SDGs Intelligence Training of Trainers in Vienna

How can we move from simply explaining the Sustainable Development Goals to creating activities where young people actually discuss them, challenge ideas and develop their own solutions? This was at the centre of the SDGs Intelligence Training of Trainers, which brought together 11 youth workers in Vienna, Austria, from 24–26 January 2025. The three-day training focused on strengthening participants’ facilitation skills and exploring practical ways to bring sustainability education into youth work through the SDGs Cards Box. 

The training was designed around practical experimentation rather than simply presenting the project results. Participants explored the SDGs Cards Box and its Practical Implementation Guide, learning how the cards can be used to encourage critical thinking, problem-solving and local action. The programme combined a critical exploration of sustainable development with workshop design, practical application, creative problem-solving, refinement of educational tools and collaborative planning. 

A central part of the experience was learning how to turn the cards into activities that work with real groups of young people. Participants explored how different SDG topics could be combined with participatory methods, how activities could be adapted according to participants’ existing knowledge, and how facilitators can create space for different perspectives. Instead of treating sustainability as a topic with one correct answer, the activities encouraged participants to examine its social, economic and ecological dimensions, discuss competing priorities and think about what sustainable development can mean in different communities.

Testing the tool also meant improving it

The training had another important purpose: participants were not only learning how to use the SDGs Cards Box, but also testing the Practical Implementation Guide from the perspective of youth workers who would actually use it. Their feedback identified several areas where the first version needed to become more practical and facilitator-friendly. Participants highlighted the need for clearer learning outcomes, stronger explanations of the three dimensions of sustainability, more guidance for preparing and facilitating workshops, and better adaptation for groups with different levels of SDG knowledge. 

These reflections directly contributed to improving the final Guide. Based on the testing, more structured workshop set-up guidance and expanded session examples were developed. Participants also recommended strengthening connections with competence frameworks such as GreenComp, making it easier for youth workers to connect individual activities with broader learning objectives and sustainability competences. Additional resources were also included so that facilitators could continue exploring SDG platforms, educational materials and policy tools beyond the Cards Box itself. 

This process was an important reminder that educational resources become stronger when they are tested by the people who will actually use them. A method can look good on paper, but youth workers quickly notice the practical questions: How do I introduce this to my group? What if participants know very little about the SDGs? Which activity should I choose? How can I adapt it? What learning outcomes am I actually working towards? The Vienna training created space to ask exactly these questions and use the answers to improve the final project results.

By combining sustainability learning, hands-on facilitation and co-creation, the training helped participants become more confident in using and adapting the SDGs Cards Box in their own youth work. More importantly, the experience demonstrated the idea behind SDGs Intelligence itself: sustainability education becomes much more engaging when young people are invited not only to learn about global challenges, but to discuss, question, negotiate and imagine solutions themselves.

The final SDGs Cards Box and Practical Implementation Guide, shaped by the experiences and feedback gathered during activities such as this training, are available for youth workers, trainers and educators to use and adapt.

Explore and download the SDGs Intelligence Cards Box and Guide

Erasmus+ Small scale partnership

SDGs Intelligence

Project No.  2023-3-LV02-KA210-YOU-000183294

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.