Partnerships for the goals

17. Partnerships for the Goals

Partnerships are an important, if not “the” most important strategy for promoting sustainability. In 2020, the University of Otago was officially acknowledged as a United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) for Sustainability. This means that the University is recognised to work alongside various institutions, councils, businesses and groups in order to communicate the latest research, and guide sustainable practices. Partnerships are not only made, or formed between big names in the community, but also at the “grass-roots” level. In 2019, approximately 6,000 students volunteered more than 42,350 hours to help around the town in various services. They worked with more than 65 community organisations to help improve the well-being of animals, people and places.

1. What does the term “grass-roots” mean? Let us know in the comments below.

a. groups that work in the grass

b. local, or independent individuals in the community

KEY VOCABULARY

1. regional 2. strategy 3. acknowledged 4. expertise

*Note: this vocabulary has been filtered through the Academic Word List from sublist 1 – up to and including sublist 5. Therefore, this course is designed to fit Intermediate Level English language learning students and above

Discussion Question:

Describe any “grass-roots” groups in the place where you live. What do they do?