This is a guest post by Samuele Cofano,
Communication Coordinator of #InsiemepergliSDG
Introducing #InsiempergliSDG
The role of cities in achieving the 2030 Agenda is at the heart of InsiemepergliSDG (“Together for the SDGs”), an innovative campaign conceived by Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and carried out in partnership with the FAO, EU Commission, UN SDG Action Campaign, Save the Children Italy and CIHEAM Bari.
The campaign aims to develop and support shared paths to achieving the 2030 Agenda through training and teaching, participatory politics, active citizenship, play and creativity.
Since 2020, #InsiemepergliSDG has travelled to Bari, Teramo, Prato, Roma, Milan, Siena, Cremona, Brescia, Bergamo and Naples. In the second half of 2023, the campaign will visit Trieste.
What is #InsiempergliSDG?
The campaign has two key components.
First, direct outreach.
The campaign engages local organisations, citizens, academia and the private sector with key messages about the SDGS, including food security, education, gender, human rights, health, humanitarian assistance, and the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
This outreach comprises (i) high level events; (ii) city councils on the 2030 Agenda to discuss sustainable policies and agree commitments by host cities; (iii) events with local associations, private sector and civil society organisations, and; (iv) educational activities for children led by Save The Children Italy, with the involvement of local schools and teachers.
The campaign also partnered with Will Media, a leading Italian social media outlet, to spread key messages about the 2030 Agenda to new generations through a country-wide listening tour. The tour brings the 2030 Agenda to young audiences in person, activating student communities and raising awareness about the generational challenges of the SDGs.
#InsiemepergliSDG’s second key component focuses on art and creativity. In partnership with the UN SDG Action Campaign, it harnesses the power of imagination to mobilize, inspire and connect people with the SDGs.
| This post builds on a 2022 DevCom workshop on campaigning for the SDGs, organised with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy. At the workshop, Alessandro Tomasi, Founder and CEO of Will Media, shared some useful lessons for communicating with young people: |
| 1. Make it Relatable: Campaigns should hit close to home. Young people have a strong desire to make a difference. By focusing on local issues, they will feel more motivated to act because it directly affects their community. |
| 2. Repeat the Message: The SDGs deal with complex issues, and young people need to understand them well if they are going to help tackle them. We need to hammer the important points, and stay on topic. And we need to share tools to help young people face these complex challenges. |
| Build Trust: Trust is essential for the success of any campaign. Young people have trusted our campaigners with their time because they think it will benefit them. A campaign gains trust and encourages active participation by focusing on the most important topics and providing tools for change. |
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Central to this part of the campaign is the #InsiemepergliSDG “wall,” an installation that uses multimedia, games and quizzes to teach visitors about the SDGs and the role individuals can play in their achievement. It also aims to show how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and its partners are leading progress towards the 2030 Agenda.
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The installation has been mounted in several major Italian spaces (such as the Piazza Martiri della Libertà in Teramo and the Maschio Angioino in Naples). Video mappings were projected onto some of Italy’s most iconic monuments – including the Colosseum in Rome, the Palazzo Pretorio in Prato and Siena’s Loggia della Mercanzia – to underline each host city’s commitment to a green and sustainable future.
What has #InsiemepergliSDGs taught us?
With just seven years to achieve the 2030 Agenda, #InsiemepergliSDGs has taught us a great deal about raising awareness of the SDGs.
These include the value of partnership, including with the private sector, universities and research institutions, and the need to build trust through dialogue and open discussion. Each stage of #InsiemepergliSDG has helped create links and build relationships between promoter partners and local communities and territories.
The campaign has also clarified the need to find innovative ways to convey complex messages to young people and new generations. In this regard, some important priorities are:
- to involve young people in decision-making processes;
- to design clear and innovative narratives about Agenda 2030 for young audiences; and
- to engage with the media to educate young people about sustainable development’s global challenges.
New destinations are under discussion for the 2024 edition of the campaign, so follow the hashtag #InsiemepergliSDG and stay tuned for its next steps!
The SDG Communicator 
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