Through the stories shared here, we invite you to explore how York's faculty and students are collectively shaping a more sustainable and just world. The stories exemplify the power of shared commitment and bold action to contribute meaningfully to the SDGs.
Casita Azul Library offers a hub for community education programs in Costa Rica
York University’s Las Nubes eco-campus focuses on hosting students for experiential education opportunities and improving rural livelihoods with an emphasis on environmental conservation. Read more about SDG 4.
Decolonizing, Indigenizing, and Making Space for Indigenous Girls visiting York University
Sarah Flicker, Amanda Galusha, L. Anders Sandberg, Jennifer Altenberg and The Young Indigenous Women’s Utopia in Girlhood Studies (2023).
We examine the possibilities for Indigenization afforded by a visit from the girls’ group, Young Indigenous Women’s Utopia (YIWU), to York University. Through classroom presentations, workshops, and a book launch, the girls shared their knowledge, perspectives, culture, and art, challenged stereotypes, and inspired university community members. The visit encouraged local students and faculty to find innovative ways to disrupt prevailing colonial norms by employing strategies such as public workshops, the Alternative Campus Tour and curating exhibits so as to integrate Indigenous knowledge, histories, and epistemologies. Read more about SDG 5
Bioindicators of legacy arsenic ecotoxicity in Yellowknife lakes impacted by historic gold mining operations
Altrisha Rodrigues
For my EUCURA project, I analyzed Chaoborus mandibles found in surface sediments of 16 lakes that ranged in depth from 4-6 m, all located within a 30 km radius of Giant Mine. The goal was to determine fish presence/absence in these lakes of intermediate depth, to support ongoing research using zooplankton as bioindicators of impact and recovery from arsenic emissions. The results produced from this research will be incorporated into a multi-indicator ecotoxicological study of the extent of arsenic contamination from Giant Mine, a collaboration between several EUC faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students, the Government of Northwest Territories, the Aurora Research Institute, and researchers from Laurier University. Read more about SDG 6.
BEST Startup Experience 2024 brings together students to address UN SDG goals
From March 8-10, more than 200 students took part in the BEST Startup Experience 2024 hosted by Lassonde’s BEST Program. This initiative was designed to foster collaboration and innovation through experiential learning. Throughout the weekend, 48 teams of students worked on exciting projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Projects spanned diverse areas of interest and encouraged students to create meaningful change with their solutions. Read more about SDG 7.
E-learning tool expands access to experiential learning
A virtual learning tool co-developed by Osgoode Professor Stephanie Ben-Ishai is offering a glimpse into how technology could help transform the teaching of law. Ben-Ishai, who developed the technology in partnership with Western University law professor David Sandomierski and a team of software developers, is already using the virtual learning tool to help teach contract law to her students. Read more about SDG 9.
Study abroad course in Cuba breaks new ground
Two groups of York University students travelled to Cuba this spring as part of a new Faculty of Health course exploring human rights, Cuban culture and the country’s health-care system. The course – Experience Cuba: Enacting the human right to health and health equity, taught by Jessica Vorstermans, an associate professor in the School of Health Policy & Management – marked the first simultaneous collaboration between York U, the University of Holguin and the Medical University of Holguin. Read more about SDG 17.