Global Goals Jam Geneva 2019
Design 2030 now on SDG 12, Tackling Electronic Waste locally
How do we do this?
Let’s play and use design thinking today to co-create solutions to design 2030!
IsYnnov and the Global Goals Jam
After hosting several games, proposing different challenges on sustainable development objectives (Geneva Trialogue in Geneva, the Global Festival of Action in Germany, Nordic Edge Expo in Norway and the Open Living Lab Days 2019 in Greece), we joined the Global Goals Jam movement for its 2019 edition (https://globalgoalsjam.org/).
We have therefore decided to co-create the first local edition in Geneva of this event, which took place in many cities around the world on the same weekend.
In concrete terms, what is it all about?
Using a specific method inspired by Design Thinking proposed by the Digital Society School while leaving the freedom of creativity to the local event coordinators, the Global Goals Jam is structured around 4 main themes that contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals in 2030. The objectif is to design and act locally on global challenges.
This event took place during the week #ACT4SDGs and IsYnnov was a partner.
We are developing games on sustainable development goals. It is therefore quite naturally that we have identified this as a great opportunity to be part of an international approach, to share good practices and ideas and to position Geneva on the map of this initiative supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
How to present sustainable development goals in a short, simple and fun way?
Let’s face it, all these objectives, all their interactions and other inter-dependencies can sometimes seem complex. Surprisingly, not all citizens are yet aware of these goals nor know what they could do to help achieve them.
To present the objectives of sustainable development in a fun way, we have teamed up with Adelaide Charrière, a certified facilitator of the SDG 2030 Game, just imported from Japan where it is all the rage. She presented the sustainable development goals and proposed to the participants of the Global Goals Jam Geneva to experience the SDGs through this game.
The 2019 selected subjects
For this year, the themes chosen worldwide for the Global Goals Jam were:
- Migrations
- Responsible consumption and production: electronic waste
- Protection of water and oceans
- Reducing inequalities
Global Goals Jam in Geneva
For Geneva, we have chosen to focus our efforts on electronic waste management, and we have tackled ODD 12: responsible consumption and production.

Switzerland consumes comparatively many electronic devices per person and must therefore consider the life cycle of the products consumed on its territory.
Empathy to spare, rather than a race to the solution
We did not want to look for solutions at all cost, in a very short time, so we decided to focus on the empathy and definition phases of the problem only.
Given that hypothesis, we used some key elements of the Global Goals Jam method for our session, including personas, extreme users, empathy cards and empathy prototypes.
The objective was to invite participants to co-construct a “conversational object”, which would allow everyone to feel ready to discuss the subject of electronic waste with the next citizen they meet.

A few hours of concentration, creativity and a few laughs later, and we have the first elements of our conversational object!
Wowww!!!!!!
We would like to thank our sponsors, the Department of the State Territory and the Republic of Geneva for making the 3DD space of Geneva available, ChariTea and LemonAid for providing the drinks.
Urban planning is at the crossroads of themes that impact residents on a daily basis: environment, mobility, health, economic development, energy and culture. A space for meeting and innovation, 3DD consultation space embodies the idea that today, urban planning is done by and with citizens. Managed by the Department of Planning, Housing and Energy (DALE), this site is open to civil society, as well as to any entity, group or association wishing to contribute to the development of the territory in a qualitative way, based on a participatory approach that promotes the citizenship of tomorrow.
Born from a common humanitarian project, the ChariTea and LemonAid brands aim to offer natural, fair trade and charitable products by providing financial support to Lemonaid and ChariTea e.V.
A big thank you also to all the participants, young and old, who co-built two magnificent conversational objects.
Ok, that’s all very well, but what next?
What will happen to all these good ideas generated by the participants?
What will we keep after the Lego bricks are returned in their boxes and the post-its have been put into recycling?
Who will continue to work on this subject and take the next step forward?
As you know, IsYnnov wishes to set in motion and in concrete action plans, the ideas that emerged from this Saturday afternoon, as during all our participatory workshops.
That’s why we are:
- Sharing this article with other participants of the Global Goals Jam around the world,
- Publishing videos of the event,
- Communicating with the Global Goals Jam network for good conversational object ideas: “Dad, you’re not a real dad” and “A week without mum”,
- Contacting stakeholders who could transform these ideas into concrete awareness campaigns for their city, neighborhood, organization
- Co-constructing the continuation of the story of Orwell and Aurelia (our homemade co-created persona) using the other modules of the method, with you, citizen, company, government, foundation, NGO or association, who wish to improve the situation of electronic waste management locally.
If you would like to know more, to support the initiative, to become a sponsor for the 2020 edition, to propose your own challenge for a future event or simply to discuss it, don’t hesitate to contact Isis or Yves !
