About this episode
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call to action to help people and the planet—and projects aligned to those goals require strong collaboration with stakeholders, whether they’re government agencies, teachers or farmers. We discuss this with: Jenny Buccos, CEO of EXPLR and co-director of the National STEM Festival, New York City: Buccos discusses how she and her team worked with the U.S. Department of Education along with corporate and philanthropic partners to bring the National STEM Festival to life. She also talks about the skills she leaned on to build stronger relationships with partners, the festival’s future and how STEM can help make a big impact on UN SDGs. Simon Dyer, CEO, Virtual Irrigation Academy, Sunshine Coast, Australia: Dyer shares VIA’s history and how small-scale farmers, their communities and governments are using VIA’s tech and the data it generates to make informed irrigation decisions. He also talks about the importance of face-to-face conversations with stakeholders, cultivating partners within the communities projects are happening in, and his biggest lessons learned from collaborating with stakeholders. Key themes [02:17] Bringing stakeholders together for the National STEM Festival [07:18] Collaborating with partners without losing sight of a project’s goal [08:42] Leaning on time management and stakeholder engagement to build partnerships [13:25] How STEM can help teams achieve UN SDGs [16:26] How farmers, communities and governments use VIA’s tech to make informed irrigation decisions [22:09] The power of face-to-face interactions with stakeholders—and embracing community partners [26:38] Lessons learned: Don’t assume your stakeholders’ pain points and don’t discount your stakeholders’ knowledge