“Universities must act as laboratories of social and environmental innovation, collaborating with governments, businesses and communities to advance towards the SDGs,” says the director of the School of Sustainability of Universidad Europea
As part of the anniversary of the approval of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Julia Ayuso, director of the School of Sustainability at Universidad Europea, has highlighted the key role that universities must play to achieve these global goals. “Universities have the responsibility to be drivers of change, both locally and globally,” she explains.
From Universidad Europea, considerable effort has been made to integrate the SDGs into teaching and student activities. “We have incorporated the SDGs into the core curriculum, with a focus on economic, social and environmental issues,” says Julia Ayuso. Students participate in transdisciplinary projects that address real community problems, collaborating with organizations and businesses to implement innovative solutions. “We want students not only to learn, but also to feel they are an active part of the change,” she adds.
Ayuso also stresses how equality and sustainability are becoming fundamental principles in university education. “Universities are revising their academic content and adopting more sustainable and inclusive management models,” he says. The European University has launched initiatives such as the “Green and Inclusive Campus Project,” designed to promote both gender equality and environmental protection on campus. This project includes women's leadership programs, mentoring for women in STEAM careers and a comprehensive campaign to reduce the campus' carbon footprint.
As for motivating students to lead projects that address issues such as climate change or social inequalities, the director of the School of Sustainability is clear, “we must create environments that foster creativity and active engagement.” The key, according to her, is to offer students opportunities such as innovation challenges, access to mentoring and resources that allow them to materialize their ideas. In addition, she believes that integrating sustainability into the university culture is essential for students to become leaders of change.
“One of the biggest challenges is the alignment of resources,” says Julia Ayuso because ”universities may have the will and the knowledge, but the funding and policies to implement structural changes are often limited.” In this sense, she considers that “it is necessary to overcome the fragmentation between disciplines and promote a true integration of knowledge, both within the university and in collaboration with external actors”, something that can happen with a “change of mentality towards a more transdisciplinary and collaborative approach”.