PRME Global Students

Student initiatives are influential drivers of change on campus, and all of our movements make a critical statement for the future we imagine. After every purposeful action, our voices get louder, and we increasingly move into the spotlight within and beyond our schools. But we cannot do all this work alone. And we are not alone.

PRME Global Students (PGS) is a student-run movement that aims to co-create a space for fruitful and creative collaboration, collective reflection, and joyful interactions between and beyond student organizations in the realm of sustainable development. PGS aims to empower and create value for student organizations worldwide by leveraging their interests while facilitating connections to each other and further players in a fast-paced changing society.

Therefore, while developing PRME Global Students as an initiative by and for students, it is pivotal for a collaborative development process to gather and listen to the individual voices behind student associations and co-design a platform that meaningfully serves their needs and aspirations. Let’s find ways to accelerate our ever-growing collective impact and support each other in writing history today and making our dreams come true tomorrow.

The whole idea behind this co-creative development process - compose of Research and Design phases - is to invite you into a skillfully and joyfully hosted process of shared reflection that will bring clarity, spark connections, inspire action, and surface new perspectives on what you are doing now and what we can do more in the future.

Research Phase - Collective Circles

Between May and October 2021, PRME Global Students carried out its Research Phase, composed of one-to-one chats between the PGS Regional Leaders and worldwide student organizations, and two rounds of Collective Circles.

The Collective Circles are a series of conversations that are open to every student connected to the PGS movement.

Together, we will be able to identify the common needs and challenges faced by student organizations while local taking action toward sustainability as well as brainstorm how to create value for us through global collaboration among students in the PGS movement. These constructive conversations will then inform the subsequent PGS Design Phase when we will conceptualize, design, and plan the project that matters for us as student agents.

The first round of Collective Circles happened in June and July, and engaged students from the Americas, Europe, and Africa. In September and October, PGS hosted the second round of Collective Circles with students from the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania.

Design Phase - Portfolio Definition and Global Taskforces Composition

With all flourished ideas and outstanding team-building from its Research Phase, PGS is now reaching its Design Phase. During seven consecutive weeks in November and December 2021, we will host design thinking labs divided into two main stages – Portfolio Definition and Global Taskforces Composition.

Portfolio Definition:

At this first stage, the basic idea is defining which projects will compose the PGS Portfolio. We will start by brainstorming potential projects considering our three action-oriented pillars – Awareness, Advocacy, and Collective Action. Then, we will establish a set of criteria to guide a prioritization process among the various brainstormed projects. Finally, each of us will have a voting right, thus rating and raking the projects, to democratically narrow down those projects that matter most for us and will constitute the PGS Portfolio.

Global Taskforces Composition:

Once the PGS Portfolio is defined, we will compose Global Taskforces per project to further develop and implement them by 2022. For that, we will begin discussing what are the skills and abilities needed for each project. Then, students will share their preferences, and each of you will be allocated to a Global Taskforce by matching your preferences and expertise with the competencies needed for each project. Therefore, by the end of December, we will all know what the selected projects for the PGS Portfolio are and in which project each one of you will join efforts next year!

Spread the message to your colleagues and join our upcoming Design Labs! We’re looking forward to hearing from your perspectives, getting your opinion on the Portfolio definition, and joining efforts to develop meaningful projects for our global student agency! Together, we will make PGS a powerful network by and for students! Let’s find ways to accelerate our ever-growing collective impact and support each other in writing history today and making our dreams come true tomorrow.

If you are willing to come together with other student initiatives worldwide, share your experience, and begin an exploration together about what could ease and amplify the work you are doing, please contact our PGS Regional Leaders to get more information about how to engage with the PRME Global Students movement.