As we come to the end of COP 27, despite some wins, the overall way forward for our planet seems opaque. Collaboration and agreed solutions are elusive. The readouts are vague.
Despite this, Virtual Internships believes the UN Sustainable Development Goals are a great tool to nudge society towards a better, more sustainable future.
At VI, we are committed to supporting the realization of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals; in fact, many of our programs contain direct references to them.
Through our work with refugees, neurodiverse individuals, marginalized audiences, and many universities and governments in the Global South, we are working flat out to ensure anyone, anywhere, can access high-quality work experience.
So here’s a quick reminder of the four SDGs that frame VI’s programming:
Many of our programs are used to specifically address macro gender imbalances in upskilling and access to the labor market, as well as showing how flexible remote-first work can complement caring and other responsibilities.
In the last year, over 100 women in Scotland have completed our bespoke Women Returners empowerment and upskilling program.
We prepare our program participants for the future of work by helping them develop both the critical skills required for remote and hybrid working and the professional skills necessary to proactively manage their careers over time.
This helps them find secure work and reduces the risk of being forced into informal, precarious work.
The vast majority of our internships are cross-border –a participant in one location, interning in another location– and completely remote. Our program proactively reduces emissions and carbon footprints by removing international travel and any daily commute.
In the last six months, we estimate our remote delivery has saved over 3,000 tons of CO2 on international flights alone.
Virtual Internships’ preferred approach is through long-term partnerships with like-minded and values-led organizations. Whether you’re a university, a government department, a foundation, or a corporation, we would love to talk about partnering to amplify our impact on the SDGs above.
We currently have partners co-creating programs across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe – but we would always welcome more insight and expertise to ensure our programming stays relevant.
We are committed to bettering the world, and aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals is key in that journey. Drop us a line to see how we can collaborate at innovative@virtualinternships.com