News
oikos Stories: Insights from one board to the next
As one year closes, another opens. As our 2018/19 board says their goodbyes, our 2019/20 board says hello, both offering us some insight into oikos International – where it was, where it is going, what could be improved, and so much more. Read as we ask these members important questions, discovering more about oikos International. What should/could oikos International do better? Comments from our past board One common theme presented by the past board was oikos International’s communications. For Alexis Troup, past VP of Marketing, she felt that outreach to chapters and new partners could be improved as well as sharing our library of information and resources to the community served and beyond. VP of Programming, Sarah Martin,... »
Sustainable Development Goals Trail: oikos and Leysin American School students walk and talk the SDGs
Some 50 university students from all over the world hiked the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Trail in Leysin, Switzerland, on October 26, 2019. The event was part of the LEAP Meeting 2019, a week-long leadership training that encourages participants to become responsible leaders at the forefront of sustainable development. The expedition was led by two 9th graders, Antonio and Sean, and their teacher John from the Leysin American School (LAS). The group and two other students from the LAS’s edge program crafted the route and matched the 17 Goals to landmarks across Leysin. Before leaving the starting point, Hotel Central Residence, Antonio and Sean decided to first head to the LAS Student Council (linked to SDG 16 –... »
About Economizing in Family, City and State: Looking into the life and research of the founding fathers of oikos
Article “About Economizing in Family, City and State”, written by Prof. Dr. Phil. Andreas Strunk and Julia Köhler, starts with a general introduction to the challenge of integrating sustainability in our institutions and organizations. It further discusses oikos, its structure, and its mission. The authors examine both the founding fathers of oikos and their fundamental arguments in research. Hans-Christoph Binswanger researched the correlation between money and nature, where the environmental factor is oftentimes not recognized appropriately. Hans Ulrich worked on the Management Model of St. Gallen underlining the necessity for a radical shift in mindsets towards sustainability. The article wraps up with the reason for being of oikos and gives some recommendations for the future. Read the whole article... »
The Emerging oikos Structure: Reflections on theory and practice
What is the matter of changing structures one might ask when hearing about the changes within oikos. To share her perspective on it Hannah, former oikos chapter president, active LEAP coach and Working Group member, decided to write this article. Therefore, she first makes visible what her perspective on the world is. She will mainly reference theory u which describes how social transformations happen and set this in relation to oikos and what might emerge within oikos. Finally, Hannah will conclude by pointing out why we all are needed for this. I want to start with my perspective on the world that is inspired by different people I met in many different ways. What we see is an... »
LEAP Meeting 2019: What is leadership, anyway?
Crisis in economics, ecology, and society has become a defining feature of our times. These never-ending stream of emerging disasters captures our attention day in and day out. It also attests to our need for effective and transformative leadership. But what is leadership, anyway? And who should lead us? At oikos, we answered these questions through our Leadership Program – LEAP. The program, in its 5th run currently, helps young people discover their true potential and instead of seeking leaders in others, inspires them to garner courage and take the lead in their local communities and universities. Every year, the oikos LEAP Meeting kicks-off the 9-month long leadership training, that urges participants to become responsible leaders at the... »