Social and Environmental Engagement of Students

Wherever we live we all need to take responsible for the sustainable development. The Sustainable Development Goals, SDG are very important within INGENIUM and it should pervade all work and activities in the Alliance. Several measures will be taken to promote student engagement in this important issue.

As universities we educate the future generation, it is our duty to educate in human rights, climate change, citizenship, circular economy and much more. It is not only about scientific facts, it is also about empowering youth to act and to give hope!

In order to find out what students would like their university to do in terms of SDG – a survey has been carried out. The student’s answers show a great engagement, below just a few of all the answers:

Our students’ thoughts on sustainability

The university trains the citizens of tomorrow, we must all know the impact of our lifestyle and consumption choices.

Equip students with a cross-disciplinary lens, preparing them to address real-world challenges.

I often make things when I need something, it’s much better than just ordering an item. Some people can’t because they don’t have access to a place to make things nor tools, nor knowledge. Giving student the possibility to do so would be great.

Equip students with a cross-disciplinary lens, preparing them to address real-world challenges.

The university should organise talks, courses, and even practical sessions in each faculty focused on raising awareness and educating

Organise workshops, seminars, and events to raise awareness among students, faculty, and staff about human rights issues and sustainable practices.

Develop green areas and, especially, vegetable patches on campus.

Since the change comes from the new generation, it would be good if the universities could develop more educational activities on human rights, since it is a topic that is included in every field of research.

Foster an inclusive and diverse campus environment that respects and celebrates different cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives by opening a dialogue on human rights issues, encouraging students to express their opinions and learn from each other.

What our students want

The university trains the citizens of tomorrow, we must all know the impact of our lifestyle and consumption choices.

Equip students with a cross-disciplinary lens, preparing them to address real-world challenges.

The university should organise talks, courses, and even practical sessions in each faculty focused on raising awareness and educating

Organise workshops, seminars, and events to raise awareness among students, faculty, and staff about human rights issues and sustainable practices.

Develop green areas and, especially, vegetable patches on campus.

Student Sustainability Board – important input

A Student Sustainability Board has been formed and has regularly meetings. The chairman of the Student Sustainability Board is Anne Danneby, University of Skövde and vice chairman is Raluca Maria Tubulea, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iaşi.

The board, consisting of students from the universities in INGENIUM, has an important role to give their opinion in various questions. They have, for example, been looking through the draft of the policy document, Sustainable Development Goals/European Green Deal and Global Partnership Agenda. The board added some valuable feedback as they would like to see more direct actions for the SDGs at the universities and they also suggest for online participations for the Summer and Winter school. It is very important to get the students perspectives, as we develop our policy and activities mainly for them.

Within the alliance there will also be workshops for students focusing environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development. The University of Skövde and Hochschule Karlsruhe (HKA)/University of Applied Sciences have already had a workshop about climate changes. An online hackathon on sustainable development on campus will also engage students from all INGENIUM universities. The winning team will meet in Rouen and they will start with the first development of the winning solution. A course on sustainable development is also decided on.