oikos Sustainable Finance Career Map

Hello from Sestriere! 

We’d like to invite you to join a very special project on Sustainable Finance 💶📈  💚 🌍🌏🌎 

We would like the oikos community to join in co-creating our “Career-Map” and “Toolkit” 🔨🔭🔩. 

While at Curriculum Camp 2021, the Sustainable Finance Squad has been working on starting the website for our project. We’ve been working on: 

  • Defining what Sustainable Finance is
  • Explaining how you can use the Toolkit
  • Mapping the career paths you can take
  • Outlining the most important areas to learn about Sustainable Finance

You can help us! If you’d like to join the Sustainable Finance Squad, we’ve designed a Google Form for you to share how you might want to particiapate. Sign up here!

Become a part of our Sustainable Finance 

(Left to Right) Niklas Ziemann, (oikos Hamburg), Adarsh Mishra (oikos Graz), Karen Lin (oikos Lille), Stephen Snider (oikos International), and Ingrid Campi (oikos Barcelona).

Would you like to learn more about the project? Check out our flyer.

We’ve been contacting professors, students, and practitioners to help co-create the toolkit. Here is how you can help? 

  • What are some Sustainable Finance projects you have hosted? We want to feature the work you have done. 
  • Who are members and alumni interested in developing our platform? They will get to organize, network, interview, and write, 

If you want more information, feel free to reach out to Stephen at stephen.snider@oikos-international.org

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oikos International

posted August 28, 2021

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The Reform – August 2021 | oikos Bangalore Newsletter

We’re excited to share the first edition of The Reform – the oikos Bangalore Newsletter.

“The first edition of ‘The Reform’ resonates with the idea of working together for a better future. You’ll find news snippets in ‘Eco-policies around the World’, an insightful QnA with Ms Krishna Rubhiga, and a fun ‘Binge Green’ section. The issue also features ‘Opinion Poll’, conducted among the oikos community members about the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals and their views around it. ”

Read it here.

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oikos International

posted August 26, 2021

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Join us for the oikos Camp Conference on 28 August

The oikos Curriculum Camp is a week-long gathering for teams working on projects related to sustainability in economics and management education. It will take place from 23 to 28 of August in Sestriere, Italy.

At the camp, nine topical teams will be working on producing learning and teaching materials around Sustainable Finance, Ecological Economics, Positive Impact Rating Case Studies, Micro LEAP: A leadership program for chapters, Diversify and Decolonize the Curriculum, Pluralist Economics Certificate Project, Curriculum Review of Economics Education in Italy, Curriculum Review of Economics and Management Education at ESADE Barcelona, and Economy Studies: A New Approach to Economics Education. On Saturday, 28 August, at 15:00 CEST we will host an open oikos Camp Conference where these teams will have an opportunity to share with the whole community their outputs and answer any questions you may have. If you want to hear more or further explore their amazing work, join us for the oikos Camp Conference by sending us an email to curriculum@oikos-international.org and we will send you the zoom link!

Through the Curriculum Camp, we hope to support the development of participant’s knowledge and empower them to carry out their projects of producing a number of specific tools which can be useful to the oikos community in our work to integrate sustainability into economics and management education. At Camp, teams, including those formed at the FutureLab, will have a chance to develop their skills and really focus on their projects, working on the development of a single concrete output that can take your initiative forward. The event will feature an interactive program which will support the groups in further developing their projects, and will offer training sessions on specific skills such as educational innovation, interactive facilitation, and creative communication.

We’re looking forward to seing you at the oikos Camp Conference!

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oikos International

posted August 18, 2021

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The first ever oikos International Co-President elected

On Sunday August 15 the oikos Community gathered to elect the first ever Co-President at an Extraordidanry Legislative Meeting. The meeting took place online and was attended by representatives of oikos chapters along with the oikos Advisors.

The decision wasn’t easy as the electors were faced with the choice between two amazing candidates and outstanding members of our community, both with years of oikos experience behind them and ambitious visions for the future. Over the course of the meeting the two candidates – Mehraj and Darija – presented themselves, their oikos journeys and plans and ideas for the next two years. The very inspired candidates were backed by equally motivated members of the community, whose thought-provoking questions sparked a fruitful and engaging discussion.

After the chapter representatives got to know the candidates, they were given an opportunity to further the discussion in smaller groups, exchanging impressions and thoughts among each other. These smaller discussions then lead to forming a few more points which the candidates and the community addressed together prior to voting. The entire democratic process and the engagement of the attendees earned praise from the present advisors who were impressed by the mature and thoughtout exchange.

Finally, the chapter representatives would get to vote on the historic decision that would shift our governing model to co-presidential and as the counting committee counted all of the votes, the final decision was announced to the assembly.

The first ever oikos International Co-President is Darija Miletić, whose term begins on November 1 of this year. We would like to congratulate Darija on the trust the community has showed her with the decision and wish her best of luck in the next two years. We would also like to congratulate Mehraj for taking the big step as a candidate and express our hope he remains engaged with our community in future.

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oikos International

posted August 16, 2021

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Join our team: oikos Volunteers

Have you ever wondered what the oikos International work is all about?

Have you ever wanted to influence what we do?

Do you want to be a part of a diverse team at the international level?

And, above all, do you want to be the change?

Applications for Volunteer positions are open indefinitely.

Who are our volunteers?

Volunteers are autonomous members of the International team, trusted with a project of their own. They usually maintain support functions for the day-to-day operations of oikos and its community, but also ensure our long-term impact with some more in-depth projects.

For example, one of our volunteers is currently supporting on a regular basis the applications of new chapters who wish to join our community. Another volunteer was supporting us in establishing our community platform, the internal online structure that enables our community to communicate and grow together towards a greater impact.

What can you do there?

How can you contribute?

We are currently looking for volunteers in the following areas:

  • Fundraising
  • IT
  • Alumni
  • Communication and Marketing
  • Organizational Development
  • oiCases Volunteer

Interested?

This is your chance! The oikos Working Groups are looking for YOU. Come and be a part of the team!

Apply to become one of our official Volunteers

Other volunteering positions are available within our Working Groups, check it out here.

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Gregory Vrient

posted August 16, 2021

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[CLOSED] Apply for the oikos International Board 2021/22

Are you one of our next board members? Apply for the oikos International Board 2021/22!

You love putting strategies into action and you are passionate about changing the world? Are you passionate about oikos and its international community of student change agents? Are you looking to enhance and develop your skills in a specific field that aligns with your strengths? Up for practicing your leadership in a truly global context, together with like-minded people from all over the world, while learning all about international non-profit governance?

Then this is for you: apply as a Board Member of oikos International!

What is the oikos Board & how do we work? 

The oikos International Board is part of the oikos International Team and governs the strategies and actions on the international level. Representing the oikos community, the Board is given the responsibility for inspiring and empowering the community to move towards our common purpose, mission and vision and for demonstrating its core values. Next to this, expanding the organization’s resilience, and exploring systematic linkage with other organizations engaged in the pursuit of similar objectives are topics that move the Board as a whole. Each member of the Board is needed as a proactive and co-creative participant in a body that functions effectively as a team, taking on a role that matches their strengths. 

As a Board member, you commit to a 1-year volunteer commitment(excluding handover period) of about 10h/week. This way, you will see that you will really have an impact and can grow in your role and together with the team. From experience, we see that long-term, honest commitments are the only thing that serves the organization, so please only apply if you are up to staying around for a whole year. 

What are the responsibilities of a Board member?

As a Board member, you will…

  • Empower and inspire the community through practicing leadership and exploring strategic directions for the organization
  • Work alongside your fellow board members, as a body that is in constant exchange and supports each other.
  • Pursue a certain thematic role and be accountable to the community for competent, conscientious, and effective accomplishment of this mandate. This includes developing strategies together with volunteers and employees and overseeing the implementation of everything related to your mandate. In other words, you might convene and manage a sub-team of oikos International, depending on your role and the situation within the team.
  • Assess the impact of our organization and reporting them to the community and partners
  • Stay informed and engaged with all fields, initiatives, squads etc. related to and organised by oikos International 

At the beginning of the term, the newly elected Board comes together to agree on the ways of working and the official roles and responsibilities of each Board member. These conversations aim at co-creating commitments that highlight our strengths while covering all fields of responsibility. We will also set priorities and concrete goals of your role within the Board. We are looking for curious people who are eager to try out new things.

What are the available roles on the board? 

Next to the general duties of a Board member, our Board works hands on to support a specific field within the organization. One Board member can cover several roles, according to her/his availability and scope of commitment.

As mentioned above, the exact roles of each individual Board member will only be agreed upon in our first team meetings. The current Board prepared a little summary of their current work within their specific roles. These fields might give you some orientation for your application – but might be restructured based on the needs of the new team. If we identify that one role is missing, we will add it on the spot. 

Fundraising

The fundraising role is diverse and challenging. If you are a real people’s person and great at keeping an overview, then this is for you. We have different fields in fundraising, like the work with foundations, the outreach to new potential partners and alternative approaches like crowdsourcing. As a board member for fundraising, you are at the forefront of coordinating a team of volunteers, coordinating their work and support of the international team. Next year, we wish to build on existing relationships, improve the collaboration with the initiative teams who have their program-related donors and need support, and finding a more effective way of reaching out to new partners.

Current BM: Mike Brodersen

International Programs & Initiatives

Being responsible for the overall-coordination of oikos International programs and initiatives doesn’t mean to be actively involved in all of them, but rather maintaining and providing an overview and helping in the communication about and between the initiatives. This way, you can help removing barriers for project teams and help cross-pollinating ideas. In this role, you will also facilitate the ongoing, very agile process of assessing impact and turning learnings into next steps. This project is called impact matrix and will need a lot of your attention in the following term. Other projects coming up: clarifying the initiative overview and helping the team prioritize their actions.

Current BM: Darija Miletic

Marketing

The role of marketing includes both, finding strategic direction and putting projects into action together with the marketing team. This includes oikos International’s website, social media accounts, newsletters, print media, and other marketing channels. Of course, we also have to  report key performance indicators and make sure our communication reaches the right people (eg. community and team). You will be responsible for stewarding a team and collaborate closely with all the different initiatives

Alumni

Maintaining and strengthening the alumni network with old and new initiatives, events and projects is the main role of the board member for alumni relationships. Ensuring to keep the alumni connected to oikos International as well as the current oikos community is a task that requires you to think creatively and structured at the same time, considering the big potential our alumni bring to us..

One key project (currently in preparation) will be the establishment of a network of alumni ambassadors to better engage and connect the alumni community. This further included database establishment and management. Furthermore, the alumni portraits series needs to be continued. 

Current BM: Carolin Lemke

Information Technology

You want to provide strategic direction on the use and optimization of online administrative tools, data management policies & processes, and privacy & security threats & opportunities?

You do not have to be an expert in all the IT topics to take on this exciting role. One of the most important characteristics is curiosity, the willingness to learn and dive into the topics. 

For the upcoming board year the focus shall be on the optimization of the new oikos platform. Here you are going to work with our volunteer and the chapters together. An additional project would be updating our data privacy guidelines and communicating those new guidelines in an accessible way. 

Current BM: Luisa Pütz

Community & Chapter Development

This role holds the responsibility of hosting the community and making sure that new members arrive well and become an integrated part of the network. You will consult frequently with the Presidents and regional facilitators in order to ensure organizational alignment; act as a communication channel for chapters to communicate their needs and escalate any grievances to the Board. My current projects include coordinating the chapter impact dashboards of all chapters  and managing the  working group taking care of the community development. I am also always available to consult and advise chapters on internal management and strategy and enjoy exploring and managing new chapter applications. 

Current BM: Arthur Maria

Organizational Development

The field of organizational development is wide – and in this role, prioritizing and having an overview is key. In addition to topics and initiatives focussing on the development of oikos International as an organization, you will have responsibilities regarding team and people development, too. Together with one of the presidents and the responsible person for human relations at oikos, you will work on topics like feedback, decision making and organizational culture which all are key to the thriving of oikos. In the next year, there will be critical decisions and changes like the organizational structure, which will need you to coordinate well, communicate clearly and with a lot of encouragement.

Current BM: Carolin Lemke

Partnerships

Are you interested in learning more about the field of student change agents, transforming education and the next generation of leadership? As a board member for partnerships you have the chance to directly work and exchange with our partners, build on old relations and discover new ones that move our organization ahead. Projects this year included the design of a new partners framework, and in alignment with this, the update of our list of partners, Partnership Guidelines, as well as maintaining our Partners engagement, and exploring new partnership opportunities.

Current BM: Ikshek Misri

Legal Matters

There are many legal questions to address for an international organization with multiple layers of complexity. In this role, you help addressing these questions together with our legal partners, coordinating between the sub_team with the issue at hand and the legal support. One of the main tasks: preparing and co-charing legislative meetings, understanding our legal base (constitution etc) and helping to keep our governance structure up to date. You don’t have to be an legal expert to enter this role, you only need some great coordination competencies and the wish to explore this field with big responsibility. 

What are Opportunities and Benefits of becoming a Board member?

There are plenty! You will, for example,…

  • Join a high performing and multicultural team in an innovative and open-minded environment 
  • Take decisions that guide the direction of the organization with a truly international scope and impact and see our vision come to fruition;
  • Enhance your networks and connections with students, faculty and sustainability professionals from all over the world;
  • Develop a variety of skills that surely will last beyond your time as a Board member (eg. leadership, strategy and communication skills)
  • Gain deeper knowledge of your role and areas of responsibility while having the opportunity to create and try new things
  • Have the opportunity to be coached by a professional coach
  • Join our international gatherings, programs and strategy sessions (onsite or online) and get to know the oikos community from a completely different perspective

What should you bring – Qualifications & Requirements

There are only a few points we wish to stress, like..

  • You should be a current Bachelor, Master or PhD student or recent graduate
  • A commitment to, and a clear understanding of the purpose, mission and vision of oikos;
  • A minimum of one academic term (4 months) of experience at oikos at any level;
  • B2/C1 level in written and spoken English;
  • An open mind and curiosity to try out new things. oikos is a playground and we do most of our work in co-creation. You should be up for working together and be willing to communicate and take time for teambuilding and similar efforts.
  • Availability for an one-year commitment to oikos, excluding the handover process until the end of 2022;
  • You need the will and availability to dedicate approximately 10 hours per week (40 hours a month) to oikos. In view of this, we request candidates planning to go on exchange, graduate or take up a full-time job within their mandate to carefully consider if you would be able to fulfil a sustained commitment to oikos and to state possible restrictions in the application. Furthermore, from experience we see that a double commitment as a chapter president and an oikos International board member is hard to balance, so please take this in consideration, too;
  • Be available for weekly and monthly calls, annual international meetings and strategy meetings.

How to apply? 5 simple steps! 

If you are interested in applying, please fill in this form until Sunday, 3.10.21, 11.59 pm  CET. Next to some general information about your person, you will have to upload

  • Your curriculum vitae (max. 2 pages);
  • A motivational letter stating why you wish to apply, how you want to make a difference, the skills and experiences you will bring to oikos, and a brief summary of your time availability over the next one year. You can also share the roles you might be interested in, knowing that you won’t be elected for any of them, but as a Board member in general (max. 2 pages);
  • Your vision for oikos in general and the roles you could imagine to fulfill in the Board  (max 2 pages)
  • A short 100-word biography and a picture to be put on the oikos website.
  • A 3-to-5-minute video to introduce your candidature to the Legislative Assembly 

Once the application deadline closes, we will share all information with our community as a preparation for the Legislative Meeting where the new Board will be elected. Documents (except the short biography) won’t be published on our website and are only accessible to community members on our drive. 

All applicants then are required to join the virtual Legislative Meeting on 17.10.2021 via zoom in order to take part in a panel conversation, defend their application and run for election. The election of the Board members is a democratic process involving all chapters holding the status of a full membership. Results will be announced at the oikos Conference in St. Gallen (20-24.10), where the new board will step together for a first time and kick off their term.

Any questions? Please contact us at election@oikos-international.org or reach out to any board member. 

We are looking forward to your application!

The oikos International board

Apply for Board Member
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Jonas Charrois

posted August 13, 2021

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Co-Presidency 2021: Meet the Candidates

On August 15 the oikos Chapters will elect the first ever Co-President of oikos International who is set to begin their term at the end of the year.
Today, we are delighted to present to you the two amazing candidates from our community.

Mehraj Aliyev
oikos Baku, Azerbaijan

Mehraj is a bachelor graduate of International Relations at Baku Engineering University. He is a receptive person with a passion for Sustainability and a member of the oikos since 2017. Mehraj obtained BA degree in International Relations in 2020. Besides his activities in oikos Baku, he worked in European External Actions Services (EEAS), Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE), Center for Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) in different positions.

He has a mature outlook of life and is always committed to his tasks. He believes that there’s always “one more thing” to learn.

As oikos, as oikees from all around the world, we should set up our options for the future!
Now please think and write down the three things in the comment you want to see in our world.
I would like to say the item I wrote in the first line: Sustainability. As long as we embrace our vision, mission and do this as oikos community, I know that we can encourage those all around us.

Darija Miletić
oikos Belgrade, Serbia

Darija is a student of Molecular biology and physiology at the University of Belgrade. She loves to explore the world and has many different hobbies and passions. Besides being a scientist, she is very passionate about art, playing a piano, opera singing and working in classical music concert halls in Belgrade with great affection for Cuban music and salsa dance.

Darija enjoys being involved in her community, and volunteers on many events supporting sustainability, recycling, environmental and animal protection, human rights, leading to her joining the oikos community nearly 5 years ago. She became aware of climate change issues back in high chool, realizing the need to do something and promising herself she would one day make an invention to allow nature and humans to coexist together in the right and most natural way. And she intends to do it through continuous work at oikos, and by influencing society around her and raising awareness all around the world.

… Let’s steward and strengthen our global community of student change agents. Let’s learn, create and develop together. Let’s care for each other, spread awareness and grow as human beings on this learning journey. Leading together, hand in hand…

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oikos International

posted August 13, 2021

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Newsletter July 2021

Welcome to the late edition of our July newsletter!

This summer is building up to be a very exciting one! In July we saw the first in-person oikos International event since the beginning of the pandemic last year with the LEAP Mid-Term Meeting taking place partially onsite in Leysin, Switzerland. There are more to come as we look forward to the Curriculum Camp in August and at the same time the preparations for the oikos Conference will be in full swing, getting ready for an autumn of action!

Last month we had the honour to have an oikos chapter declared winner at the International Green Gown Awards, as oikos St. Gallen came on top in the Student Engagement category. An exciting development awaits in the upcoming months, as we’re getting ready for the oikos Co-Presidency. We also share a new part of the NexGenLead interview series and some tips from our chapter for a sustainable summer.

Read here Subscribe

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oikos International

posted August 4, 2021

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Extraordinary oikos Legislative Meeting in August

This article is part of a series of articles on oikos Co-Presidency. Here you can find information on the election process. You might want to catch up with oikos Co-Presidency before reading:
Never Lead Alone: oikos shift to Co-Presidency
It offers insights into our decision to shift to Co-Presidency
Open Call: oikos International Co-Presidency 2022-2023 – Do you wish to be a candidate? Find out how to apply.

Hello oikos Chapters, dear Chapter Representatives & Presidents,

The oikos International Board officially invites you to an extraordinary online Legislative Meeting on Sunday, 15.8, 1-3 pm CEST

Make sure that one chapter representative of each chapter registers here until 14.8, 11:30 pm CEST so that we can count your chapter’s vote. All other chapter members can drop in using the zoom link provided to all chapters via email. Not registered chapter representatives are not eligible to vote on behalf of their chapter. In case the representative changes, please directly adjust the registration form or contact the Chair of the Legislative Meeting via election@oikos-international.org.

What is a Legislative Assembly, what’s a Legislative Meeting?

The Legislative Assembly is the supreme authority of oikos International. It is composed of all oikos Chapters with full membership. The Legislative Assembly meets in order to get informed about the well-being of oikos International and execute their legislative power at least twice a year. Your vote as a chapter directly influences the future of oikos by deciding on strategic directions for the community as a whole. The attendance of every chapter is needed to ensure a transparent, inclusive and democratic continuation of oikos. Due to reasons of accessibility and inclusiveness, the legislative meeting will be held online. For those who have never used zoom before, please join 5 minutes earlier to get familiar with the tool. Here is a general guide.

Why do we have an additional Legislative Meeting this year?

As we are piloting a co-presidency for the first time in oikos history, we will need to vote on a second president by the end of summer in order to enable a healthy rhythm and handover period. Learn more about the co-presidency here. This will be our only agenda element this time.

Who is invited?

The Legislative Meetings are open to all oikees to attend. Just drop in and listen. Even if we encourage all oikees to join, we have to stress that only Full oikos Chapters have voting rights. In the meeting, oikos Chapters are represented by a Chapter representative that is sent by the chapter (oftentimes, that’s the president – but any chapter member can be chosen by your chapter to be its representative at the Legislative Assembly and vote on behalf of your Chapter). The chapter representative has to register under the following link until  14.8, 11:30 pm CEST.

Any other person may be admitted to the Legislative Meeting only on the invitation of the chair of the meeting or by resolution of the oikos Full Chapters. For more information about the Legislative Assembly, please read the Constitution of oikos International.

You will receive another email with the detailed agenda of the Legislative Meeting and more information on the voting items within the next weeks. Make sure to read through the materials we will provide and clarify any questions and uncertainties before the session starts so that we have a short meeting with an informed discussion. You can contact us anytime in case something is unclear!

We’re looking forward to seeing you soon,

Sophie, Darija & Luisa

representing the oikos International Board

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oikos International

posted August 4, 2021

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