About
How this project came to be, and who helped to make it happen
Despite being a way to gauge the level of social, economical, and environmental sustainability at a national and international level, it’s vital to measure and learn how we all contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at a provincial and regional level.
As such, students within a Software Systems Engineering elective course at the University of Regina were challenged to create a digital community of practice that will focus on at least one SDG as part of their course project.
Seeing this as an opportunity to collaborate with the community to create something that could live on after the course, one student consulted with different stakeholders within the non-profit sector to identify a need.
Before we are able to understand and measure the impact these charitable programs and initiatives are having in regards to the goals, it’s important to know which goals are actually being addressed. Charities are underfunded and understaffed, and may not have the capacity to do their own research on something that they may not yield immediate results. So, we strived to create a solution that would explain the significance of the goals, help charities determine which goals they align with, and how they can then easily implement this new-found knowledge in cost effective ways.
Thus, Initiative Insights: SDG Navigator was developed!
The People Behind the Project:
Brooklyn Coulson ~ Project and Website Developer
While completing her final year of her BASc in Software Systems Engineering at the University of Regina, Brooklyn enrolled in an elective course to further her understanding of people-centred design, and how it can be applied to digital communities of practice. In the previous year, Brooklyn also developed the web-based version of the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation’s 2023 Growing Futures Vital Signs Report, which highlighted which SDGs were being addressed for each focus area found within the report. Seeing this as an opportunity to help other charities within the sector to also find their alignment, Brooklyn worked with Colleen Strauch and Victor Roman Morrow to identify a real problem that could be explored through this course project. Too often course projects die when the class comes to an end, and so Brooklyn wanted to make sure that she could produce a solution that will live on after the course ends while simultaneously making a difference in the local community.
Dr. Timothy Maciag ~ ENSE 405 Instructor (Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Regina)
As a Software Systems Engineering professor at the University of Regina, Tim always tries to find ways in which students can apply their new-found knowledge and further develop their skills when creating solutions to real-world problems. Within his ENSE 405 course, he challenged students to create a digital community of practice that also incorporates the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Throughout the course, he then acted as the primary stakeholder in the projects, and provided valuable feedback as students explored their creative solutions. For this particular project, Tim encouraged Brooklyn to take the project a step further and seek out additional consultation and feedback from other external stakeholders, and to use our networks to gain more insight and access to resources.
Victor Roman Morrow ~ Manager of Community Impact and Communication (South Saskatchewan Community Foundation)
As the Manager of Community Impact and Communication, Victor played a vital role in leading the Vital Signs research for the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation’s 2023 Growing Futures Vital Signs report. He was heavily involved in connecting with all parties involved in the report, and worked alongside Colleen Strauch to ensure the right people were consulted with when SDGs were being addressed and highlighted within the report. Due to his involvement with the report, and being a primary connector to charities through his work, he was consulted with to ensure that this SDG Navigator website would be solving a real problem and would bring value to the non-profit sector. Throughout the project, he provided invaluable guidance and great feedback regarding the content being included within the website as well as the flow of the initial short quiz found within this site.
Colleen Strauch ~ Director, Non-profit and Voluntary Sector Studies Network (Luthor College at the University of Regina)
In her unique role as Director of the Non-profit and Voluntary Sector Studies Network (NVSSN), Colleen is well versed in what is happening within the non-profit sector, and is able to help identify gaps and needs within the community. As such, Colleen provided valuable feedback during the entire design and development process of the SDG Navigator website. She was able to give incredible insight into the flow of the short quiz that determines SDG alignment, as well as providing countless resources to use both within the Resources Page and for inspiration for the project as a whole.