Our co-director, Jenny, thinks positive!

As our media loves to dwell on negativity, it’s easy to look at the 17 UN Global Goals (SDGs) and focus on what hasn’t been achieved. And yet I still marvel that 193 countries signed up to this ambitious and groundbreaking set of targets that envisage a fairer greener future that leaves no one behind. They are also a powerful driver for governments, businesses and NGOs which stress the need to address poverty, inequality and the climate crisis in an interconnected way, not as isolated issues. 

But what do these Goals mean unless we can see impact? At Sparks Bristol we are hosting the ‘Shared Lives, Shared Futures’ exhibition from the UN to mark Global Goals Week. The exhibition tells stories of individual lives completely transformed by the SDG agenda. Chena, a construction worker in Mozambique, building climate resilient homes for displaced persons in drought risk areas. Hinda, marvelling at the free health care and education that saved the lives of her children. And Fatima, spearheading gender equality in green tech in Pakistan, ensuring education, employment opportunities and sustainable energy for communities. These are powerful stories which highlight the beauty of this joined up thinking, having such a positive impact in every country in the world.

And closer to home, Sparks Bristol is an example of how community cooperation can provide economic, social and environmental benefits to a whole city. Sparks offers ethical shopping, reuse, repair, art and education, and a place of welcome for all. It’s not perfect, but as a demonstration of what can be achieved with limited resources but a ton of determination and a diverse range of inputs, it’s an inspiring beacon of hope in what would be an otherwise abandoned building. 

As Joseph Lewis, Head of Policy at the Institution of Environmental Sciences, put it “we can’t solve everything, everywhere, all at once…but for the last 10 years, the SDGs have played a unique part in uniting the world around a shared positive vision.”

None of us can change the world alone. But if you look at all the collective action for the Goals happening in this moment, it really is Everything, Everywhere, All at once! So if you want some positivity, come into Sparks to see the exhibition, and read many more stories like Chena, Fatima and Hinda’s. And see for yourself what the shared vision of local ethical traders, repairers, educators and artists have created in Sparks Bristol. And maybe think ‘What positive impact can I make?’

Jenny Foster, Co-Director Global Goals Centre & Sparks Bristol September 2026