IGEE Proceedings

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Student Involvement in SDG Projects: Seven Years of Yonsei University’s Social Engagement Fund (2018–2025): Sarah Soyeon Oh, In-Han Song, Shinki An; Received September 30, 2025 Accepted October 10, 2025 Published online October 15, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.69841/igee.2025.023 [Epub ahead of print]

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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.; Summary

Establishing the ESD and GCEd system in higher education: Analyzing the holistic approach of Yonsei University in South Korea: Jae Eun Shin, Eun Kyoung Rhee, Shinki An, Younah Kang, Keeheon Lee, In Han Song; IGEE Proc. 2024;1(1):6-19. Published online September 30, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.69841/igee.2024.002

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Purpose
This study assesses the Global Citizenship Education (GCEd) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) initiatives at the Yonsei Institute of Global Engagement and Empowerment (IGEE). The objective is to identify strengths and areas for improvement in promoting ESD and GCEd principles and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Design/Methodology/Approach: This research employs a comprehensive analysis framework to evaluate Yonsei IGEE's initiatives, including the "Understanding Sustainable Development with Ban Ki-moon" lectures, "Social Engagement Fund (SEF)" research program, "SDG Initiative," and "Global Engagement and Empowerment Forum (GEEF))." It considers objectives, environmental focus, pedagogical strategies, topic coverage, learning dimensions, and outcome measurement. Findings: Yonsei IGEE initiatives demonstrate strengths in terms of clear objectives, environmental focus, and pedagogical strategies. They complement each other, fostering synergy in promoting ESD and GCEd principles. The lecture series offers a holistic view of SDG issues, whereas SEF empowers students to address challenges practically. The SDG Initiative guides Yonsei's research community, and GEEF disseminates SDG knowledge and fosters collaboration. Originality: This study contributes originality in two aspects. First, it presents an innovative evaluation framework specifically designed to assess the diverse GCEd and ESD programs at Yonsei IGEE. This framework serves as a valuable tool for future evaluations of similar initiatives in higher education institutions. Second, the data and contents analyzed in this research, drawn from Yonsei IGEE's programs, are novel and provide unique insights into the efficacy of the GCEd and ESD efforts.; Summary

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