EUROPEAN COOPERATION FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY – SHOUTOUT4SDGS

The SHOUTOUT4SDGs project was funded by Erasmus +. Students from any area of higher education were encouraged to join in in giving their perspective, and in helping us build, co-produce, and refine existing content surrounding the sustainable development goals. Those who joined that joined us were an energetic and dedicated group of students from the UK, Hungary, Italy, and Portugal. Together, we explored how we can make an unequivocal link between the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the world of work, and Higher Education.

To have joined the project, participants must have been an undergraduate, postgraduate or 2019 graduate. All skills and backgrounds were welcome – from social sciences to sciences and anything in between – we felt a multidisciplinary approach to the UN Sustainable Development Goals was essential to truly unfold its interconnected, many-sided nature, and gain a clear-sighted perspective over its objectives.

The project was a partnership between Ambios Ltd (UK) the Barn Owl Foundation (Hungary) and Ambios Portugal (Portugal), as well as the University of Padova (Italy) and the University of Évora (Portugal). The universities of Southampton (UK) and ELTE (Budapest, Hungary) were also associated with the project.

WHAT PARTICIPANTS GAINED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE

  • Explored the UN SDGs through real-world examples;
  • Worked with an international and energetic team from Hungary, the UK, Italy and Portugal;
  • Worked in a team-based situation, refining communication and cooperation skills;
  • Gained great CV experience;
  • Gained a network of engaged professionals and fellow students.

TEST 1 – THE CORK OAK MONTADO AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN CORUCHE, PORTUGAL

From the 23rd to the 27th of September 2019, 22 students from 4 different countries (Portugal, Italy, Hungary, and the UK) joined forces to talk about the UN SDGs, using the real-world example of the cork oak montado, part of one of the 35 biodiversity hotspots of the world, where traditional management and a variety of small impact practices make it a sustainable system, where both economic profit and biodiversity have a place.

During this time, students visited the local museum and learned that Man’s connection to the montado goes back for centuries, had the opportunity to visit the ecosystem itself and learn about local economy and forest management policies, as well as visit the industry and learn about the process, from extraction to the production of a cork.

The project had the support from local partners, which were integral in making everything run smoothly: Municipality of Coruche, Municipal Museum of Coruche, Cork Oak and Cork Observatory, A Apicultora, and Amorim.

Some feedback from a participant of Test 1:

“I wanted to thank you once again for facilitating such a wonderful week in Coruche, Portugal where I got the opportunity to learn many new things and network with interesting people throughout. This experience has been invaluable to me and my career aspirations, and for that I am thankful. The project was very well put together and encouraged lots of critical thinking about sustainability, combined with the story of cork oak montado ecosystems, and the practical solutions session inspired me to take action.”

The next mobility will be held in Hungary, more information soon.

 

 

TEST 2 – SDGS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: OUR ROLE IN A REFLECTIVE AND RESPONSIBLE WORLD

From the 6th to the 9th of July 2020, adapting to the conditions of the current pandemic, the project partners transformed what was to be a presential training mobility to a series of online webinars tackling social responsibility concerning the sustainable development goals.

Within these online training sessions, we talk about a variety of themes, from a recap of the SDGs and the 2030 agenda, to bird diversity as an indicator of climate change, urbanization and landscape use changes, bioeconomy development, and hope for the future. We also had the pleasure of hearing David Ramsden MBE with his talk ‘Climate and Ecological Crises? What’s all the fuss about?”, where we were confronted with the hard facts surrounding climate change and our future choices.

At the end of each session, participants were invited to ask any questions they had to promote discussion and debate surrounding the topics, and a few groups were formed by the participants through LinkedIn and Facebook, as a way for the members to discuss the SDGs and possible actions in the future, independently.

The webinars, with over 40 participants average, were recorded and can be watched here.

CLOSING WEBINAR: SDGS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS

 

On the 11th of November 2020, adapting to the conditions of the current pandemic, the project partners transformed what was to be a presential training mobility to a series of online webinars tackling social responsibility concerning the sustainable development goals.

During the afternoon, we heard from three orators, exposing an amazing collection of outlooks on the Sustainable Development Goals, including its relationship with post-Covid19 recovery, the challenges of making them operational in Higher Education, and how an organization is helping local communities in São Tomé e Príncipe to start sustainable ventures through which local economy is bolstered and the pressure on the natural world is alleviated.

The webinars, with participants from various countries, were recorded and can be watched here.

CORK AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: FROM THE TREE TO THE STOPPER

 

During the Test 1 mobility in Coruche, Portugal the project established partnerships to analyze the cork oak forest as an example of sustainability, through the analysis of its links to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
 
The Portuguese partners Ambios Portugal and the University of Évora further developed this subject, creating a free online course titled “Cork and the Sustainable Development Goals: from the tree to the stopper”. If you wish to access the course and earn an e-badge, please follow the instructions below:
 

1. Click here and select “Cork and the SDGs: from the tree to the stopper”

2. If you are not a registered user, click “log in” and then “create a new account” or fill in the registration form at https://projetos.moodle.uevora.pt/login/signup.php?