Mentoring Program to Achieve SDGs in Local Contexts: A Case Study in Communities from Southern Mexico

Abstract

Mentoring has proved useful in gathering knowledge and creating leadership when mediating hands-on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) experiences. This article describes the implementation of an educational project transformed through an ESD leadership program. A case study in Mexico is used to discuss the importance of contextualizing local education within the global framework of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Escuelas Ya'ax aims to empower students and help them make sustainable lifestyle choices through use of examples from their own culture; the project based at the school also helps students acquire the skills needed to lead a self-reliant and sustainable life. To achieve SDGs 3, 4, 11, 15, and 17, a network of sustainable schools was created in five states across Southern Mexico (Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo) using knowledge of the indigenous culture of Mayan communities. During the implementation of the project various methodologies were used (for example, visual arts, co-design, networking, and bottom-up approaches) to seek a synergistic educational transformation. The SDGs acted as a referential guide to assure aligned objectives, but the program also incorporated shared intergenerational concerns.