We are delighted to share that The Forum on Education Abroad has been nominated to receive a Global Youth Travel Award (GYTA) in the category Outstanding Contribution to the SDGs! The GYTAs are held annually by WYSE Travel Confederation to reward organizations that make a positive contribution to the youth, student and educational travel industry. The award recognizes a travel or tourism organization that has made a measurable contribution to two or more of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2021. Please show your support for The Forum’s efforts in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) through education abroad by casting your vote by January 4!
This nomination was made possible by The Forum’s Advancing the SDGs Working Group’s efforts. This working group is tasked with understanding and promoting sustainable development as the pathway to sustainability, tying together Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI), ethics, community engagement, and environmental challenges. With the release of the SDG guidelines earlier this year, they have quickly become one of The Forum’s most popular resources. These guidelines serve to direct the education abroad sector toward social, economic, and environmental sustainability by connecting the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad and the United Nations SDGs. Aligning practices with the UN SDGs is crucial to The Forum on Education Abroad’s mission to “cultivate educators who champion high quality education abroad experiences that ignite curiosity, impact lives, and contribute to a better world.” By aligning with the SDGs, education abroad can be carried out in a way that not only benefits people, but also enriches the planet.
The Forum on Education Abroad’s work on the SDGs guidelines, sustainability programming, our 2021 Inaugural Award for Advancing the SDGs through Education Abroad received by Penn State Global, and our partnerships with other sustainably responsible organizations have all helped to position us as a leader that hopes to inspire our field to think about the role of education abroad in helping students understand and to become advocates for sustainability.
The Forum is committed to having a long-term impact and to supporting our members in applying sustainability as a learning goal in their overseas programs. Voting is open until January 4, 2022 and winners will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony in February. Special thanks to WYSE Travel Confederation for recognizing The Forum on Education Abroad as a nominee.
