It’s time to put sustainability into action

This winter, Concordia students are being offered a hands-on opportunity to learn about community engagement and sustainability.

The course — Orientation to International Community Engagement (LOYC-398K) — seeks to prepare its participants for work in developing countries.

It is open to 20 students and is sponsored by the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability (LCDS) as part of an interdisciplinary initiative with the Faculty of Arts and Science, the Faculty of Fine Arts and the John Molson School of Business.

In the course, students will be challenged to explore critical perspectives on intercultural engagement with local and international communities, addressing issues of development theory, collaboration, volunteerism, collective action, sustainability and entrepreneurship. It will prepare them for, and be a prerequisite to, the Concordia Volunteer Abroad Program. 

The topics are covered through guest lectures, research, experiential learning and creative studio workshops. Students may choose to design innovative projects for existing or potential community programs.

This course follows the LCDS’ tradition of combining local community initiatives with international programs. In the summer of 2014, as part of a two-year pilot project, students from Fulda University came to Montreal and visited a handful of the city’s sustainability initiatives, including Sustainable Concordia and Incredible Edibles in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

Any Concordia student can register for the course, with the permission of the department, by emailing adan.suazo@concordia.ca.

Find out more about the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability.

The Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability takes a global approach. In 2013, two classes visited Germany — watch this video about their educational adventures.