2024 PRME Global Students Sustainability Award

Our mission is to create a network of young people and professionals engaged in an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral environment. Together we generate ideas and proposals aimed at fostering the Sustainable Goals, bringing these solutions to the attention of national and international policymakers. Our ultimate aim is to achieve a dynamic and sustainable long-term development.

The initiatives carried out by University for SDGs, Ca’ Foscari for SDGs members, have advanced the sustainable goals within and outside the university by co-organising lessons, such as Lezione 0, "Lesson Zero" at Ca' Foscari University of Venice (Venezia, 18th April 2023). This lecture was aimed at educating students on sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda, and developing critical thinking skills to utilise in global challenges. Additionally, the events organised in Venice that were open to students from all universities, were not only meant as lessons on the SDGs, but served for developing critical thinking and team working abilities aligned with the 17 goals. By equipping the students with these skills, participation in our events earned them the sustainability ECT, which was then awarded by Ca’ Foscari University or any other institution the students attended. As our organisation comprehends students from all faculties, the Economics Department members have been operating in line with the Seven Principles for Responsible Management Education to foster an inclusive university environment where students from Ca’ Foscari University can thrive and benefit from opportunities aligned with the UN Agenda to advance their careers and broaden their knowledge. Our members give circular economy and accountability to our planet and its inhabitants the central role. Additionally, by closely cooperating and engaging with entrepreneurs in the Venetian Region that provide sustainable services and goods, our members strive for sharing and raising awareness among their peers on advancing responsible and accountable management education and practices.

University for SDGs innovative approach to advancing the goals consists of organising events aimed at educating the youth on the SDGs that incorporate conferences, seminars and workshops, where participants are expected to put into practice what they learned from the panellists, as well as closely cooperate and engage with entrepreneurs and executives of businesses operating in the fields of sustainability. As an example, in our event “University for SDGs: Empowering youth for a sustainable future. II Edition”, (Venezia, 28th Oct. 2023), students discussed with PianoD and SeeWeb representatives sustainability and digital innovation, particularly focusing on how to combine sustainable practices with innovation. Ultimately, our events are inclusive opportunities that empower students in becoming the next generation of changemakers by working with academics and entrepreneurs on a same level basis. This setting favours an open dialogue where young people feel comfortable asking questions and highlighting doubts without hesitating. Our methodology has shown its positive effects by gathering the proposals emerged from the workshops, which are collated into final reports. Many of these proposals are welcomed and incorporated by universities and the participating companies, as well as municipalities including the one of Venice and Palermo. At the end of our cycle of events, the reports are presented in a public hearing at the National Council for Economics and Labour, where Italian policymakers listen to and ponder the proposals emerged by the cooperation between university students, entrepreneurs, civil society and academics.

Public Audition at the National Council for Economics and Labour (CNEL)

Link to the event

Link to the stream

By bridging the gap between students, universities and the entrepreneurial world, University for SDGs has empowered students in Venice to engage in activities promoting the sustainable goals throughout the city. Our most successful project, called Veniter, consists in a sustainable guided tour of Venice to contrast mass tourism by finding alternative routes through the city. At the same time, these tours do not only provide a free of charge tourism service, but educate school pupils and tourists on the SDGs by linking each point of interest to one of the 17 goals. Mass tourism remains a great challenge for Venice, but our initiative was praised and recognised by the Municipality, and keeps being held annually with the participation of students from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. We empirically demonstrate the effects and achievements of our initiatives on the University Ecosystem through four points.

Firstly, in regard to “Enhancing Student Engagement and Leadership Development”, we report that our membership has grown by 30% over the past two years, indicating rising student interest and engagement.

• Leadership Skills: Testimonials from members highlight significant personal growth and development of leadership skills. For instance, 85% of surveyed members reported improved public speaking and project management skills.

• Networking Opportunities: Students have gained valuable connections through our events, with many reporting internships and job offers as a direct result of networking facilitated by our organisation.

Secondly, concerning the “Academic and Professional Development”, we report the following data:

• Workshop Attendance: Participation in our academic workshops has doubled, with sessions now hosting an average of 40 students. We also increased the number of events organised on the Italian territory from 1 in 2022, to 4 in 2023 to 10 (some already held, some being organised for the fall) in 2024

• Positive Feedback: Surveys indicate high satisfaction rates, with 90% of participants rating our workshops as very helpful or extremely helpful.

Thirdly, our “Impact on Local and Regional Communities” we highlight the following statistics:

• Volunteer Hours: Our members have collectively contributed over 2,000 volunteer hours in the past year to local initiatives.

• Local organisations have expressed gratitude for our contributions.

Finally, we share the following data on our “Educational Programs and Workshops”:

• Program Reach: Our educational programs have reached over 500 community members

• Success Rates: Participants in our literacy programs have shown a 20% improvement in reading skills.

• Sustainable Impact: Long-term collaborations with local schools and community centres have been established, ensuring ongoing benefits beyond immediate outcomes.

Link to the presentation

Advocating for the sustainable goals by hosting lectures, events and initiatives creates a sense of unity and deepens students’ knowledge on topics they are currently studying or are familiar with. Some students who join our organisation learn about the SDGs only by coming into contact with us for the first time. The themes of environmental challenges, climate change and sustainable practices are of common knowledge to everyone but by giving students comprehensive seminars focusing on one or more particular SDGs has proved to be crucial for spreading awareness on the 2030 Agenda in depth. Thanks to our events, knowledge on the 17 goals has spread widely throughout our university and our departments have started to incorporate the goals in their internship projects and seminars. Students who learned about the global challenges and the UN Agenda have decided to conduct their dissertation research on them. As an example, one of our students wrote her master’s thesis on the Ecocide Legislation to be implemented at the Criminal Court, in line with the SDGs 13 and 16. Another example is that of one of our Asian Studies members, who decided to specialise on Japan’s current efforts in peacebuilding, mediation, and harmony, to promote peace in the world, as well as advancing the 16th Goal.

The university has been working on promoting global cooperation since 2023, building partnerships with academics and businesses in Brazil and South Africa. In 2024, we successfully hosted our very first international event in Venice on 24th May 2024 at the Venice International University (VIU). Professors from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, the University of Doha (Qatar), the University of São Paulo, VU Amsterdam, and the Advocacy Director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy conducted a panel where we discussed the central role of international cooperation, linking human rights to sustainability. The SDGs addressed were the 4th, the 13th, the 16th, and the 17th.

We discussed how synergies between the public and private sectors support sustainable development in reference to Brazil, a country that has some of the most advanced clean energy sources in the world. We addressed deforestation and how poor climate policies endanger communities and their rights. The discussion that followed emphasised advocacy for human rights by providing examples brought by the NGO BIRD (The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy in London), which shed light on human rights violations and torture in Bahrain. It was highlighted that, in order to advocate for human rights, young people must first gain knowledge of their own rights. To achieve this, better quality education must be implemented.

Consequently, Professor Evren Tok from the University of Doha gave the audience a lecture on the potential role ecosystems can play in fostering Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), using a research study from the University of Doha. To enrich this, Professor Iannuzzi from VU Amsterdam touched on the central role universities can play in advancing the SDGs and how they can tackle the climate crisis. Our first international event concluded with an intervention from the UN Youth Ambassador of Italy, Giacomo Di Capua, who underscored youth participation in decision-making as one of the priority areas of the UN Agenda.

By establishing partnerships with universities beyond Italy, as well as with foreign companies and NGOs, we have opened the University for SDGs to the global sphere. We aim to cultivate our bonds to enhance global cooperation between Italy and the rest of the world.

1. Brescia, 1st June 2023

   1. University for SDGs: Territories and challenges posed by ecological transition

   2. Link to the event

   3. Link to the report

2. Milan, 29th September 2023

   1. University for SDGs: People, Cities and Urban Policies

   2. Link to the event

   3. Link to the report

3. Venice, 28th October 2023

   1. University for SDGs: Empowering youth for a sustainable future. II Edition

   2. Link to the event

   3. Link to the report

4. Palermo, 24th November 2023

   1. University for SDGs: Youth and the UN 2030 Agenda: Focus group on sustainability

   2. Link to the event

   3. Link to the report

   4. Link to the stream

5. Rome, 6th December 2023

   1. Public Audition at the National Council for Economics and Labour (CNEL)

   2. Link to the event

   3. Link to the stream

6. Venice, 18th April 2023

   1. Lezione 0, "Lesson Zero" at Ca' Foscari University of Venice

7. Venice, 7th May 2023

   1. Project Veniter, a sustainable tour of the city of Venice in collaboration with ESN of Padova and Venezia