CapacitAmente: Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and service learning

This summary aims to describe a practical experience of interdisciplinary Service Learning (SLE) developed within the undergraduate degrees of Social Work and Psychology, at the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Catholic University of Portugal. According to the Portuguese labour code, employees are entitled to a minimum of 40 hours of training provided by the employer each year. It is in this context that the CapacitAmente project emerged. The main goal was to provide 10 hours of continuous training to employees working in aging, in the fields of psychology (namely in the theme of Work, Quality and Life) and social work (Sustainable Development Goals). 100 employees from three social solidarity institutions benefited from this project. A significant part of the advanced continuous training had the SDGs as a theme once it is a programmatic content of the Social Economy Curricular Unit. Thus, aiming to contribute to the knowledge of the 17 SDGs and their five pillars (people, planet, partnerships, prosperity, and peace), different activities were carried out, supported by the close contact that was possible to establish with the United Nations University (UNU-EGOV). Therefore, and thanks to this partnership, the webinar "The UN and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" was organized, aiming to promote in the participants (academia and community) the knowledge of the work of the UN and its member states, the 2030 Agenda, as well as the role of youth in the implementation of this Agenda. The brochures "Guide on Sustainable Development: 17 goals to transform our world" were also provided to all students, teachers, and employees of the partner institutions. Regarding the continuous training plan, another project initiative presented, in the first instance, in a remote and asynchronous training model, was watching the "David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet" 2020 documentary with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of thinking and acting in search of sustainable environments. This activity was combined with a reflection sheet that aimed to connect the video and the reality of each person's context, trying to understand, on one hand, the best environmental practices carried on in the institutions where they work and which others could be implemented. Also, trying to understand the employee’s knowledge about the SDGs. Additionally, regarding the training sessions, another remote and synchronous session was held, focusing on the knowledge of the SDGs and their integrated and holistic relationship. The employees of the institutions were challenged to propose initiatives in the institutions later on, aligned with the theme of sustainability. The training session was concluded by addressing quality of life at work. This interdisciplinary SLE experience provided not only continuous training on issues anchored in the 2030 Agenda to the employees of social institutions, but also an opportunity for students to acquire more knowledge and awareness on this important topic. It is thus considered that this interdisciplinary approach may be a contribution to future educational and community initiatives based on sustainable models.