An Arena for Discovery, Commitment & Action

This planet and its inhabitants face a set of inter-related challenges. Resource depletion, climate change, mass migration, civil unrest and failing institutions are just some of the most visible problems of our time. Addressing these challenges requires the cooperative and concerted efforts of people who are capable of acting conscientiously and effectively. The Academy for Global Challenges aims to educate and empower individuals who seek knowledge, commitment and action to address these challenges. ​

The mission of the Academy links into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations. The Agenda, consisting of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is intended to stimulate and guide action at all levels of society to achieve a better world. The SDGs are a response to the daunting challenges that our planet and its inhabitants face. The Academy aims to contribute to the realization of the SDGs by providing a learn-work-learn environment in which people attain knowledge, develop commitment and take action towards the implementation of the SDGs.

Philosophy

Addressing the challenges of our planet and its inhabitants is not just a matter of study and education, it is also - and perhaps most importantly - a matter of commitment and action. The Academy for Global Challenges offers an environment where learning and action go hand in hand, with learning leading to action and action leading to learning. It is this approach that distinguishes the Academy from traditional programmes and courses of higher education. And it this approach that results in five core values.

1. The first and foremost value: custodianship of planet and people. Custodianship is leading in whatever the Academy undertakes, sponsors or supports. All who teach, study or act under the aegis of the Academy commit themselves to making this world a better place - both ecologically and economically - in whatever way suits her or him best. Custodianship also implies that personal ambitions and interests are to be pursued with respect for the ambitions and interests of others. It also stands for a willingness to acquire knowledge, to trust others, and to serve common interests, as well as a will to always strive for the best.
   
   
2. The Academy seeks to have real and direct impact on society. Any Academy programme, course, seminar or conference is designed to mobilize the best knowledge available worldwide, but knowledge is a means to an end: to help changing organizations, institutions, countries and (perhaps) a part of the world. Most challenges we face are global in scope, but actions to address them are always local and within a specific context. Having real impact for the better is the ultimate aim of the knowledge and insights gained from Academy activities.
   
   
3. Academy programmes, courses, seminars or conferences always involve three steps in order to ensure impact: Discovery, followed by Commitment and Action. Occasionally, it may be impossible to apply this “DCA-cycle”, but in principle all Academy programmes start with Discovery and exploration of new knowledge. Participants will then transform the knowledge so acquired into personal Commitment: what goals do they wish to pursue? And finally: participants develop a concrete plan of  Action plan for the organization they work or wish to work for. Or for the startup they plan to set up as an independent entrepreneur.
   
   
4. In these fast-moving times, learning is no longer solely a process in which the older generation instructs a younger generation, but also an activity in which older generations learn from younger ones. All age groups are represented and interact at Academy activities. Students and teachers reverse roles all the time with the young contributing eagerness and freshness, the older expertise and influence and the elderly reflection and wisdom.
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5. The above inevitably leads to the Academy’s fifth and last core value: the building of a community of people who trust and support each other and who work together, not only during Academy activities, but also afterwards. Participating in an Academy programme, course, seminar or conference is not an isolated event, but the start or confirmation of a lasting relationship.

By applying these core values as the foundation for all its activities, the Academy is a role model for the people it seeks to educate and empower.

Principles

At a more operational level, these five core values translate into five basic principles.

1. Academy programmes, courses, seminars and conferences aim at contributing to “business development”, whereby the term “business” not only refers to for-profit activities, but also to the work of NGOs and public sector organizations. It is essential that participation in Academy activities results in changes that equip a participant’s organization to better deal with the challenges ahead through a better product, service or process.
   
   
2. Although all generations will be involved, the Academy will direct its programmes, courses, seminars or conferences at a target population aged between 30 and 40 with a higher-education degree. People in this age group generally proved themselves in their first jobs. They are often on the brink of a significant career move, with the best of them well-placed to grow into positions of authority within a couple of years, making them the next generation of change agents.
   
   
3. At the Academy learning always is an interactive group process and diversity within the group is therefore essential to ensure and enhance the quality of learning. Diversity not only relates to disciplines, work experience, gender and personal ambitions, but also to socio-economic and cultural aspects. The specifics of a programme, course, seminar or conference determine in what way diversity is actually implemented.
   
   
4. Although, it should be self-evident by now, it needs to be recognized explicitly that the Academy is multi-disciplinary. Its programmes, courses, seminars and conferences deal with global challenges and these determine the disciplines that need to be mobilized. Social sciences may be involved, as well as the humanities. Technical, medical and physical sciences will often prove to be indispensable.
   
   
5. The Academy will recruit teachers and experts who have deep knowledge and rich experience, as well as the personality and the skills to inspire and empower participants. Academy programmes, courses, seminars and conferences will also avail themselves of advanced didactics and technological support systems. In order to guarantee quality in all it does, the Academy will make sure that only the best and the brightest are involved in its activities.
   
   

Potential

The Academy will be a nucleus in a much larger network. It develops and offers programmes, courses, seminars and conferences on its own, while in the future it may also “license” other organizations to offer a programme, course, seminar or conference under the aegis of the Academy on condition these meet its core values and basic principles.

All those who would like to lend a helping hand in launching the Academy or are interested in developing a programme, course, seminar or conference are requested to contact the Programme Director, Nanko Boerma, at: nanko.boerma@transactieland.nl