© 2025 United Nations Association - Minnesota Chapter
United Nations Association of the USA
Minnesota Chapter
Join Us
Dedicated to educating, inspiring and mobilizing Minnesotans to support the principles and vital work of the United Nations and its Agencies.
Sustainable Development Goals
- SDGs -
The Sustainable Development Goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.
The Goals were adopted by all United Nations Member States in September 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which sets out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals and their related targets. Never before had world leaders pledged common action across such a broad and universal policy agenda.
The 17 Goals are interconnected, apply to all countries, and need to be carried out by all stakeholders – governments, the private sector, civil society, the United Nations system and others – in a collaborative partnership.
This year marks the midpoint of SDG implementation. However, on its current course, the world may miss many Sustainable Development Goals targets by 2030. For the first time in decades, development progress has stalled and even reversed under the combined weight of climate disasters, conflict, economic downturn and the lingering aftermath of COVID-19. The SDG Summit, held on 18 to 19 September 2023 at the UN Headquarters in New York is a unique opportunity for the world to pivot from crisis to development and deliver the breakthroughs needed to achieve the Goals.
The following series of icons illustrates the Sustainable Development Goals, each of which links to a more complete UN SDG narrative, bringing to life what the 17 Goals mean for people on this planet.
Click on the image below to view all the SDGs
St. Anthony’s Middle School - New Brighton, MN
8th Grade 2026 Capstone Symposium:
Preparing young people to thrive in work, life, and community
By Maya Kruger, 8th Grade Capstone Supervisor
The St. Anthony Middle School Capstone course was created with
support from World Savvy, a non-profit organization that “prepares
young people to engage in real-world challenges by transforming
teaching and learning practices so that students are ready to thrive
in work, life, and community.”
Capstone offers students an opportunity to practice and apply the
skills and knowledge they’ve been accruing through acts of self
discovery and real world problem solving. We spend half the year
leveling up our foundational writing, research, and public speaking
skills while getting outside of our comfort zone with confidence and
trust. The second half of the year is spent on our culminating
"Knowledge to Action (K2A)" projects as seen during the symposium.
For these projects, students create change by identifying what is and
isn't working in their communities and aligning that with a UN SDG;
then they work with stakeholders to determine root causes and
possible solutions, and take action; afterwards, they evaluate their
outcomes and share their results.
When Capstone first began, it was primarily focused on media
literacy and communicating research with purpose. When I took over
last year, I shifted the emphasis to developing efficacy so students
could embrace challenge with hope. Next year, I hope to find ways
for students to increase their respect for and belief in humanity and
each other as they decrease their reliance on technology. This will
involve honing in on human skills like observation, questioning,
making connections and meaning, and finding value in ourselves, one another, and the work we do together. This year’s Capstone
Symposium featured 71 projects completed by 151 students
Clockwise from bottom left: (1) Students, parents and well-wisher attendees (2) Andrew (UNA-MN member and student mentor) with Ms. Kruger, Capstone Supervisor; (3) Typical project display; (4) UNA-MN member, Susan, w/students she mentored; (5) Capstone SDG project student explaining their SDG projects.
St. Anthony Middle School-New Brighton, MN
Promotes UN-SDGs
at Year-end 2025 Capstone Project
This section is best viewed on a larger screen.
The St. Anthony Middle School (SAMS) in New Brighton, MN, held an 8th-grade capstone project at the end of May 2025, where students demonstrated how to promote community, as well as environmental change by creating a project supporting one, or more, of 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. (https://sdgs.un.org/goals).
This capstone symposium, called “Knowledge to Action (K2A),” involves evaluating community issues, aligning them with a particular UN goal, and taking action with stakeholders to address root causes and evaluate outcomes. Students presented their work at a Capstone Symposium.
The projects presented were to promote community change as opposed to solely community environmental change. While many projects were environmental, there were plenty about equity, equality, and education as well.
This year, the Capstone Symposium took place on May 29, 2025. There were 150, 8th grade students, presenting 63 projects on various aspects of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The effort was led by Ms. Maya Kruger, 8th grade capstone supervisor.
Members of the Minnesota Chapter of UNA-USA attended, and these photographs show just a few of the students and their projects. We will return next year as these wonderful students demonstrated so amply their desire for positive societal and environmental change.
Congratulations to all the participating St. Anthony Middle School students.
UNA-USA/Minnesota is very proud of you. We hope to visit you again next year.
 8th Grade Capstone Supervisor, and Language Arts Teacher, Ms. Maya Kruger and son |  Ethan and Evan determined that the root cause of Silver Lake’s pollution were algae blooms that could be reduced by adding native plants to the shoreline that would protect the water from additional phosphorous and nitrates. They sought and earned a grant as well as approval from Threw Rivers Park Board to complete their project |
|---|---|
 Annika and Vincent created and sold bracelets to raise money for people experiencing poverty. Additionally, they had a “make your own bracelet” activity for youth at our event. Annika’s money went to a homeless shelter and Vincent’s went to a food pantry. |  Karson and Ziad advocated for more sustainable roads in St. Anthony - their hope is that road repairs and new roads use an improved asphalt that, while more expensive, requires less maintenance and harmful chemicals over time. |
 Arla, Nora, and Kaylee wanted to support pollinators like the Karner Blue Butterfly which has had a massive decline. They determined that more resting spots would make their migration safer so they harvested prairie seeds from New Story Farm, then prepared them for small 2x2 plots that residents of Minnesota could plant in their yards throughout migratory zones. Restored prairie also benefits soil health and other species. |  Anders, Miguel, and Abdi engaged in a trash pick up at Silver Lake after their initial plan of creating borrowable trash pick up kits at Silver Lake was denied. |
 The auditorium was packed with students and visitors. |  No Poverty! The first SDG. |
The St. Anthony Middle School Capstone Projects were a huge success, as was demonstrated by the attendance.