Utrecht University joins the CESDA network as the first European partner

Utrecht University is proud to announce its partnership with the CESDA network, a global consortium of educational institutions dedicated to promoting social development and welfare through research, knowledge sharing, capacity building, community engagement, policy advocacy, and international collaboration. This partnership will contribute to the development of a new Collaborative Online Learning Platform (COIL) on climate change and sustainable development. The platform, initiated by Dr Jackline Nyerere, Senior Lecturer of Educational Leadership and Policy Director, Centre for International Programmes and Collaboration at Kenyatta University, along with other partners, aims to enhance global collaboration and access to climate change education.

Dr. Nyerere recently visited the Centre for Global Challenges (UGlobe) at Utrecht University and met with several enthusiastic partners from the Utrecht community. Among them were Joost de Laat en Annemieke Steenbergen from UGlobe, Marjanneke Vijge from CHARM-EU, Mirne Van Cammen from the Centre for Academic Teaching (CAT), and Anke Swanenberg, a community-engaged learning advisor for the EWUU alliance.

The COIL platform is slated for kick-off in January 2025. It promises to be a transformative tool for climate change and sustainability education, empowering youth across Africa and Europe with the knowledge and skills needed to tackle wicked problems and complex challenges for a more sustainable and livable future for people and the planet.

Utrecht University's involvement as a partner in the COIL platform underscores its commitment to being at the cutting edge of knowledge production and innovation to tackle complex global challenges. The university's expertise in teaching and learning and its extensive network will undoubtedly contribute significantly to the platform's success.

More details about the COIL platform and its potential impact will be unveiled in the coming months, leading up to the anticipated launch next year. Utrecht University invites the academic community to join in the excitement as it embarks on this groundbreaking educational initiative.