On Nov. 17 during International Education Week 2022, York University and its international partners will host the second Sustainable on the Go Virtual Conference (SOTG 2022), an event designed to engage new voices, partners and stakeholders in creative dialogue formats to further enrich the discussion on sustainable and inclusive internationalization in higher education.
The conference’s theme, Navigating the New Normal in Higher Education, will appeal to anyone working in or pursuing work in a field related to international mobility and their need to consider the challenges and opportunities of navigating the new normal in higher education in ways that are sustainable and inclusive.
The event is co-organized by York International, the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability and international partners, and will aim to ensure youth engagement is central to the conversation.
The conference will focus on three main topics with inclusivity, gender and education for sustainable development (ESD) cross-cutting all conversations:
- Sustainable and inclusive global learning: How can universities ensure that all students, regardless of their socio-economic or cultural background, are empowered and supported to participate in international education and global learning opportunities?
- Connecting the local and global classrooms: What are new or innovative forms of pedagogy in different regions to address diversity, equity and other sustainability themes?
- Local and global community engagement: What are the roles and responsibilities of students or graduates of higher education in their local communities? How do we empower and prepare students for continued community and global engagement post-graduation?
The conference is a dialogue platform that will allow participants to tackle these vital questions and come together to discuss workable solutions and plans of action. It has ambitious, but important goals:
- Discussing COVID-19's impact on sustainable and inclusive internationalization: What have we learned? What would we like to continue and move forward with post COVID-19? What would we like to leave behind?
- Contributing to the future vision of sustainable and inclusive internationalization and mobility, informed by the cross-cutting issues of inclusivity, gender and education for sustainable development.
- Providing a platform for dialogue on the role of ethical internationalization in higher education for the entirety of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) including the sharing of innovative programs and practices in global learning.
- Including different speakers and audiences with a focus on Youth (Youth Engagement Program), and historically underrepresented stakeholders by facilitating their participation and highlighting their contributions towards the future of internationalization in higher education.
- Sharing experiences from implementing the commitments of the Toronto Declaration.
Students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to contribute to and shape the future of global mobility and exchanges as they discuss the evolving landscape at educational institutions post pandemic.
Join the conversations – the early bird registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 30. Register here.
For more information, contact: Mario Guerrero (he/him), project officer, York International at sotg@yorku.ca.
Originally published in YFile