The Government of the Canary Islands, in collaboration with the University of La Laguna, has launched a course to train influencers sustainable, that is, with reference to the objectives of the Canary Islands Sustainable Development Agenda, the academic center will prepare young people as sustainability agents so that they become 3C influencers (knowledge, awareness and commitment) in their curricular, work, associative, social or personal sphere.
As explained by the coordinator of the initiative, a teacher and researcher at the Faculty of Education of La Laguna Itahisa Pérez Pérez, It is about speaking to young people as equals and using their own tools "as the most effective way to transmit information to them, involve them in certain projects or make them participants in different proposals.".
And for that, there's nothing better than being an influencer and using social media as a communication tool. However, this model is far removed from the usual image of celebrities showcasing their lifestyle and is instead aimed at disseminating content for social purposes.
The initiative is part of 14 projects promoted by the two public universities in the Canary Islands with funding from the regional government, seeking innovative solutions to help raise awareness and promote the Canary Islands Agenda 2030.
Initially, most of the students who enrolled in the course were unfamiliar with the 2030 Agenda, the SDGs, their goals, or how to implement them. Once the course began, they showed great interest in the possibilities for developing their projects and said it should continue in order to "give young people opportunities to participate and present their proposals directly" and to reach groups that are not usually reached by these initiatives, such as the elderly, dependents, or people with disabilities, says Pérez.
Small actions, big goals
The students were attracted not only by the name (Influencer 3C), but by the opportunity to "take action from a small start, but with a final goal that can be big," says Wude Castro, one of the participants in the project who is studying Pedagogy at the University of La Laguna.
The course was designed with a theoretical component, which has already been completed, and a second phase of unique practical exercises. The coordinator explains that the students themselves decide on their personalized learning paths—guided by a tutor—in which they address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that best suit their personal, educational, or even life interests. Pérez emphasizes that these are not typical practical exercises, but rather aim to generate content, primarily for social media, but also through talks, advising, and service-learning (SL).
The initial area of this proposal is the municipality of La Laguna, although its projection is regional to disseminate the SDGs and facilitate their knowledge, while "conveying the urgency of accelerating their fulfillment and explaining how they contribute to improving the economy and social well-being.".
Five people will finish the course in March. The goal is for these young women to become spokespeople for their chosen projects, which focus primarily on socio-educational and gender issues, although they have also addressed poverty and health. “We don’t want to be famous or make money. We want to change things and improve them,” insists Wude Castro, a sentiment echoed by her colleague María del Cristo Velázquez.
“Take action to change things”
Velázquez, a doctoral student at the University of La Laguna, is focused on disseminating information about terrestrial biodiversity, responsible consumption, and climate change through social media—she has chosen Bluesky as her platform. She points out that “raising awareness isn't as difficult as creating the necessary commitments to generate positive change,” and believes that social media is the “most direct and effective” way to reach young people with this type of content.
Wude Castro also understands that this channel—in her case, Instagram—is the easiest way to connect with people her age. She is part of an NGO that works on projects aimed at alleviating poverty and raising awareness that “in the Canary Islands, there are also people who lack access to basic services; it’s not just a problem in developing countries.” She is convinced that it is possible “to work together to change things and build a more equitable world.”.
Itahisa Pérez, the coordinator, acknowledges that the work of knowledge and awareness is "medium and long term", but emphasizes that this course "is a seed to continue empowering and working", because the goal is to continue with the project and implement it on other islands.
Custom projects
This is also María del Cristo Velasco's vision: to consolidate a group of influencers by creating commitment through projects focused on environmental protection. Another student, Katherina Gómez, is interested in promoting well-being and quality inclusive education and found in Influencers 3C a way to work through the SDGs related to Health and Well-being and Quality Education, areas that are also related to her training in Pedagogy.
As part of her practical work, she is involved in a socio-educational project centered on the Re-Connect workshop: Prevention of Techno-addictions and the Use of ICT (information and communication technologies) through healthy habits. Her proposal aims to raise awareness about the responsible use of ICT through a workshop that provides tools for managing technology use in a balanced way, avoiding its risks and promoting its positive applications.
Katherina affirms that being an influencer is a good way to connect with young people, especially because "they access information through social media like TikTok." She maintains that these platforms allow for a more direct approach, a view shared by her colleagues.
Through a barter market, Ithaisa Martín aims to delve deeper into the circular economy, another of the Sustainable Development Goals. “Small actions to bring about change.“ She promotes her initiative through TikTok and Bluesky, and so far, she's finding a receptive audience, albeit with some surprise, because ”even at the university, it's jarring to see the word 'influencer' linked to the 2030 Agenda.“ She maintains that this approach to content delivery is more dynamic and resonates more with young people than a traditional course, and ”has a greater impact.”.
For Alejandra Hernández, a second-year Pedagogy student, the course led her to a project focused on Canarian culture, which is being developed in collaboration with the University at the CEIP Prácticas Aneja school in La Laguna. The school, she explains, considers it important for students to learn about Canarian culture, and the first phase is to identify the children's interests.
Intergenerational meeting
As a final touch to these months of learning, in May - and within the framework of Canary Islands Day - an intergenerational meeting is planned in which more than 90 Pedagogy students participate, whom this student, together with the teaching staff, involved in the project.
Like her colleagues, Hernández - who is especially interested in the SDGs related to culture and education - relies on the influence of networks and visual 'capsules' to get her content out because with them she can offer "relevant information more effectively than through talks or formulas that require more time.".
On a personal level, the expectations of these students "have been met and even exceeded," since through the course they have been able to learn more about the sustainable development goals and, above all, find ways to apply them and, as they all repeat, "be part of a change.".
(Note and photo provided by the Government of the Canary Islands)
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