On Thursday, 5 June, Eton hosted its annual symposium for Year 9 students from Holyport College and Eden Girls’ School, designed to introduce and engage students with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 398 students took part all together.
The day began with a keynote presentation from Ms Herbommez and Dr Anderson, who guided students through the origins, aims, and impact of the SDGs, alongside the urgency of the environmental and humanitarian challenges facing our planet — from climate change and water scarcity to global inequality and our consumption of non-renewable resources.
Following this, students took part in interactive group workshops led by mentors from Oppidan Education. The session included a lively quiz to test comprehension of the keynote speech, followed by collaborative discussions and mind-mapping exercises, where teams were asked to explore the causes, consequences, and solutions of key global challenges.
The groups then became ‘environmental consultants,’ tasked with solving real-world problems faced by various charities, including Justdiggit, The Baby Bank Windsor, and even Eton’s very own Earth Prize-winning concept, Pebble. Each team distilled their ideas into a ‘taxi statement’: a concise three-sentence pitch articulating their proposed solution — as if they had just one minute to explain it to a taxi driver. These were delivered aloud, with each group presenting their statement to the full assembly. Winners received a copy of Oceans by David Attenborough and a session with Stuart Taylor, UK Country Director for Justdiggit, a charity focused on restoring degraded land in Africa through rainwater harvesting.
The day was an invaluable opportunity to collaborate across partner schools, think critically, and take responsibility for global issues. Special thanks to Ms Herbommez, Mr Anderson, Ms Mehta, Oppidan Education, and all staff who helped make the day such a success. Congratulations go to Anto A-C and Charlie T for delivering their winning statements to the full assembly.
