Written by Nalat Phanit-Black
Passion motivates action. Dedication yields results.
As the SDG Committee Director of United Nations Association of Atlanta, I have been very fortunate to work with some passionate and dedicated volunteers. When the Sustainable Development Goals Committee was created in September 2015, it was only a team of five members who were also members of the Board of Directors. Through our team’s community outreach in 2016, the SDG Committee now boasts seventeen volunteers. It has been a pleasure working with the SDG Liaisons and Leaders, seeing how individuals and the committee has grown and the impacts we’ve had on our local communities.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Since July 2017, Molly Read Woo, our SDG Leader of Education Committee, has been teaching a group of Congolese refugees basic English in Clarkston, GA. The class has grown in size and we are in need of volunteers to help with the classes. The basic English classes are held on Sundays, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m., at Clarkston International Bible Church, 3895 Church St, Clarkston, GA 30021. We need volunteers to
- assist in teaching adult students basic English
- assist in entertaining the students’ children while class is in session
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Molly Read Woo and her students. Photos by Max Woo
In 2017, members of the SDG Committee participated in several events, educating and advocating for the
Sustainable Development Goals.
Sustainable Development Goals.
Clarkston Culture Fest (April 22, 2017)
Clarkston Culture Fest is an annual event that “Educate, Appreciate, Celebrate” the cultural diversity of Clarkston, a city that welcomes 1,500 refugees a year from all over the world. SDG Committee members guided children in a solar-oven making activity, teaching the attendees about solar energy and the United Foundation’s Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. Special thanks to our volunteers: Jasmine Payne, Monse Acosta, Ruhi Rahman, and Roshni Chengappa.
 Monse Acosta (SDG Liaison of Global Health Committee) participated in the 2017 5K Run sponsored by Clarkston Culture Fest and Refuge Coffee Co. |  Roshni Chengappa (SDG Leader of Global Health Committee) |
Seeds of Peace: Hiroshima/Nagasaki Observance (August 6-9, 2017)
Betsy Rivard, VP of Programs and SDG Liaison of Peace and Security Committee, arranged for United Nations Association of Atlanta to co-host Seeds of Peace: Hiroshima/Nagasaki Observance with Nuclear Watch South, Georgia WAND, and other organizations. Events included a video lecture by author Vincent J. Intondi of African Americans Against the Bomb, a lecture/booksigning by Washington Post reporter Dan Zak of ALMIGHTY: Courage, Resistance and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age, and Seeds of Peace 22nd annual Nagasaki Observance at the Carter Center Rose Garden.
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Participants at Seeds of Peace 22nd annual Nagasaki Observance at the Carter Center Rose Garden
17th Global Youth Justice Training (September 26-28, 2017)
Steffani Salter, SDG Liaison of Sustainable Cities, Urban and Economic Sustainability Committee, presented on SDG 11 : Sustainable Cities and Communities at the 17th Global Youth Justice Training in Cape Cod, Massachusetts:
The presentation discussed how organizations can provide sustainability within their community. In the planning and designing of new communities, housing projects, and urban renewal, the planners both private and public, need to give explicit consideration to the kind of world that is being created for the children who will be growing up in these settings. Global Youth Justice strives to improve the quality of life for humans through reducing high juvenile crime rates and historic-high incarceration rates of adults locally and globally.
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Steffani Salter presenting at 17th Global Youth Justice Training
2017 American Mock World Health Organization International Conference at Emory University (October 13-15, 2017)
I was honored to be invited as a panel speaker on October 14, 2017 during AMWHO’s International Conference at Emory University. The topic of discussion was Climate Change: the Global Health Response. We discussed climate mitigation and adaptation strategies implemented by countries of various incomes. We also discussed ways for the public health sector to respond to climate change including epidemiological surveillance and building of healthcare infrastructures that are accessible to low-income areas. More collaboration across sectors, such as transportation, energy, waste management, and agriculture are needed on climate mitigation and adaptation. Climate refugees and the current refugee crisis will worsen with climate change which will demand a response from the public health sector.
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Nalat Phanit-Black at AMWHO 2017. Photographs by Charlie Harless, AMWHO 2017
American Public Health Association 2017 Conference (November 4-8, 2017)
Toyshebia Napper, SDG Leader of Global Health Committee, along with representatives from UNA-USA and UNA-National Capital Area attended the American Public Health Association 2017 Conference:
The conference was held at the World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia from November 4-8. The conference hosted over 12,000 attendees and the 2017 theme was Creating the Healthiest Nation: Climate Changes Health. The mission of APHA is to "improve the health of the public and achieve equity in health status". Their vision is to "create the healthiest nation within one generation.” The UNA team was able to network with thousands of attendees from across the world and obtaining contact information for over 400 public health workers. It was an honor and privilege to represent the United Nations Association of Atlanta at the APHA Exhibit Expo. I was able to enact with attendees and have enlightening discussions about the Sustainable Development Goals. People were eager about connecting with a local chapter of UNA-USA and assisting on a local level to achieve the global vision.
 | Photo by Toyshebia Napper |
Thank you to all our volunteers and members for supporting the Sustainable Development Goals!
The SDG Committee hopes to bring you more educational and advocacy opportunities in 2018.
The SDG Committee hopes to bring you more educational and advocacy opportunities in 2018.
