces in Europe. Yet, the education system that delivers this is not without its faults, leading to regular media debates about whether it fit for purpose for the 21st century. It is clear that some groups of students are just not able to succeed … Continue reading What is Social Innovation Fund Ireland’s Education Fund?
Minister for Housing Simon Coveney: “To be in a position to support and encourage innovative solutions to such fundamental social challenges is what good government is about.” Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill Four innovative projects which use technology to tackle chronic social issues like homelessness and food waste have been selected for Ireland’s first ever “thinktech” … Continue reading THINKTECH Winners Announced
Lessons from THINKTECH’S Workshop
06.10.2016
From the time we opened the call for THINKTECH, our applicants have been eager to promote their projects to us. Having reached the final 11 of our selection process, we wanted to hold an event that would encourage finalists to start thinking about what they could get from the programme while having a little fun … Continue reading Lessons from THINKTECH’S Workshop
A few thoughts about Social Innovation in Ireland
02.09.2016As we approach the end of the THINKTECH screening stage, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on some of the application trends we’ve noticed and what this means for the Social Innovation sector in Ireland moving forward. Data, data, data…. The standard of application writing for THINKTECH was high. In many ways the application … Continue reading A few thoughts about Social Innovation in Ireland
Trends of THINKTECH Applications
11.08.2016
On 31st July 2016 the call for applications closed for THINKTECH, this date also marked the beginning of the selection process – the most exciting time of year for us at Social Innovation Fund Ireland. During this process, we get our first introduction to many projects and gain insights into the great work being done … Continue reading Trends of THINKTECH Applications
Learnings from THINKTECH Talks
25.07.2016
As we approach the THINKTECH Call for Applications deadline, it seems fitting to look back on the 5 short weeks since the amazing Launch at Google Foundry on June 21st, and Minister Coveney’s call to action for the social innovation sector. He called on everyone in the room and all innovators to ‘make this a success’ … Continue reading Learnings from THINKTECH Talks