VIVIANA COSTANTE

Youth Participant

Viviana Costante (she/her) is a grade 12 student from Calgary, Alberta and a competitive dancer. She has been training since she was 3 years old has learned many valuable lessons from being a part of a team. She takes part in school-based clubs such as Social Justice, Student Council, and Gender Equality. She enjoys partaking in these initiatives because she feels that they connect her with social and political issues within our society and problems that are affecting our youth right now.

Which SDG are you most passionate about and why?

“Gender Equality – I resonate with this SDG because I believe that everyone, regardless of how they personally identify, deserves equal opportunities. I feel that people should be given opportunities based on their qualifications and unique background. Gender should not stand out as a point of judgment or discrimination.“

What issues are you most passionate about and what inspires you to take action?

“I am most passionate about issues that affect the world around me. This includes issues that affect people my age, people from the same place as me, etc. I think that when global problems are presented right in front of you they feel very real and personal. This year I have chosen to break my project up into approximately three sections. For the fall months, my Social Justice club and I have planned to focus on educating our entire school on what “Sustainability” really is and how we can work towards the SDGs. Our first initiative involves sustainable fashion which will begin to correlate with SDG #12: Responsible Consumption and Production. During the winter months, we have decided to direct our focus to SDG #1: No Poverty. During the Christmas season, Social Justice will organize a food drive which will be distributed to anonymous families in our school that are in need. The leftover food bank items will be donated to a non-profit organization of our choice. Finally, as spring comes along we will be holding a “Walk for Water.” This is the section of my project that I am most excited to put into action. This will dive into SDG #6: Clean Water and Sanitation. This walk will hopefully raise money for Indigenous reserves who don’t have access to clean running water. I am thrilled and honored to be bringing these ideas to life with the help of my teacher Anna Ponce. She has helped me achieve a passion for the SDGs and works to support her students and bring their ideas to life.”