Opening ceremony of the International Sustainability Academy (ISA) and award ceremony “Project Sustainability 2019” in the WÄLDERHAUS in Hamburg

ISA´s latest and most international project of the Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald Lv. Hamburg e.V., was officially opened with great success on 30 October 2019 by Metin Hakverdi, member of the German Bundestag (SPD). Rüdiger Kruse, Managing Director of SDW Hamburg, welcomed the guests from politics, science and business and guided them through the varied programme. They had all come to learn more about the scholarship and to get to know the participants of the first round personally.

     

Partner university of ISA is among others the HAW with Prof. Dr. (mult.) Dr. h.c. (mult.) Walter Leal, Head, Research and Transfer Centre “Sustainability and Climate Impact Management”. They support some of the scholarship holders with their know-how and involve them in their programmes.

Another partner of ISA is Aurubis AG, which supports the SDG workshop series that will be held as part of ISA 2019/20. The aim of 4 SDG workshops is to bring some of the sustainability goals closer to the participants with many best-practice examples and renowned speakers from science and industry. The workshops will be attended by the scholarship holders of the first round of ISA and other interested parties. On 4th December 2019, the first SDG workshop on “Clean energies/climate and resource protection” will start. The following questions will be discussed: How high is the share of renewable energies and how far can we expand it? What promising and environmentally friendly technologies are there for the future? And what opportunities do developing countries have? What can energy-intensive companies contribute to environmental protection? Further information will be available shortly on this website.

     

The ISA Scholarship

9 months – 12 scholarships – 17 goals

From 2019-2022, the ISA awards 12 scholarships per year to students* or professionals for an 8-month research stay in Hamburg as well as a further month in the home country for the completion and adaptation of the results of its project and research reports. The main focus is on the close exchange among the scholarship holders* during their individual research work. The ISA is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

A unique programme

Multidisciplinary and international. Graduates with practical work experience, founders, social entrepreneurs and/or professionals without age restrictions from DAC countries and from all disciplines and sectors can apply for the ISA scholarship. Common to all: highest motivation to bring about change and an absolutely passionate hands-on mentality.

Benefit from diversity. “Living together and working together” is ISA’s motto. The ISA Open Office in the WÄLDERHAUS is at the same time a working space and workplace for the scholarship holders* and the venue of the ISA workshops.

From the sustainable project idea to implementation in the home country.

The ISA team accompanies the participants in all project phases: From the submission of the project idea in the first selection procedure, the development of project goals, the search for subject-specific mentors and hospitance places in universities, institutions and companies, the project development up to the implementation after return in the homeland. Finally, the planned alumni network will ensure contact between ISA and scholarship holders* and between scholarship holders* beyond the 9-month programme.

ISA Scholarshipholders

The participants* of the first round 2019/20 come from 9 countries (Mexico, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Mauritania, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and India), 6 women and 6 men of different ages, origin, religion, education and project or research focus. But they have one thing in common: the firm conviction that they make an important contribution to the implementation of the 17 Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs).

From top left: Alexander Darko (Ghana), John Eduafo (Ghana), Raoul Ndifor Akam (Cameroon), Lateef Salami (Nigeria), Sidhartha Mohanty (India), Terence Kibula Lukong (Cameroon). From the bottom left: Lillian Mana (Zambia), Assem Askerova (Kazakhstan), Isabelle Salazar (Mexico), Tarba Abidine (Mauritania), Elena Park (Uzbekistan) and Olya Esipova (Uzbekistan).

Award ceremony “Project Sustainability 2019

Another highlight of the event was the award ceremony for the “Project Sustainability 2019” competition. The three Hamburg projects were honoured: Green Film Shooting, the German-English magazine and the associated Internet platform Green Film Shooting show how a film set can act sustainably and award the Green Shooting Pass to Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein.

     

The Forum for Intercultural Exchange sees itself as a network that aims to anchor the topics of education for sustainable development and global learning as an integral part of vocational schools. To date, five vocational schools in Hamburg have integrated the topics, reaching around 8,000 vocational school students* from a wide range of training occupations (health, crafts, industry). The SDG Sessions (Sustainable Development Goals) of the Global Marshall Plan describe a workshop format that provides well-founded knowledge about the global challenges, potentials and limits of the concepts discussed in development policy. The winning projects will each receive €1,000 in funding to advance their projects further. In total there were more than 500 submissions and 40 winning projects, 10 per RENN Region (north, middle, west and south) were awarded the title “Project Sustainability”.

The “Project Sustainability” is implemented by the Regional Hubs for Sustainability Strategies (RENN) in cooperation with the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE).

Further information is available at: www.projektnachhaltigkeit.renn-netzwerk.de