Event reports
Students of Sichuan University Chengdu and representatives of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) had the opportunity to develop and getting coached their own projects during a five-day workshop. The projects were supported by the Konrad- Adenauer-Stiftung Shanghai and the Shanghai based consultancy company Constellations International.
In a first "IdeaLab" from 2–6 April 2014, four project drafts should be developed. With the help of different facilitation methods, the students got a unique opportunity to discuss their ideas on sustainable development in Chengdu with experts and local stakeholders; to deliberate pros and cons; and to develop an awareness of social and environmental responsibility. The workshop also provided a conceptual framework to develop personals and professional skills such as openness, creativity, empathy and dealing with dynamic processes.
To assure the success of a project idea, the relevant stakeholders need to be analyzed and included already into the first stages of project planning. To this purpose, representatives of various stakeholders, i.e. producers of organic food, were invited for mutual information exchange on environmental challenges the city of Chengdu and the surrounding rural areas are facing.
Theoretical concepts and practical ideas for the development of innovative business models and the presentation of thought-provoking new economic models led to a deeper understanding of the organizational and planning issues laying ahead. The lecture on "Blue economy, successful business model” by Dr. CHEN Yiheng, former chief manager for the sustainability strategy of BASF, dealt with successful resource productivity and eco-innovation. Professor LU Hongyan of Sichuan University pointed out five elements of a successful process-oriented thinking during her lecture on “system thinking”. As a result, the participants received useful advices for a specific design of their project ideas.
On the third evening, the participants took the opportunity to present their interim results of their project drafts to invited guests as, amongst others, the Consul General of the of the Federal Republic of Germany in Chengdu, Dr. Gerold Amelung, and Professor LI Zhiqiang, an alumni of KAS and former Vice President of Sichuan University. All guest provided useful critics and recommendation for further development.
At this stage of development, „Urban Campus“ includes the following projects:
- Team "Happy recycling": development of educational programs and of identification labels on the packaging of goods to advise the consumers of the required waste-separation and to inform them about an awareness of the cycle of materials and component substances.
- Team "Sustainable Citizens Hub": development of a deep-learning circle, also known as an intensive way of learning, to create a network of multipliers that already deals with the issue of sustainability and to contribute this knowledge to local communities.
- Team "Consumactors 'Alliance': to build up a close relation between rural producers and urban consumers of organic food to achieve quality standards and promote marketing opportunities.
- Team "Sustainable Campus": to analyze the behavior of students on the campus of Sichuan University to lay the foundation for the implementation of a "green campus initiative".
Finally, the participants showed significant progress in the development of their project ideas. Due to the intense communication, the participants broadened their minds. In the weeks to come, the project groups will further elaborate their drafts and will take first steps into a practical implementation of their ideas, coached by KAS Shanghai and Constellations International. The final workshop of the project "Urban Campus" is planned for mid-June.