India: Young people, educators spearhead action on SDG16 with innovative RiseUp4Peace Fest  

Phagwara, Punjab/04 May 2024:On a summer afternoon in the village of Chak Hakim--located about 40 kilometres from Kapurthala district in India’s Punjab--a group of educators and students appeared to be brimming with energy as they deck up the walls of their classrooms with creative posters at the Kamla Nehru Public School (KNPS) Phagwara.

Theirs was a group on a mission: to convene an innovative week-long RiseUp4Peace fest at their school focused on SDG16, weaving principles of peace, social responsibility and the rule of law in their classrooms. Spearheaded in collaboration with UNODC, this students-led initiative convened over 4000 students and educators from Punjab’s villages and towns—including Beas, Phagwara, Nawanshahar, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Nakodar, Shahkot, Balachaur and Kapurthala--at the KNPS campus.

“This fest has been transformative for me. Working together as a group, I learnt that SDG16 offers a blueprint for a better future. Justice and peace are essential for a happy society and I want to raise awareness around this with storytelling and research,” said Harleen, a student.

With a spotlight on themes related to cyber safety, anti-corruption, access to justice, mental health and gender equality, students learnt about SDG16 themes, engaged with UNODC and co-created group projects--street plays, artwork, music, videos, informative briefs, talk shows and discussions. The exhibits also spanned across the curriculum, with informative SDG 16 linkages drawn with subjects such as mathematics, physics and chemistry besides others. 90 students were recognized as ‘RiseUp4Peace’ champions for their efforts.

Displays at the fest included a creative “gender lens” highlighting gender divides, a revealing film against child labour, artwork against corruption, mental health, child labour, violence and cybercrime, songs and skits on peace and justice. Students took a pledge in support of SDG16 to actively build community and influence at least 10 others to join the initiative. As part of this, they also conducted a Family Peace Pledge Campaign, encouraging families to record a video and create a virtual chain of support for peace. Using Minecraft, students used blocks as their building materials to imagine and craft a peaceful world reflective of SDG16 principles. Comic strips on cyber safety were produced to create awareness on safe online spaces.

“With the fest, I have realized the power of music and theatre for social change, and want to use my skills to bring people together, bridge divides, and champion harmony," said Suhani Khan, a student.

UNODC and KNPS also convened an Educators’ Roundtable Dialogue, bringing together over 100 educators from across Punjab to advance SDG16 education in school curricula. Educators were briefed on the importance of SDG16 and UNODC’s interventions in education including the YEA Framework, as well as policy perspectives. Discussions focused on youth vulnerabilities and education as a tool to engage and empower young people.

“Education is key to empower and enable young people to make healthy, ethical and responsible life choices and resist negative influences. With RiseUp4Peace, we are building a coalition of educational partners in amplifying this cause with joint projects and initiatives,” said Samarth Pathak, UNODC’s Communications Officer for South Asia. “Promoting peace, ethics and inclusivity among young people is at the heart of the National Education Policy 2020,” said Dr. Satya Bhushan, Assistant Professor, NCERT.

The Roundtable concluded with a landmark Punjab Educators’ Declaration, outlining concrete steps to mainstream SDG16 education in schools including trainings for educators, peer-to-peer experiential learning projects, cross-learning and collaborations to create good practices. Participants hailed the RiseUp4Peace initiative as "a need of the hour," recognizing its potential to shape a generation of empathetic, responsible global citizens.

“Through this fest, powerful narratives have been created by students to shed light on pressing issues such as gender divides, child labor, corruption, mental health, violence, and cybercrime. The idea of the RiseUp4Peace fest is to act as a model in education, and to spark conversations and inspire action among students,” said Ms. Paramjeet Kaur Dhillon, Principal (Admin and Innovation), KNPS.

Join the RiseUp4Peace initiative:  t.ly/lh9T7

This activity contributes to SDG 4, SDG 16 and SDG 17: https://sdg-tracker.org/