The #kids2030 Challenge: How small changes can have a huge impact

When you think about all the enormous issues our world is facing (and these days, it’s hard NOT to think about), it can seem like these problems are so big that nothing you could do as an individual would have an impact. And that can get pretty discouraging.

But it doesn’t have to be that way! In fact, if we all picked a cause we care about and started taking action to help, those small contributions would add up fast.

Small actions count

There’s no better time to take action than right now! 2020 marks the beginning of the Decade of Action: the final 10 year push to help meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

At KCJ, we wanted to mark this with something big, so we’ve launched the #kids2030 Challenge. Each year until 2030, we’ll set a new Challenge to get young people learning about the SDGs while boosting their digital skills. To start, we’re tackling a subject that’s hard to ignore: plastic consumption.

We use plastic every day. It’s in obvious places like packaging, but plastic can also be found in our clothes, and even inside the food we eat (gross, we know). Some plastic is necessary and even life-saving, but to help reduce plastic pollution we’ve got to find solutions to limit our unnecessary plastic use where possible.

That’s where the #kids2030 Challenge comes in! Through an interactive online learning journey, young people will dive into the plastic pollution problem, get a crash course in data science, and use that knowledge to create their own solution to prevent plastic pollution.

The #kids2030 Challenge site is filled with interactive games and projects.

Still wondering how your plastic reducing solution will make a dent in the world’s plastic pollution? Let’s break it down!

Time for some self-reflection

Start small and focus on your own plastic consumption habits. Throughout a typical week, take note of all of the plastic you use. Once you identify the types of plastic you use the most, you’ll be able to think of plastic alternatives you could use instead. You’ll start to see your own plastic waste shrink pretty quickly!

Lead your community to greener choices

Time to think outside your own home. How do people in your community use plastic? You could look at your friends, your school, or local shops and restaurants. Can you identify ways those places could make more environmentally-friendly choices? Let them know why it’s important to reduce our plastic consumption and share some ideas of how they could start.

Think globally, act locally!

By making small, attainable changes in your home and community, you’re contributing to a wave of change around the world! Pledging to stop using disposable water bottles or plastic shopping bags might seem like a minor act, but if everyone did it, the impact would be massive. When it comes to protecting our planet and building a better future, we’re all in this together.

Take the #kids2030 Challenge

Ready to start innovating? Take the #kids2030 Challenge, share your plastic reducing solution, and view your impact displayed on our global map! You’ll be able to see which cities are represented and how much plastic we are collectively preventing from becoming pollution across Canada and around the globe.

The #kids2030 Challenge runs until March 26, 2021 and is open to 7-17 year olds from anywhere in the world. Young people can complete the Challenge individually, in a small group, or even as a class (teachers and community group leaders, make sure to download the workshop resource package to access the lesson plan!).

Thank you to our sponsors who helped make the #kids2030 Challenge possible: CanCode, Ubisoft, CIRA, SAP, and DRW.