CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

In this topic we highlight the role of higher education in fostering active participation, social responsibility and a sense of belonging among individuals within the communities they’re part of. This topic emphasizes the importance of civic engagement, democratic values and partnerships to address ‘glocal’ (local and global) sustainability issues. By promoting inclusive practices and empowering individuals, higher education institutions play a pivotal role in breaking undesirable power structures and building cohesive communities.

Bold education can cause aesthetic experiences, i.e. powerful experiences that move people emotionally and bodily, which needs proper regulation (e.g. eco-anxiety) by learners and guidance by their educators. Moreover, the crossing of the planetary boundaries or a failure in providing a social foundation for all might cause pressure on personal well-being of students and educators. This topic connects outer with inner sustainability by proposing learning formats that enable students to achieve the Inner Development Goals and showcase regenerative leadership in their personal and professional lives.

This topic emphasizes the use of creative, engaging and innovative learning methods to enhance and assess students’ sustainability competencies. It encourages risk-taking in teaching and assessment practices to foster a powerful, authentic and transformative learning environment for sustainability. By adopting boundary-crossing and transdisciplinary, place-based and nature-based approaches, educators can spark curiosity, a love for learning and deepen students’ connection with the natural world.

Generative AI is disrupting our society. Many teachers think students use AI unethically, causing reduced learning associated with a high ecological footprint. Moreover, false information is spreading constantly and we need to learn how to combat it. AI also reproduces preconceptions while increasing inequalities. But maybe AI can be a force for good: it can help us discover patterns and trends that our human brain is unable to see, or it might spark creative solutions for severe sustainability challenges. This topic explores how to deal with generative AI to limit its danger and to use the opportunities AI offers in a constructive way, useful for the most pressing societal issues.

As we don’t want to limit your creativity, we’ve deliberately chosen not to impose a predefined format. We are open to any proposal for a one-hour session, as long as it is brave, creative, interactive, and has the potential to be transformative. Ideally, your proposal is the result of a collaboration between students and educators/researchers. For all clarity, traditional presentations will be excluded. To inspire you, here are some examples of previous Higher Educaton Summits:

• an ‘action atelier’ in which you show or test a transformative learning method, such as a climate constellation
• a ‘project staircase’ or ‘project development workshop’ in which you propose a project idea and can find partners in crime to develop a concept note for a project application, for instance, in one of the European funding channels
• a ‘cosy conversation corner’ in which you interview the author of your favourite book or documentary, an important scholar who inspired your research, or a policymaker that can have an important impact in the field of higher education
• a ‘network studio’ where you can set up a new network or book a virtual room to host a meeting for an existing network
• a ‘campfire’ in which you host an open-ended and informal session to share stories or experiences related to bold education for scary times, listen deeply to each other and reflect how those stories can be combined to shape education for a just and regenerative future

• In which topic(s) does your contribution fit?
• What is your specific contribution about?
• How will you engage the audience?
• Why is your contribution bold (don’t be shy!), creative or transformative?
• What scientific basis is there for your contribution, or which theoretical frameworks inspired you?
• To what extent is your contribution the result of a collaboration between students and educators, or between researchers and practitioners?

How to submit?

• The deadline for submission is 11 July 2025.
• Information to be provided:
  ○ Names of the presenters and co-presenters / co-authors
  ○ Short bio
  ○ Description of your session (max. 2 pages, pdf)
  ○ Max. group size
  ○ Teaser / website promotion text

How will your contribution be evaluated?

Your contribution will be assessed by the organizing committee based on the following criteria:

• thematic relevance
• boldness
• transformative potential
• degree of collaboration (between students and educators, or between researcher and practitioners)
• interactivity of the mode of presentation
• scientific basis

When will you know whether your contribution is accepted?

You will be notified whether your contribution is accepted by 11 August 2025.