Brock University will join organizations across Canada to celebrate efforts to eradicate poverty and cultivate a more peaceful, inclusive and prosperous world during International Development Week (IDW).

Since 2020, IDW has focused on raising awareness of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which focus on areas such as quality education, clean water and sanitation, poverty and gender equality. Throughout the week, which runs from Sunday, Feb. 4 to Saturday, Feb. 10, Brock will highlight the SDGs with a range of events for students, faculty and staff.

Manager, International Student Supports Koreen McCullough says exposing students to the SDGs is critical to building the awareness they will need as the leaders of tomorrow.

“Brock’s focus on sustainability dovetails easily with the United Nations’ SDGs and that compatibility is what we are trying to showcase with our own IDW events,” she says.

Brock’s commitment to creating a sustainable world was recognized in 2022 and 2023 when the University was ranked in the Top 300 post-secondary institutions worldwide by the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for its work toward achieving the SDGs.

Departments across the University have co-ordinated a week of online and in-person events to support the Brock community’s understanding of global development and sustainability initiatives.

The week kicks off at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 5 with a virtual information session designed to help students, faculty and staff learn more about the SDGs and why they matter. Other IDW events and activities include:

• An IDW Sustainability Competition giving participants a chance to win a prize by tracking their sustainable activities for a week.
• A gently used winter clothing and housewares pick-up for Brock students in need.
• An SDG storytime for kindergarten and preschool aged children to learn about the SDGs through stories, activities and songs.
• A guided tour of Brock’s District Energy System giving participants a chance to learn about Brock’s energy system while visiting the cogeneration plant, chiller room, pump room and control room.
• An immigration basics information session for faculty and staff to learn about when to refer students to Brock International and how immigration law impacts Brock’s international students.
• And international handmade marketplace featuring custom Japanese and Chinese calligraphy, hand-painted mandala rocks, homemade brown sugar fudge, hand-crafted soap, photographic prints of Niagara landscapes and much more from Brock’s talented English as a Subsequent Language (ESL) students. All proceeds will support The Plastic Bank, which builds recycling ecosystems in underdeveloped communities in an effort to fight plastic pollution and poverty.
• A panel discussion on breaking silos in sustainability research designed to help members of the Brock community deepen their SDG, sustainability and social innovation research impact across faculties and disciplines.
• A panel discussion on sustainability and social impact in teaching and professional development designed to help members of the Brock community learn about practitioner-focused sustainability and social innovation education initiatives on campus.
• A public panel discussion on promoting SDGs for a livable planet that will give attendees insights from World Bank and United Nations leaders on creating a sustainable and equitable world through education, engagement and strategic partnerships.

These and other in-person and virtual events will take place throughout the week and are open to all students, staff and faculty. For a full listing of events and to register, visit the International Development Week page on ExperienceBU.