Impact Matrix
As a diverse community of student change agents, we want to create an opportunity that prepares us to venture out and climb the mountain of sustainability. For a long while, we’ve been sitting with the question & challenge of equipping our students with a systemic perspective on sustainability that transcends the wonderful normative, culture-influenced conversations that are such an important part of a holistic understanding. Many universities fail in introducing the topic at all. Working together towards sustainability, both in local & international communities, can be challenging if there is no common baseline and no credible place to go for further directions.
We, therefore, developed a short course with several interactive & reflective elements that allows students to get in touch with a more systemic perspective on sustainability, find further resources & share their own learnings with one another.
A ‘basecamp’ for the hike, so to say.
History/Origin of Idea
Main Audience
oikos community, including oikees all over the world, chapter members, alumni, partners & friends of oikos
Stakeholders
- Partners
- Universities worldwide
- oikos Chapters
Wider Objectives
Our strive as humanity towards sustainability is THE JOURNEY. Looking out at the forecasts for the upcoming years, there will be many challenges on our way, mountains to climb, icebergs to dive under, heatwaves to withstand & many things we cannot see yet. Our oikees are taking the lead, and step up as guides on this journey. We are exploring and practicing sustain-ABILITY as we widen our own ability to sustain life on earth in collaboration with each other.
Timeline
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oikos Sustainability BaseCamp.52
02/02/2023Achievements and DevelopmentWe started to develop the project & can see impressive progress. The platform is evolving based on the needs of our community & we are proud of the playfulness & creativity of the project.
We recruited a volunteer & received a big affirmation from interested people.
Not to forget: we came together as a team & found our roles as we moved.
Key Learnings- A motivated team is key, just as much as clarity of roles
- Spacious planning enhances the creative process, the latter is not linear
- Tangible projects like this are great to start new partner/donor relationships.
Touched heartsFor now, there have been only a few people involved: our team (3 persons) and the group of chapters who participated in a workshop (+- 20 oikees).
Diversity & InclusionWe included aspects of diversity & inclusion in the design phase of the project. The whole core training will be accessible for free online & is based on self-paced learning. The systemic perspective we chose should help us to include and respect, yet not focus too much on cultural aspects, as we are zooming in on the role of the individual in their context.
Stories & HighlightsWhen reaching out for volunteers, we were met with lots of interest & great feedback. Answering a directly stated need from the community gives us a sense of purpose and addresses a long-time wish we couldn’t live up to before.
Future Aspirations & Milestones- Joining oikos Camp with a SBC team
- Getting the sustainability basecamp ready for beta testing by September
- Recruiting a long-term volunteer for the project
- Successfully launching the initiative in Autumn