The Green Review

What are the 17 Rooms?

17 Rooms is an initiative founded by The Rockefeller Foundation and The Brookings Institution to help organizations advance the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The 17 Rooms process utilizes brainstorming and collaboration to create practical solutions for the SDGs. The first global flagship took place in 2018, where global leaders convened to advance the SDGs globally. Since then, higher education institutions have joined in similar efforts to create 17 Rooms-U.

While flexible, the 17 Rooms process can only be applied if the following principles are maintained.

1. All SDGs get a seat at the table: Each SDG is valued equally.
2. Participants focus on realistic ideas that can be accomplished within 12-18 months, not "perfect solutions."
3. Engage in conversations, not presentations: Discussions based on solutions for SDG rather than the organization.

How does it work?
Step 1

• Organizers select participants
• Some participants volunteer to be room leads to facilitate discussions and create a brief report of their discussion.

Step 2

Participants assemble in their rooms and engage in brainstorming sessions for their assigned SDG.

Step 3

• All participants convene to exchange insights from each room

Step 4

• Each room seeks to implement proposed actions within 12-18 months.

17 Rooms at UNB (FOREM)

UNB Sustainability partnered with the FOREM faculty to conduct 17 Rooms for undergraduate and graduate students in ENR 1001 and ENVS 6001. A modified 17 Rooms study was conducted in both subject groups through a comparative case study to determine whether it is an effective approach for SDG education and engagement. Students were invited to participate in 20-minute brainstorming sessions for each assigned SDG. They were split into nine groups, with a self-assigned group leader in each group.

Groups were all assigned two SDGs each and convened in different rooms to engage in the activity. However, SDG 16 was assigned to two groups in ENR 1001 and ENVS 601, as it requires in-depth knowledge and understanding for effective brainstorming. Following the discussions, students gathered in one room to share their proposed actions for their respective SDGs. Lastly, group leaders shared their discussion output which was further analyzed.

 

17 Rooms Outcomes

The study revealed that graduate students had a higher self-perceived SDG knowledge level than undergraduates. However, each group within ENR 1001 and ENVS 6001 provided ideas that could be grouped into five areas of implementation. These included education, research, programming, operations, governance, and external leadership. Undergraduate students proposed ideas focusing on formal and informal teaching and learning methods for most of the SDGs. In contrast, graduate students focused on the operations and governance of the institution to address many of the SDGs. These outcomes confirmed that graduate students have more robust SDG knowledge than undergraduates as they recognize the importance of embedding the SDGs not only into education but also into policies, strategies, and projects at UNB.

Furthermore, it was determined that 17 Rooms was a more effective tool for SDG education among undergraduates, while graduates valued the exercise for engagement. Therefore, confirming that it can be used to achieve SDG education and engagement based on the participants. Moving forward, UNB Sustainability will build on the successes of this study to increase campus-wide SDG education and engagement around the SDGs.

Let us know if you are interested in participating in the 17 Rooms process!