Become a Leader in Sustainable Development

Description

WELCOME TO OUR ONLINE PUBLIC COURSE!  This is for you if you want to explore and become a pioneering leader in the sustainable development movement. We clarify the objectives, purpose, and goals of the sustainability movement in preparation of your becoming a CHANGE MAKER. This course aims to help you to not only realize your potential as a catalyst for change and but also thrive in the complexities of today's world. 

You will learn how to define "sustainable development", what policies and agendas currently influence sustainability worldwide, how you can engage locally and globally in aiding in the sustainable development movement, in what ways communities/organizations/individuals achieve sustainability, and with which methods and systems one might implement change. Through sharing our relationships with local NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organizations), we hope to provide the tools and resources for an emerging generation of leaders to engage in sustainability and social justice at the grassroots level.

The course is taught by Zach Towne-Smith, a cum laude Harvard graduate and co-founder of numerous Central American organizations, and Annie Goeke, Earth Rights Institute co-founder, UN NGO delegate, and leader in sustainable community building worldwide for over 30 years. The course includes creative exercises, information on existing campaigns (UN Millennium Development Goals and The Campaign for People’s Goals for Sustainable Development), and informative and virtual observations demonstrating our engagement with local Mayan communities using our Holistic Action Planning for Innovation methodology. This is designed by Imagitlan, a Guatemalan Non-Profit association, to research multiple perspectives, create collaborative solutions to shared needs, and develop a robust action plan including prototyping and evaluation. We use collaborative methodologies that help facilitate intercultural exchanges in the design of solutions for the specific needs of these communities. 

The course includes: comprehensive information on UN Global Goals and Together 2030 Campaign, creative workshops, virtual observation of our Holistic Action Planning for Innovation (HAPI) methodology being implemented in Mayan communities, and the opportunity to follow the solutions implemented over 6 months.

The course is structured to be taken over a period of seven weeks, with a commitment of 2-3 hours/week.  You can take the course at your own pace!

Taking this course will give you tools, resources and skills to be independently proficient in advancing the sustainability movements on local and global levels. Become a CHANGE MAKER dedicated to instituting a movement of inspiration and leadership.

What You Will Learn!

• Identify their own blockages to accessing creative states
• Understand the meaning and significance of “sustainable development”
• Understand our Holistic Action Planning for Innovation methodology as a sustainable development tool
• Understand the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
• Participate in a local/global dialogue about the Campaign for the People's Goals.
• Understand how Holistic Action Planning for Innovation (HAPI) can bring diverse stakeholders together to create solutions for sustainability
• Participate in building sustainable development goals and an accountability framework for post-2015
• Use existing tools and create their own tools to inspire sustainable solutions

Who Should Attend!

• Experienced leaders in sustainable development looking for more tools on a global and local scale.
• Individuals interested in fostering commitment to place, promoting vitality, acting as stewards, and forging peaceful connections beyond their community
• Newcomers to the term "sustainable development" who would like to learn ways to build innovative solutions
• International relations experts seeking new tools to implement sustainable development.
• University professors interested in giving their students a participative experience in sustainable development
• Students seeking alternative travel options that will allow them to interact deeply with local leaders and participate in creating innovative solutions that will sustainably improve quality of life.
• Businesses interested in solutions for holistic sustainability and in implementing more meaningful social responsibility.
• Organizations seeking to improve their own sustainability and improve quality of life in their communities and beyond

TAKE THIS COURSE