About

Why Global Goals Jam?

The challenges before us are so complex that no single discipline, mindset, or expertise will be able to solve them. To address social challenges globally, we need to collaborate and learn from local ideas that are being developed across the globe.

To collaborate, we need to engage in a way that goes beyond talking, towards making and creating, in a space for people from all backgrounds who bring in their local knowledge, ensuring a bottom-up, grassroots approach.

This is why we started the Jam: a 2-day event to engage makers and designers to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals by creating short-term interventions with long-term impact. More than an event, it is a network of cities and organisations that are excited to engage their local communities to create real impact for the Global Goals.

Local organisers – ranging from universities and design labs to NGOs or consultancies – can apply to host a Jam. Together with partners from the local industry they co-design challenges related to one or more of the selected global themes. We provide them with a toolkit and online training to guide the design process.

What does a Jam look like?

  • 2 days in the weekend before Climate Week in September
  • local challenges related to one of the Global Goals, co-created with the local community and industry
  • multidisciplinary teams of creatives, researchers and sustainability experts
  • short design sprints (4 sprints divided over 2 days)
  • Global Goals Jamkit with methods and tools to guide the design process
  • Process and results are shared so that the community can build upon each other’s work

Interested in organising a Jam?