17 SDG Monsters That Make the World a Better Place'

Interview with Jesler, the author of “17 Sweet, Devoted, Generous Monsters – 17 SDG Monsters that Make the World a Better Place”

In October 2020, Jesler van Houdt published a children’s picture book based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. As a current AIESECer in the Netherlands herself, we thought it would be nice to ask Jesler about her inspiration, motivation and eventually the process of writing the book. Read all answers below!

Welcome, Jesler! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your book?

Of course! I’m Jesler van Houdt and I’m currently finishing up my Double Bachelor’s Degree at University College Maastricht and University College Freiburg where I study environmental sciences with a focus on social sciences, and law. I decided to study environmental studies about four years ago because I realised that sustainability and environmental protection were passions of mine. And they still are! I live very environmentally conscious in my day-to-day life and try to bring this into other aspects of my life as well. This, by the way, is also why I joined AIESEC a bit more than 3 years ago – I really liked the organisation’s focus on the Sustainable Development Goals and how it combined this with cross-cultural cooperation and understanding.

I feel like in AIESEC, we have this strong focus on finding solutions and doing what we can – however small that may be – to make this world a better place. I wanted to incorporate this same feeling in my children’s book. The book 17 Sweet, Devoted, Generous Monsters, in short, the SDG Monsters, introduces one monster per SDG and explains in a very simple way what this monster does to make a difference in the world and why. These are all little things – something a small child can do as well. For example sharing toys/books (in the book related to ‘no poverty’ (SDG 1). But this obviously also relates to ‘responsible consumption’ (SDG 12). After all, most SDGs are closely related) or turning off the water tap when brushing your teeth (SDG 11). Hereby, making the actions relatable, doable and universal was very important to me.

And why is that?

I remember getting interested in sustainability myself when I was younger and googling how I can live more environmentally friendly. This was maybe 7 years ago – back then the topic of sustainability wasn’t as mainstream as it is today and the tips I found didn’t go further than changing your lightbulbs and changing to a green energy supplier. As a teenager living with my parents, this didn’t help me. I wanted to do it differently in my book.

You mention in your description of the book online that it is written using gender-neutral language. Why did you do this?

Exactly, the SDG Monsters are gender-neutral (all but one). Doing this was a conscious decision that I also explain at the end of my book. Intuitively, I gave all monsters a gender, but after thinking twice about this, I questioned why. By consciously not gendering most monsters, I want to increase the number of children identifying with the monsters. All while reducing the danger of including or creating unwanted stereotypes. After all, the book isn’t about whether a specific monster is male, female or non-binary, but rather about their actions.

So, how did you go about writing and then publishing the book?

Quite honestly, I just had fun with it. I looked at the colours of the specific SDG I would be designing the monster for, read through the description of the SDG on the United Nation’s website and then thought about how I can downscale this so that it makes sense to a 4-year-old. And then I just started drawing.

The process of publishing was more difficult. But I did self-publish my book, which means that I had more control over the process than if I would have submitted the book to publishers. The platform I used is Tredition, which helps with printing and some of the marketing.

Finally, you are a member of AIESEC The Netherlands and have been for more than 3 years. Did this help you in writing the book?

Definitely! I have been a member of AIESEC since the start of 2018. Firstly, I was Exchange Participant Manager, Team Leader and now Case Solver (so, going more into the legal direction). I already mentioned the strong focus on solution-orientedness that inspired me. Positivity, determination and taking a global perspective, which are all encouraged within AIESEC, should definitely be added to that list as well. So the mindset with which I wrote the book was definitely strongly shaped by my AIESEC experience.

And then there is the AIESEC network that I built up of course. I’m honoured to say that Chris Arnold agreed to write a small foreword for my book. I met Chris through an AIESEC workshop and stayed in touch with him afterwards. And of course, then there are the people that read your book to give feedback, boost the book by sharing or commenting on your posts, etc. – I met many of the people that supported me like this through AIESEC.

That sounds great! Is there anything else you would like to add?

In the end, there’s one thing that is most important to me about the book, and that is sharing my passion for sustainability and the SDGs with the world. It never was about making money (you don’t publish a children’s book to make money, haha) or something like that. A few weeks ago, I got a message via LinkedIn from a primary school teacher living in Japan. She thanked me for writing a book that was so accessible to children that she could use in her class. That definitely was one of the greatest moments of this entire experience, if not in my life. And so, as a final thought, I just want to thank you for letting me share about this topic, for promoting the SDGs yourself and to everyone who is trying to have a positive impact on the world. Thank you and keep going!

Read more
6 Simple Tips to Contribute to a More Sustainable World

6 Simple Tips to Contribute to a More Sustainable World

We only have one planet. If we continue to behave like we have in the last years, this planet as we know it will not exist for our off-spring. If this misuse of the resources continues in the future, chances are that our planet might become like the other seven...

Una experiencia para nunca olvidar

Una experiencia para nunca olvidar

Starting my journey in Colombia At the start of July 2019, my sister and I took the big leap to pack our bags and visit our family in Colombia. During this time I was still deciding on doing a volunteering job for AIESEC. It was my luck to have my sister as my AIESEC...

The Importance of Self-Awareness for a Leader

The Importance of Self-Awareness for a Leader

We often try to identify our existence with our position in society, friends, and family, the desires of our bodies, and the emotional and intellectual expressions of our minds. For instance, we might introduce ourselves as ‘I am a business administration student, and...

3 Tips to Stay Motivated During Lockdown

3 Tips to Stay Motivated During Lockdown

Normally it can be difficult to stay motivated when working or studying. Now, the pandemic forces the most of us to work and study at home, staying motivated can become an even bigger issue. Some important things to keep track of during the pandemic to stay motivated...

Exchange in Sri Lanka

Exchange in Sri Lanka

My time in Sri Lanka The most incredible and heart-warming experience I had this summer, was working at a school in Sri Lanka. The school specializes in teaching children with autism and down syndrome. An exceptional aspect to mention about the school, is that the...

6 tips for Effective Communication

6 tips for Effective Communication

Have you ever wondered how effective your communication is? No matter if you believe that you are an expert or an amateur of communication, improving your ability to communicate is an endless process. In this blog, you will find 6 fundamental ways that will help you...

Leadership in times of crisis

Leadership in times of crisis

Hi! I’m Sonida, 21 years old and currently studying International Studies at Leiden University. This year, I decided I wanted to challenge myself further by applying for AIESEC Leiden. I’m now the online marketing manager and I’m really liking it thus far. Being able...

6 tips for better time management

6 tips for better time management

6 tips for better time-management How often do you find yourself overwhelmed by all the deadlines, responsibilities and to-do’s as a student? Trying to balance our studies with part-time jobs, volunteering, sports or just maintaining a social life is one of the...

When Can I Go on Exchange Again?

When Can I Go on Exchange Again?

Traveling alone or going on exchange to another country might be one of the things you want to do during your student time or before you get a serious job. Exploring new places and meeting new people are certainly a fun experience and contribute to your personal...

Sustainable Development Goals in times of COVID-19

Sustainable Development Goals in times of COVID-19

2015 the United Nations General Assembly set The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or The Global Goals. These goals aim to tackle and find solutions to various issues, such as poverty, climate change, etc., and should be achieved by 2030. However, on the journey to...

Why Should You Volunteer?

Why Should You Volunteer?

Volunteering seems a waste of time and effort without gaining anything in return to some people, are you one of them? It’s okay if you are, because in this blog we will explain to you why you should consider doing volunteer work and how it will be beneficial to you...

My Experience in Ghana

My Experience in Ghana

In the summer of 2019 I participated in the Medicine Project, organised by AIESEC. I got the chance to go to Ghana for 6 weeks to experience the culture and work at the hospital there. Before I left I was already in contact with people from AIESEC in Ghana. They...

Interested?

Take the first step.

Book a free consultation call in one of our cities to explore your opportunities!