The initiative Teaching for Sustainability is intended to serve as a hub for educators at Lund University, offering a platform for training, resources, and community building. In growing our work and network, we continue to think about what our community needs. In the face of our environmental and societal challenges, I have been thinking more about what it means to belong to a community, to cultivate a community, and to contribute to a community.
Community can be defined as a social group with a shared sense of identity, values, and norms, where members are interconnected and interdependent, with an implicit desire to contribute and participate in the collective maintenance and development of the group [1]. Though, a functioning community is not free; it requires effort, legitimacy, and resources. Members shall feel a sense of belonging, trust, and shared purpose as well as receive benefits that serve their individual and collective needs.
Following the model proposed by University of Tasmania in Australia [2], we established a core group, an inner circle, and an outer circle.
- Working Group: Engages in operational planning and implementation of activities and resources.
- Task Force: Receives information and provides input that guides the work of the working group
- Community of Practice: Our community engages and empowers members to explore real approaches to integrate sustainability into their teaching practice.
Members have the opportunity to engage with the community as much or as little as they like, based on their needs and capacity.
A Call to Action
As the initiative continues to grow, we invite members of our community to contribute their time, effort, skills, and passions to the operationalisation and implementation of our work. Currently, we are seeking additional members to join the Working Group or Task Force.
For those wishing to join the Task Force, we ask that you commit to the following:
- Attend at least two meetings per semester.
- Receive updates about content, events, and opportunities.
- Share information with your respective stakeholders.
- Provide strategic input and suggestions to steer our work.
For those wishing to join the Working Group, we ask that you commit to the following:
- Attend at least one meeting per month.
- Host one event (e.g. lecture, seminar, workshop, social event) per semester (with support from other members)
- Actively contribute to the sharing of information in the Community of Practice.
- Bring whatever ideas, skills, or passions to shape our work.
If interested, we welcome you to join any of our meetings to observe how we work. We’re quite easy – this is not a lifelong commitment, but an opportunity to contribute with whatever energy or capacity you have. Are you interested contributing in another way (e.g. dissemination, newsletter, photographer, graphic designer, etc.)? For more information, contact Terese Thoni (terese.thoni@cec.lu.se) – Education Coordination, LU Sustainability Forum.
As a member of the Working Group myself, I have found strength and inspiration working with my colleagues. Our work and their support has given me a sense of purpose, which has helped me find strength to continue working towards sustainability. I have planned events that speak to my interests; I have contributed my skills with web design and communication. I feel our efforts are appreciated by faculty and staff at the University. Ultimately, I’m proud of our work. My colleagues and I would love to work collaboratively and support you, too.
References
[1] Etzioni, A. (1994). Spirit of community. Simon and Schuster.
[2] Murray, S., & Salter, S. (2014). Communities of practice (CoP) as a model for integrating sustainability into higher education. In Handbook of research on pedagogical innovations for sustainable development (pp. 170-188). IGI Global. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-5856-1.ch009
