Green Gown Awards 2021: Tomorrow's Employees - York St John University - Finalist

YSJgoesgreen

York St John University (YSJ) hosted its first ever virtual Green Week from 15 to 19 March 2021. Organised virtually in collaboration with YSJ Students’ Union (YSJSU) and student volunteers, it was a week designed to empower students on sustainability employability skills, especially during lockdown where there were fewer opportunities for students. The key events were a full day project management workshop (themed around the UN Sustainable Development Goals), panel discussions with local business and alumni involved in sustainable careers, a discussion with Thimali Kodikara on Climate Justice and a showcase of Ecological Justice Students’ Research.

The whole YSJ community was involved, including York Business School, Ecological Justice research team, Estates, Careers, Events and Communication team. YSJSU and Executive Board drove communications in the lead up to the event. Having a strong Student voice and working across interdisciplinary teams was central to the success of the project.

Top 3 learnings:

1. Employability skills in a sustainable job market are key skills students are looking for.
2. Students’ voices are powerful. Working with students will add another strong layer to your project.
3. Collaboration is key. Involve all the key stakeholders to make your project impactful.

Videos

• Video #1 (click to hide)
• Video #2 (click to hide)