Hour of Code 2019: Striving to Achieve Global Goals

Students can drive global change across the world, and here at Tynker, we want to empower them to do just that. There is no better place to start than the Hour of Code, and we are proud to announce a series of projects that drive students to create solutions for global issues based on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. It’s time to let kids create for social good!

What are the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals?

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are a series of 17 goals that set a shared agenda for the world to achieve peace and prosperity by 2030. The goals were adopted as a global partnership between all members of the UN in 2015, and they focus not only on ending poverty and deprivation but also on the factors that can change that standard of living for all.

The goals include strategies to improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth while tackling climate change and preserving our shared planet.

Energy, Sustainability, and Consumption

Can coding solve big problems? By using Tynker, we can show students first-hand how creativity and Computer Science can address the biggest of Earth’s problems. The UN goals we’re focusing on are: 

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

• While access to affordable and clean energy continues to accelerate, there are still 800 million people worldwide who go without, even as changing climates, transportation, and advanced technologies are increasing that need at an incredible rate. As the world continues to change and fossil fuels continue to decline, the world will need solutions that are affordable and clean.
• During the Hour of Code, students can model solutions with Tynker Blocks (intermediate) or using HTML (advanced). Try out our projects by clicking the options below:

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

• Worldwide material consumption is rapidly increasing, putting both a strain on non-renewable resources and the environment. Solutions are needed to increase resource efficiency, reduce waste, and ensure sustainability practices across the global economy.
• During the Hour of Code, students can accelerate resource efficiency and play a role in recycling with Tynker Blocks (beginner) or using Javascript (advanced). Try out our projects below:

Goal 15: Life on Land

• Even though the world continues to grow and change, protecting terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity is still incredibly important for the future. Solutions are needed to protect one of our greatest resources (the land) from degradation, the loss of biodiversity, invasive species, and the effect of illegal poaching.
• During the Hour of Code, students can increase awareness of biodiversity and deforestation with two projects using Tynker Blocks (intermediate) and Python (advanced). Try our newest projects:

Discover ALL of our UN Sustainable Development projects:

Make it a Community Effort with Flipgrid!

Sometimes changing the world takes a community effort, and we want it to be incredibly easy for students to share their voice! Right now, there is no better place to do that than on Flipgrid, and we’ve added brand new topics to our Flipgrid Disco Library in time for the Hour of Code! You and your students will be able to:

• Perfect you global solution design through authentic reflection and feedback
• Advocate for shared solutions by connecting with a shared community
• Build a community of learners that are empowered to share their voice with the world

It’s More than the Hour of Code

Coding empowers makers, and by focusing code on the UN’s goals we are powering the world to help achieve them. To get there though, we can’t stop at the Hour of Code. We have to keep it going, and Tynker is a great place to do just that.

Tynker offers three free courses, weekly projects, and a great workshop that will allow students to continue on their journey with the UN. There are STEM lessons that let students create with code in CORE classrooms (Science, ELA, Social Studies, and Math), and they can use the Tynker workshop to design solutions for all of the other sustainability goals. Teachers can add as many classes and students as they want, giving you the most diverse set of content you will find. And it only takes a few minutes to get started!

Get More SDG’s

The beauty of teaching is that you can always find others who are pushing their students in the same way that you are. Joining our community can bring value, collaboration, and meaning to everything you do. Tynker offers a great teacher community, but so does the UN! 

The United Nations has a fantastic set of RESOURCES, and there is a robust community dedicated to supporting their sustainability goals in global K-12 classrooms. It’s incredibly easy to join the community of teachers that are advocating for social good!