SDGs
Fortune Teller
The beginning
Our main Goal is to have a better world by 2030. A world capable of finding balance between people, planet, and prosperity in order to achieve the peace we all want. With this in mind, 193 countries were represented by representatives in the United Nations’ Headquarters. On September 2015 in New York we all agreed on the new set of global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). We all agreed to improve the way we gather the data to be used for measuring these goals. (United Nations Association, 2015).
This sounds great, but I remember the first time I found out about the large number of goals. I was concerned and excited at the same time. Concerned, because after having 7 Millennium Development Goals (MDG) we jumped to 17…and excited, since I knew about the positive outcome of the MDG.
The reality is evident, many individuals, not just in the U.S. but also globally, were not familiar with the 7 MDG during the past 15 years. Now, let’s imagine 17 new goals to learn, with 169 associated targets that are indivisible and integrate.
At this point, as Chair of Education of UNA-OC, I was thinking of my responsibility to educate, communicate, and spread this valuable and relevant information. I was aware of the new challenges, but also aware of the new opportunities. As a consequence I developed something to help me with this task…I created the SDG Fortune Teller.
I tested the idea locally, and later at the division level...I believe in shooting for the stars and reaching galaxies. I believe this idea has not just potential nationwide, but also worldwide.
As a national council member with the United Nations Association (UNA), Isabel facilitated its translation into all six official UN languages (English, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, French, Mandarin, and Portuguese), with further adaptations into Japanese, German, and Farsi. Isabel has led over 50 two-hour workshops across the U.S. and Colombia, specifically designed for students aged 8-18, college students, and educators, fostering SDG awareness and critical thinking, each session tailored to suit the audience’s developmental level. To date, over 2,000 SDG Fortune Tellers have been distributed, solidifying its role as a key teaching resource in schools across the U.S. and Latin America, promoting a deeper understanding of global sustainability.
SDG Fortune Teller
This tool is available to everyone, but it is particularly valuable for teachers, instructors, and educators. They can use it to teach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in classrooms, workshops, or any relevant conference or event. The primary goal is to spread awareness of the 2030 Agenda, not only among children but also among parents, fostering dialogue that enhances understanding of the SDGs within familie
How it works
Fortune Teller ( is a set of two). The SDG Fortune Teller 1 has the first eight SDGs (Figure 1) and the other one has the remaining 8 SDGs (Figure 2). Both work together, you can play with one or both. The last SDG, #17, is on the reverse side of the paper as a large picture. This is because the fortune teller works with multiples of 8, but also because Goal 17 is Partnership for the Goals. This goal is vital, since it shows the importance of cohesive and coherent work among all governments, entities and individuals. Finally, the reverse side of the SDG Fortune Teller (Figure 3), besides having SDG #17, has the UN SDG website as a reference resource. Teachers, educators, kids and parents can access the website to learn more about the goals. (Figure 4).
Figure 1
Figure 3
Figure 2
Figure 4
