How student leadership drives sustainability activities

Less than six years away from 2030, the deadline set for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sustainability concerns are at the forefront of global discourse. While many higher education institutions are stepping up their activities, they are looking for strategies and tools to do so more efficiently.

Education for sustainable development (ESD) has emerged as a critical component of not only academic curricula, but also student activities and engagement with local communities. ESD aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills and values necessary to contribute to a more sustainable future.

However, the success of ESD initiatives hinges on a key factor: student engagement and leadership. Engaged students are more likely to internalise sustainability principles, apply them in real-world contexts and become proactive agents of change in their communities and later in their professional lives.

Student leadership on ESD ensures education is fit for purpose, speaks to student priorities and fosters stronger relationships between institutions and students. Drawing on work progressed by institutions piloting the ESD programme Responsible Futures International, it is clear that student engagement has many benefits.

Engaging students in multiple ways

One angle to embed ESD is through the formal and informal curriculum: At Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in Ireland, a group of five professors (referred to as ESD fellows) is co-creating a mandatory ESD module for first-year students with four students across different disciplines.

Órla Fitzgerald, an undergraduate student at TCD, says: “Since attending the ESD module pilot workshops I have learned the value of the students-as-partners approach. Holistic ESD means that both students and staff listen to and learn from one another in order to bring about positive, effective, [and] systematic change within an institution.”

Looking beyond the campus, community and civic engagement are crucial areas for students and staff to engage in ESD activities and develop competencies. The directors of Student Services and Development of all five campuses at the University of the West Indies (UWI) have adopted the One UWI Responsible Futures (RF) collaborative plan to mainstream sustainability and the SDGs into all civic engagement activities.

All students are introduced to the institution’s ‘sustainability mindset’ and receive support for their civic engagement pursuits. UWI is leading by example, as stressed by Celia Davidson Francis, regional director, UWI Responsible Futures. She says: “The five UWI campuses will now collaborate in mainstreaming volunteer and service-oriented student engagement in a whole-institution ‘SDG-focused approach’ promoting social responsibility.”

Sustainability initiatives as part of a whole-institution approach should leave students feeling empowered. Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) in Lithuania supports student initiatives and invites them to come forward with their proposals. Sustainability Manager Yuliana Shuhani says that empowering students in sustainability initiatives creates a ripple effect of positive change, both on campus and in their future careers.

Such is demonstrated by the longevity of a student-proposed campus garden, which inspired MRU’s annual spring planting of vegetables, berries and bee-friendly flora, and highlights the university’s commitment to sustainability through student engagement and environmental action.

Mohawk College in Canada also demonstrates its commitment to partnering with students, as per the Responsible Futures framework, to enhance the impact and relevance of the sustainability and climate action knowledge that students gain throughout their academic careers.

This was evident already in the early stages of Mohawk’s participation in the Responsible Futures International Pilot as they conducted a tactile ‘dotmocracy’ activity, where over 500 students across three campuses voted using colour-coded buttons for which sustainability concepts they desired to learn more about.

The results of the student votes are now used to inform various stakeholders in the Mohawk College community about how to meaningfully support student sustainability learning journeys.

As part of Murdoch University’s ongoing work to improve the student learning experience, the Australian university has invited their Brighter Futures Scholarship students to co-design a new extra-curricular programme called the Boodiyar Djena Biddi (Leadership Path) Certificate.

The Boodiyar Djena Biddi Certificate, also known as Murdoch Mettle, is a series of immersive experiences that build on the knowledge and skills the students obtain while studying.

The programme aims to offer students hands-on learning experiences in sustainability, equity, diversity and inclusion, and First Nations, as well as coaching, mentorship and networking opportunities.

Associate Professor Martin Brueckner, pro vice-chancellor of sustainability, stresses the importance of these initiatives for students to acquire competencies for sustainability while they also receive recognition for their extra-curricular engagement.

Queen’s University in Canada combines entrepreneurship and sustainability learning. The Queen’s Venture Creation, Experiential Learning and Net-Zero Training (QVENT) Project from the Smith School of Business aims to equip students with essential skills and knowledge for a transition to a net-zero economy.

Similarly, Women’s University in Africa (WUA) in Zimbabwe encourages sustainability projects and student clubs, and supports the implementation of student projects that create a positive impact in the community.

For instance, one project is focusing on automated irrigation systems with the farmers at the university farm, creating a local sense of agency. As Dalitso Ndlovu, an undergraduate student at WUA, reports: “Sustainability begins from our environments, our homes, our institutions and the communities we identify with. In our innovations, we need to be cognisant that the world is moving towards cleaner and more sustainable practices.”

Reflections on pilot

The above institutions are all currently participating in the international pilot programme of Responsible Futures, using the programme to progress their work in their regional and local context, and exchanging knowledge through global peer learning opportunities.

Responsible Futures is a whole-institution approach to embedding holistic sustainability across the formal and informal curriculum in higher education in partnership with students. It is a framework that facilitates a close working partnership between students and their institutions through a set of criteria drawn from good practice across the sector progressing initiatives for ESD.

The programme legitimises and mainstreams ESD, ultimately helping to ensure students leave education with the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to create a more just and sustainable society.

Feedback for the international pilot has been positive thus far from students and leadership alike.

Anne Fu, commissioner of environmental sustainability in the Queen’s University student government, reflects positively on the pilot experience: “As a student leader in environmental justice at Queen’s, I know that undergraduates like us play a critical role in addressing the climate crisis. The Responsible Futures International Pilot has been indispensable in helping our university assess its progress in sustainability across our institution, while also highlighting paths for future advancement.

“Its focus on engaging students at all levels of the audit speaks to its faith in young people’s leadership abilities, and ensures they are equipped with the skills to make real change in their campuses and communities.”

Paul Armstrong, president of Mohawk College, Canada, stresses the college’s commitment to embedding sustainability across all curricula and making climate action practices a key part of every student’s experience.

“Our involvement in the Responsible Futures pilot has accelerated this process. It is not only helping students acquire the knowledge and skills they will need to be leaders in the low-carbon economy, but also empowering them to inform our work and keep us accountable,” he adds.

Reaching hearts and minds

Responsible Futures (RF) is a valuable programme for a strategic and inclusive approach, which partners with students meaningfully.

International Association of Universities (IAU) President and Murdoch University President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew Deeks, stressed during a panel discussion on ESD on the occasion of 10 years of the RF programme on 22nd May, organised by SOS, that the RF programme “provides a common language – a way to focus on addressing issues of sustainable development” which “ensures from the start that students can be engaged without having to go through the internal design through the university. They can collaborate with students from other universities and share learning.”

By putting in place a whole-institution approach, with strong components of student engagement and leadership, institutions succeed in ‘reaching hearts and minds’ and fostering transformative change for a more sustainable future in 2030 and beyond.

Isabel Toman is the programme officer for higher education and sustainable development at the International Association of Universities (IAU). In her position, she collaborates with UNESCO and other partners and serves as the IAU Global HESD Cluster network coordinator. E-mail: i.toman@iau-aiu.net. Margaret Harris is the communications and media officer at the IAU. E-mail: m.harris@iau-aiu.net. Sonya Peres is a senior project manager for education at SOS (Students Organising for Sustainability). E-mail:sonya.peres@sos-uk.org. The IAU is pleased to partner with the University World News SDGs Hub – a special section to report on higher education’s activities for the SDGs and related topics.

The IAU and SOS-UK collaboration brings the Responsible Futures International programme to a worldwide audience, thereby fostering greater diversity and inclusivity within the higher education sector’s representation in the ESD framework. Interested institutions can learn more about participation here.