Dalberg Media works with the association Sustainable Now to build public-facing festivals focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals in cooperation with local municipalities in Denmark. Sustainable Now puts the SDGs on the agenda in municipalities to increase citizens’ knowledge and commitment to the sustainable transition towards 2030. The festivals combine fun and family-oriented activities with debates, company presentations and a curriculum for school children geared toward creating awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the public and amongst local youth.

Leading up to the festival in Vallensbæk Municipality, Dalberg Media developed a tailored innovation program for local primary school students to come up with innovative solutions to solve sustainability challenges in the municipality. The SDG festival also hosted a 24-hour hackathon program that allowed pupils in lower secondary school to pitch their ideas and solutions on stage in front of the festival audience. The approach used to engage the students was based on design thinking. It was aimed at engaging pupils in finding solutions to local challenges within the SDG framework. The engagement resulted in a three-part innovation model that enabled students to come up with more than 30 ideas designed to support the SDGs.

The main execution and content partners of the festivals include Sustainable Now, Dalberg Media, UNDP, UN City 4 Schools, Save the Children, LEGO and the Danish Refugee Council.