Aurea Christine TanakaEducation for Sustainable Development Programme

Academic Conference for Environmental Leadership Development14 December 2013

• Background

• Vision

• ProSPER.NetLeadership Programme

• Future developments

Waltz

Tango

One idea: How to live sustainably and in harmony with nature

Where do we learn?!? Formal settings, informal settings At home…

How do we practice?!? Waste separation at the source

Do we know why?!? When we connect the dots and understand the dimension of our

actions, we give meaning to our attitudes and we do things consciously and ‘properly’

Society/Communities

Sustainability leaders = Agents of change

Academia (researchers/scientists)

Civil Society(NGOs etc.)

Private Sector

Public Sector(policymakers)

Sustainability work/research

LP

Interdisciplinary practice How do we take the lessons (our knowledge) of dancing waltz and

tango, to dance samba (our common challenges – sustainable development)?!?

Applied research and policy development How to translate scientific findings into useful, meaningful and

concrete tools or approaches that promote improved livelihood, especially for the poor?

Multistakeholder dialogue How do we promote an effective dialogue between different

stakeholders?!?

Objectives:

Offer a capacity development programme for knowledge management and application through exposure to local sustainability challenges and diversity

Test-ground for knowledge application through observation of partnerships with local government, community and private sector

Address the lack of opportunity to further local sustainable development and influence policy and decision-makers with participation of different stakeholders, especially community engagement

Like-minded people: participants from different countries and backgrounds (multicultural and multidisciplinary environment) working with sustainability-related research

Early-career researchers and faculty, late-stage PhD students (post-doctoral fellows, ProSPER.Net Young Researchers’ School graduates, ProSPER.Net-Scopus Young Scientist Award winners, finalists and young panelists), young professionals (NGOs and private sector)

Process focus: bring the reality into the classroom with multicultural, multidisciplinary and diverse background groupusing Problem-Based Learning (PBL methodology)

Group outputs will be collective contribution with possible new insights for local and own challenges

From Australia, Greece (Singapore), India, Iran (Japan), Japan, Kenya (China),

Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and USA

1st pilot in November 2013 hosted by the East West Center

9-day programme

Lectures on leadership (adaptive leadership, crisisleadership), network (analysis and applications), futures (scenarios), strategic communication, environmental education

Leadership challenges related to field visits (examples of community engagement and insights on types of required leadership that enable sustainable actions to thrive)

Panel with senior professionals from international organization, academia and public sector

Community project to restore local ecosystem through sustainable agriculture practices

How can the organization generate revenue for self-sustainability in an under-resourced area that restores ecosystems and engages community members struggling with social problems?

High level of expertise but struggle with community mobilization to help monitor and protect extensive areas of coral reefs

How can we connect global-scale

environmental challenges with local communities in ways that help them take ownership and action?

1. Learning in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment:• realisation of diversity, different ‘language’ and approaches, personal and

cultural traits that influence their interaction with others (and thus affect cross-sector collaborations, partnerships and engagement with community, influencing and mobilizing people)

• at the same time, inspiration to continue working with sustainability-related research and teaching (others are doing the same)

2. Leadership and community engagement:• different examples of community engagement provided insights on

communication styles and how it can affect project/undertakings outcomes, possibilities for more applied research, involvement of civil society

3. Interpersonal skills:• self-awareness and understanding of shortcomings in communicating with

their own communities (work/research related, local communities)• reflection time needed to analyse own actions and position towards others

More structured group discussion

More time to use and share expertise among participants and with local community/partners

Tailor communication strategies to fit particular interests

How to attract other stakeholders, especially from public and private sector

www.ias.unu.edu/prospernet