The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) are a non-profit initiative focused on aligning inner development with a sustainable future on our planet. The IDG Framework simplifies a complex field of human development to help us better identify, understand, communicate, develop, and integrate the inner skills needed for sustainable development. Lottie Dowling, IDG Ambassador, expresses it beautifully when she explains:
Every human questions their meaning and purpose at multiple times throughout their life, often in times of challenges or disruption. The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) provide a framework to help students and educators develop the skills, values, and mindsets needed to create a more sustainable and just world, and without a doubt, it is needed now more than ever. Humans are very good at looking ‘outwards’ for solutions, throwing knowledge, and more often technology, at it. We expect this to solve these issue and then walk away feeling our responsibility has been fulfilled. However, the IDGs ask us to look inwards, to develop ourselves as holistic members of communities and societies, so we are ready to respond with well developed skill and value driven responses.
By supporting our students to turn inwards, focussing on personal and collective growth, the IDGs can assist build students’ self-awareness, resilience, and ability to collaborate and take action for positive change. Just like the Ancient Greek concept Paideia, the IDGs are focussed on developing a young citizen holistically, going beyond developing the intellect. The IDGs can support students to find purpose, develop empathy, and strengthen their ability to navigate challenges—both in their own lives and in their communities. When educators foster these inner capacities, we can better prepare young people to contribute meaningfully to a more sustainable and interconnected world.
At Orenda Learning, we connect deeply with the five dimensions of the IDGs and agree that personal inner development is crucial for us to collectively realise the positive shifts that are needed in our communities. Be The Change, our program in active citizenship, was first developed in 2019 and takes a holistic approach to support young people to learn the skills, qualities and agency to lead positive change. We’re thrilled that the program lines up so well with the IDGs and recognises the importance of integrating inner development into school learning programs. In this article we’ll explore the five dimensions of the IDGs and connect them with aspects of BTC.
The dimension of Being in the Inner Development Goals is outlined as “Cultivating our inner life and developing and deepening our relationship to our thoughts, feelings and body help us be present, intentional and non-reactive when we face complexity.” Young people today face the very real presence of emotional challenges such as climate anxiety as they consider the state of the planet and how they can address issues. In BTC we make a clear connection between ‘Being’ and service, encouraging young people to deepen their relationship to their inner world through Mindfulness. BTC teaches that mindfulness can be used as a way to cultivate useful qualities such as resilience, when coping with challenges that community engagement can present. Students also learn to use mindfulness to remain anchored in a place of equanimity and presence.
The Thinking dimension of the IDG’s refers to cognitive skills such as critical thinking, complexity awareness and sense making. The IDGs state that the development of cognitive skills is essential for “wise decision making” (IDGs, 2025) and making sense of the world as a whole. Understanding that simple solutions to complex problems can not only be ineffective but in some cases even harmful, is part of the learning from Be The Change, and students have multiple opportunities to develop their thinking skills as part of the program. The presence of a systems thinking lesson in BTC supports young people to see communities as complex systems and understand that addressing a need in a community requires a variety of cognitive skills and a ‘big picture’ approach.
The Relating dimension of the Inner Development Goals is a fundamental part of Be The Change, as we feel that at the root of best practice service is caring for others and our world. The IDGs state that “appreciating, caring for and feeling connected to others, such as neighbours, future generations or the biosphere, helps us create more just and sustainable systems and societies for everyone.” (IDGs, 2025). Students that take Be The Change learn to build open-hearted relationships with their peers, family members and extended community. They also learn that reciprocity is a fundamental element in community engagement through service, and explore the building blocks of a reciprocal partnership. In BTC we also introduce the concept of Ubuntu: a traditional African philosophy that translates as “I am because you are.” Ubuntu highlights the interconnectedness of humanity and encourages collaboration for social change.
The Collaborating dimension of the Inner Development Goals states that “To make progress on shared concerns, we need to develop our abilities to include, hold space and communicate with stakeholders with different values, skills and competencies.” (IDGs, 2025). We couldn’t agree more and see effective collaboration as fundamental to building successful community partnerships. In Be The Change students learn how to engage with stakeholders in their community and we highlight consultation as a critical element in collaboration for change. We’ve seen that when decisions for solutions are made without proper consultation it can be disempowering for community members, lead to ineffective service initiatives, and create misconceptions in students’ learning.
The fifth and final Inner Development Goal is Acting: Enabling Change. At Orenda Learning, we know that gaining knowledge and inner growth are crucial because this spurs informed action, which is at the heart of the Be The Change program. Our strategic intent is “To equip young people with crucial knowledge, skills, qualities and the agency to affect positive global transformation in our rapidly changing and complex world.” More guidance for informed action can be found in BTC 3.0 - which includes ways to build courage, creativity, optimism and perseverance. Over the years young people that have taken BTC have acted in powerful ways by instigating service projects or collaborating with partner organisations.
The IDGs provide a compelling roadmap for inner development that will support the regeneration and sustainability of our planet. Integrating these goals into education supports the next generation to cultivate the skills, qualities and agency to shape change in their communities and transform our collective future on earth.
References
Framework. (2025). Inner Development Goals https://innerdevelopmentgoals.org/framework/
Lindencrona, F. & IDG EDUCATION CIRCLE. (2024). Bringing the Inner Development Goals into Education [Book]. https://meglanguages.com/canvasresources/Going%20Global/EDUCATION_CIRCLE_WHITEPAPER_IDGs_10_14_24.pdf
