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Student Involvement in SDG Projects: Seven Years of Yonsei University’s Social Engagement Fund (2018–2025)
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Sarah Soyeon Oh, In Han Song
 , Shinki An
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IGEE Proc. 2025;2(3):178-183. Published online October 15, 2025
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.69841/igee.2025.023
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Abstract
Background
The Institute for Global Engagement & Empowerment (IGEE) at Yonsei University established the Social Engagement Fund (SEF) in 2018 to align with institutional commitments to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study examines how IGEE's student-led projects as part of Yonsei University's SEF program have expanded SDG coverage over the past seven years and identifies factors contributing to improved integration across multiple goals.
Methods We analyzed all 49 SEF projects implemented between 2018 and 2025, coding each project for SDG alignment and tracking coverage patterns over time. Annual SDG engagement was measured using two indicators: (1) the total number of SDGs addressed per year and (2) the average number of SDGs addressed per project.
Results The number of SEF projects increased steadily from 5 in 2018 to 12 in 2025, reflecting growing student participation and institutional support. Over the same period, annual SDG coverage expanded from 9 total SDG mentions in 2018 to 59 in 2025, demonstrating a marked diversification of focus areas. The average number of SDGs addressed per project rose from 1.8 in the early years (2018–2021) to 4.9 in 2025, peaking at 8.3 in 2022. Early projects primarily centered on institutional and educational goals such as SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), while later years showed stronger engagement with SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Some goals—including SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water)—remained relatively underrepresented.
Conclusions Student engagement initiatives like SEF can significantly broaden and deepen SDG coverage through structured mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and targeted project funding. By enabling applied, student-driven practice, IGEE’s SEF model demonstrates how universities can translate institutional SDG commitments into measurable and expanding impact across a wide range of sustainability goals.
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Introducing the 2024 ‘Social Engagement Fund’ Cohort
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Eun Kyoung Rhee, Sarah Soyeon Oh
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IGEE Proc. 2025;2(2):64-67. Published online June 30, 2025
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.69841/igee.2025.019
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Citations to this article as recorded by  - Student Involvement in SDG Projects: Seven Years of Yonsei University’s Social Engagement Fund (2018–2025)
Sarah Soyeon Oh, In Han Song, Shinki An
IGEE Proceedings.2025; 2(3): 178. CrossRef
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Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Social Isolation and Socioeconomic Determinants Among Ghanaian Older Adults (2019–2024)
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Patrick Atanga Azoya, Sarah Soyeon Oh
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Received January 19, 2026 Accepted February 6, 2026 Published online February 10, 2026
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.69841/igee.2026.001
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Abstract
Background
Older adults in Ghana who experience socioeconomic disadvantage characterized by limited in-come, low educational attainment, inadequate housing, insecure or absent employment face obstacles to main-taining social connections, increasing their vulnerability to isolation and adverse health outcomes. Prolonged loneliness has been likened to the health impact of smoking 15 cigarettes per day (Shafiq et al., 2020). This review and meta-analysis examined cross-sectional studies showing differing relationships between social isola-tion/loneliness and low socioeconomic status (SES) among Ghanaian older adults. The objective was to synthesize quantitative evidence on associations between socioeconomic factors and social isolation or loneliness among older adult populations in Ghana.
Methods: We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and African Journals Online (AJOL) for peer-reviewed English-language studies published from 1 January 2019 to December 2024. Eligible studies were quantitative, included Ghanaian older adults, reported associations between social isolation or loneliness and at least one socioeconomic factor, and provided extractable effect measures (OR/PR or raw counts). Two reviewers independently screened titles/abstracts and full texts. Data extracted covered study characteristics, exposures, outcomes, and adjusted effect estimates. We pooled odds ratios using random-effects meta-analysis (DerSi-monian–Laird) in R (meta/metafor); heterogeneity was quantified with I². Risk-of-bias visualizations were produced with robvis.
Results Ten cross-sectional Ghanaian studies met inclusion criteria. All indicated that lower SES was associated with elevated odds of social isolation or loneliness (individual ORs 1.60–2.30). The pooled OR was 1.90 (95% CI: 1.69–2.14), indicating approximately a 90% higher likelihood of social isolation or loneliness among soci-oeconomically disadvantaged older adults. The findings suggest that aside cultural enablers, rural-urban migration effects are more severe in low-SES groups, potentially explaining the heightened ORs com-pared to global estimates.
Conclusion Socioeconomic disadvantage is a substantial correlate of social isolation and loneliness among Ghanaian older adults. Interventions and policies addressing poverty, food insecurity, and broader socio-cultural determinants are needed to support social connectedness and healthy aging.
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