Sustainability Summer Schools 2025Green Office Ghent organises Sustainability Summer Schools focusing on social-ecological issues. The summer school Environmental Justice & Transformative Futures is offering all of its webinars, lectures, and the field work in English.
Summer School 'Thinking beyond today. Shaping an environmentally just future'.
What?
Summer Schools organised for and by students. The aim is: to offer interdisciplinary, student-led, critical and engaged education on social-ecological issues.
Through parallel sessions, lectures, field trips, student-led discussions, and close contact with experts, you will spend five days learning about different perspectives around the themes of the equity component of sustainability issues. This year, we want to focus more on interactivity, self-organisation, and imaginative learning in developing alternative futures.
For whom?
Motivated students from all fields of study from the Association Universiteit Gent (AUGent).
Students will be selected based on a motivation letter. Are you not a student but still interested? Feel free to submit your motivation letter, exceptions are possible. For this summer school it is a requirement to know basic English since all lectures, workshops, etc. will take place in that language.
Why would you sign up?
The summer school offers an excellent opportunity to improve your knowledge of today's challenges and broaden your view.
By actively working on problems with fellow students with diverse disciplinary backgrounds during the workshops, you experience the challenge of uniting different visions in the search for solutions for an equitable society within planetary boundaries.
In addition, you will build a network of contacts with committed fellow students with diverse backgrounds, and get the chance to network with experts in the fields.
Week schedule
On Monday we start at 9:00, the other days at 10:00. We finish around 17:00 with an optional evening program. On Tuesday there is a public keynote activity with a keynote speaker planned at 19:30.
Students and staff are welcome to follow the lectures during the day and the keynote.
14u-15u45: Crisis of capitalism & alternative economies
[Jonas Van der Slycken]
BREAK
16u: workshops ‘The Need for Alternative Economies’ (mobility, food, housing, public spaces, tech, money…)
14u-15u45: parallel sessions ‘Case studies on Struggle for Environmental Justice’
BREAK
16u: working groups
Art & zines
Education
Documentary
Care & shared moments
EXCURSIONS (2 options)
CLOSURE ACTIVITY
17u: optional drinks
17u30: optional drinks
17u30: optional drinks
17u30: drinks & dinner
17u: drinks & book market
Yoga / drink & draw
KEYNOTE → TBA
Cost?
The summer school is free of charge for participants. All activities and lunches (plant-based) are covered by UGent. Transport and accommodation are not covered (!).
Accessibility
If you are a person with limited mobility or if you have other special needs to attend this activity, please do not hesitate to contact us so we can look together at how we can meet your needs. All locations are wheelchair accessible.
When
The summer school takes place from 15 to 19 September 2025.
Language
English, but some parallel sessions will be in Dutch. We try to create a space where people can easily express themselves.
Interested?
Deadline extended! You can sign up through this registration form until the 6th of July. We will let you know in July if you are selected.
