Looking back on the Sustainability Education & Engagement Kick-off Event

On 6 March 2023 the kick-off event for the Pathways to Sustainability community Sustainability Education & Engagement took place in Paushuize Utrecht. The meeting was introduced by Toine Pieters, chair of the Board of Studies of the Graduate School of Natural Sciences, and Tine Béneker, vice-dean of Education at the Faculty of Geosciences.

Julius Rathgens gave a keynote about the ‘Leuphana Semester’, the sustainability-focused semester all students at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg follow and in which they engage with socially relevant topics from the lens of their own discipline.

After the break, a world café ensued. Participants (a diverse group consisting of students, academic staff and support staff) were asked to share their thoughts on four different questions:

  • What should be the highest priority of the new community;
  • what kind of project would you develop within the context of the community if you were to receive a bag of money;
  • what is the past, present and future of sustainability education and engagement at UU;
  • how do education and engagement relate to one another.

The enthusiasm and creativity were palpable in the air. After the kick-off, our community moved full steam ahead in developing a pitch for a Pathways Incubator project, inspired by the input given during the kick-off event.

Curious?

Do you want to know more? Or do you want to stay updated on future developments? Please contact community manager Tom Gerritsen.

Sustainability Education & Engagement community

As the SE&E community, we aim to support and advance initiatives that make the next step towards the future of sustainability education and engagement. So, if you have project or workshop ideas, or if you're organizing events or lectures related to our community focus, please be inspired by our community or reach out to us to see how the community can assist your initiative. Our community is a network of like-minded people from all faculties, which means that together we can accelerate change and make a true impact on sustainability education and engagement.