Tips for Universities
- Consider unique ways your university can get involved in creating positive change. How could you expand your institution’s research programs to create breakthroughs that affect CGI U’s four focus areas — education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation, and public health?
- How can you create a cross-disciplinary atmosphere of public service where faculty and students can work together to eradicate pressing social issues?
- Foster a community of support by considering seed funding, new degree programs, or fellowships for action-oriented student projects.
- Identify leaders on your campus and in your community who may want to partner with your university.
- Explore new partnerships with universities overseas. Could a university in a developing country benefit from a relationship with your institution? How might your students benefit from interacting with students in the developing world?
Environment & Climate Change
Empirical scientific records and climate projections provide abundant evidence of the dire consequences that climate change already is having on both human societies and ecosystems. Yet in both the developed and developing world, CO2 and methane emissions continue to rise; hundreds of coal plants and superhighways remain on the drawing boards, and international consensus on a new global climate agreement appears elusive. Building on an increasingly global consensus, many universities, government institutions, and corporations worldwide have rallied together to find common solutions to our climate crisis. Throughout the world, a groundswell of eco-entrepreneurs and young climate leaders are expanding the renewable energy economy, creating green jobs, and accelerating progress towards a sustainable future.
Peace & Human Rights
War, genocide, and other multi-national conflicts have killed or displaced millions of people in recent decades. Yet human rights abuses extend far beyond geopolitical and military conflicts alone. In times of both war and peace, violence against women and girls occurs at an alarming rate globally, with six out of every ten women experiencing physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. The institution of slavery has manifested itself in the modern form of human trafficking, exploiting the labor and dignity of millions of the world’s most vulnerable individuals. Many young leaders are taking action to address these issues and strengthen the foundations for peace around the world. Students have spearheaded awareness campaigns on human rights issues and also have worked to build communities of dialogue on and off campus, bringing together diverse ethnic, religious, and political groups to share ideas, find common solutions, take part in community service projects, and even play sports.
Poverty Alleviation
Today, nearly 3 billion people in the world live on less than $2 a day, despite billions of dollars in foreign aid and multinational initiatives. This poverty is both a cause and consequence of inadequate education systems, too few job opportunities, social exclusion, political instability, violent conflict, food insecurity, demographic pressures, and human migration. Reversing these challenges will require a combination of creativity, perseverance, sound policies, and forward-looking leadership from the higher education community. Students and universities are working tirelessly to develop and scale new innovations in the fields of economic empowerment, affordable technologies, and agricultural development that will enable millions around the globe to lift themselves from poverty. Despite the current economic distress throughout the world, universities can inspire the technological innovation and the cross-sector collaborations that are necessary for sustainable economic security for all.
Public Health
Our increasingly interconnected world enables health risks to spread quickly across national boundaries, linking the health of the world’s communities more closely than ever before. Exposures and health risks from shifting environmental conditions around the world disproportionately affect disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, particularly young children. And chronic diseases – heart disease, cancer, and diabetes – continue to rise as global demographics continue to shift. Students have been at the forefront of the movement to advance responses to global health challenges and to expand access to essential services and medicines and exploring innovative health solutions, particularly in developing nations. These efforts can improve both the quality and availability of health services around the globe, often at costs much lower than currently incurred.
