About oikos
oikos is an international student-driven organization for sustainability in economics and management. Founded in 1987 in Switzerland, we today empower leaders to drive change towards sustainability worldwide. Our programs embed environmental and social perspectives in faculties for economics and management. They comprise conferences, seminars, speeches, simulation games and other initiatives to transform teaching and research. They promote the integration of sustainability in curricula and provide platforms for learning, creating and sharing solutions. The heart of our organization are our student members who turn ideas into action, currently in 43 oikos chapters around the world. They are supported by a global community of oikos alumni, advisors, faculty, and partners, as well as an international team based in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
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Content Table Vision, Mission, Values
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Letter from the Presidents
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Map and History
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FutureLab
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Spring Meeting
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Winter School
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LEAP Program
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Inspiration Day
oikos Contribution to International Organizations
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Curriculum Change Initiative
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Cases Program
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oikos Chapters
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oikos Curriculum Change Activities in 2019 Regional Activities
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Climate March
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oikos Alumni
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Outlook 2020
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Farewell to the oikos Foundation
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Our Partners
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Meet the oikos Team
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Advisory Council
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Be informed, Get involved, Make a difference
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Vision, Mission, Values
Vision Economics and management education purposed for a sustainable world.
Mission To transform economics and management education by empowering student change agents, raising awareness for sustainability opportunities and challenges, and building institutional support for curriculum reform.
Values
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Letter from the President Clémentine Robert
2019 was a turning point for the world’s youth. Activated by the pressing realities of climate change, young people around the world have found new ways to gather and express ourselves. This outburst of activity and organizing has put added pressure on the world's leaders to take young people’s concerns seriously, and provided new energy for those already working to ensure young people will inherit a livable planet. As a youth organization working for the past 33 years to embed sustainability into higher education, oikos has been both a source and a recipient of this new energy. At the start of the year we were proud to join with other student networks for sustainability to support the students leading the Fridays for Future movement. By September we were ourselves marching in the Global Climate Strike and by December oikos International and countless local oikos groups joined our friends and partners in signing the Economists4Future open letter. For both oikos and the world, 2019 was an important step towards making our needs, our wishes and our agenda heard by higher education institutions, governments, companies, and civil society. One way we did this was to work to actively embed sustainability into international ranking systems by contributing to a UNGC report on business school rankings for the 21st century and co-designing and corunning the Positive Impact Rating, a new international rating system on business schools’ positive impact. We also contributed to bring the change via the press by taking part in the Financial Times jury on best practice examples of sustainability, ethics and social purpose in business schools and by writing a chapter about ourselves in the encyclopedia of sustainability in higher education. The carbon literacy training which we have helped to develop was released this year, and we published a report mapping the landscape of pluralist economics research. In addition to this, oikos also ran several programs to support chapter and member development like the oikos Case writing competition, the oikos Leadership Program, and the curriculum change initiative, which was greatly developed this year. In order for the community to meet physically, various regional meetings and international meetings were organized, including the Spring Meeting in Belgrade, Germany Meeting in Cologne, Asia Meet in Kolkata, and the Francophone Meeting in Brussels. In parallel, we became a signatory of the Climate Letter, from the SDG Accord. Meanwhile, oikos initiated major internal structural changes at the international level to develop and strengthen our community and offer opportunities to students to further engage in an international environment. These organizational changes have positioned us to further accelerate momentum towards the oikos vision and mission of empowering student change agents worldwide to embed sustainability in academia and from there into day-to-day business, government and personal activities. Finally, I would like to thank all the people who contributed to oikos in 2019 at a local, regional and/or international level. Their actions, their dedication, their leadership to bring the change the world needs and to ‘walk the talk’ is truly inspiring. I am grateful for the exemplary commitment and inspiration of our members worldwide, the incredible legacy and constant support of our alumni at all levels, and for the guidance and advice of our partners and advisors, who make our work even more impactful. Thank you for being a part of our oikos family.
Clémentine Robert President 2019&2020 oikos International
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Annual oikos Case Writing Competition is launched
The oikos Foundation is established
2003
1990
1987
oikos St. Gallen is founded by students at the University of St. Gallen 6
1998
Students at four other universities in Europe join their colleagues in St. Gallen to put oikos on the international map
oikos launches LEAP, the oikos Leadership Program
The first oikos Winter School takes place
2015
2007
2011
oikos welcomes representatives from 21 countries to the first FutureLab
2019
oikos has over 1200 members in 43 chapters scattered around in 24 countries 7
FutureLab
The FutureLab is an annual oikos conference that brings together oikos members, alumni, faculty and partners, as well as representatives of academia, business and politics to discuss pressing sustainability issues and design initiatives to overcome current challenges. This year, the conference took place in Geneva, Switzerland from November 1st to 3rd.
Acting Together for Sustainability
Commitments to halt climate change abound in politics, academia, business, and civil society. To bring forth genuine change and yield impactful results, however, lasting multistakeholder dialogues and new synergies across these different spheres are instrumental. So, in 2019, we decided to dedicate the oikos FutureLab, our annual international conference, to the topic of partnerships and focus on the key message of #ActingTogetherforSustainability.
90 Participants
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Speakers
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Workshops
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Acting Together for Sustainability
Through a mix of keynote talks, workshops, and panel discussions, the participants representing over 20 nationalities, examined sustainability challenges and opportunities, shared their innovative solutions, and drew blueprints for collective action. Various workshops the participants got to choose from offered them a wide variety of topics, covering climate, banking, leadership, business and curriculum change.
The FutureLab conference brought together over 90 students, professors, business representatives, and sustainability thought leaders in Geneva. The first day of the FutureLab 2019 revolved around the topic of ‘partnerships for a sustainable world’, while the second day shifted attention towards ‘partnerships for changing economics and management education’.
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A number of parallel workshops at the FutureLab explored specific strategies, actions, and tools necessary for engaging different stakeholders and making progress towards a more just and sustainable world. With Fabienne Lang of Climate-KIC, the participants gained insight on how to organize Climathon, a Hackathon that connects government and citizens with an aim to design solutions to different climate problems in urban areas. Giuseppe Ugazio and Thomas Maillart of the University of Geneva, teamed up with the participants to explore what the syllabus of a university course on designing a hackathon could look like.
oikos Chapters Countries
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Partner Organizations
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spring meeting The Spring Meeting is our annual event that aims to explore a concrete sustainability topic and helps build a sense of community among our members. Hosted by a different chapter every year, it facilitates an exchange of experiences and ideas among our local groups.
In 2019 oikos Belgrade chapter was in charge of organizing the event in the Serbian capital from March 15 to 18. The main topic of the event was “Sustainable Urbanism” addressing the problem many cities in Eastern Europe are facing with inefficient and aging infrastructure unable to face the challenges of sustainability. Among the speakers were prominent local experts in the field of architecture, energetics and organizational science talking about the past and present of socialist and modern urban planning and looking into the future through the concept of Smart cities. The conference also expanded on the topics like climate change and start-up entrepreneurship with successful local entrepreneurs taking part in workshops.
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Winter School students for sustainable
Winter School 2019
economics and management
The oikos Winter School 2019 marked a milestone as the 15th edition of the event traditionally hosted by oikos Witten in Germany. Every year, the Winter School participants tackle concrete sustainability topics, such as sustainable urban development, food security, or green economy. At the Winter School, students not only discuss sustainability challenges but also develop innovative ideas that can bring a positive change to their local communities. The School also fosters exchanges between oikos members and young people outside of oikos. Named “Growing Cities, growing responsibilities – taking the lead to a sustainable future”, the oikos Winter School 2019 explored a range of topics from megacities and Smart cities to new energy and transportation concepts to civic participation. “Creating SUSTAINABLE CITIES is foremost about creating LIVEABLE CITIES – cities that are suited for us – humans, not for cars or for economic interests. Seems logical, but I feel that the human-centered perspective often gets overlooked. To design cities where humans can flourish, I am convinced, we need to give people the tools and opportunities to co-create their own homes, their own street, their own city, their own country. Most of all, we have the responsibility to look for them and I, you, we need to take the lead in shaping our environment, our future and above all, us. What I took away from the Winter School with respect to increasing the living quality is the creation of space and infrastructure that are in line with our needs. It entails a good division of public spaces where we can come together and socialize and private areas which should be green safe havens where we can connect with nature and ourselves. Janina Hoffman, Winter School 2019 Participant At the oikos Winter School 2019, a diverse set of perspectives on urban development and sustainability were presented and discussed – from cycling infrastructure to attractive urban landscapes and harvesting renewable energy in cities to participatory processes to foster citizen engagement and derive inclusive solutions. The overarching theme of “take the lead to a sustainable future” inspired me to ask myself “Is this something I could kick-off in my own neighborhood or city?” after every single presentation and discussion round. Of this resulted a list of quite specific ideas to consider once I have decided where to settle next". Sarah Hündgen, Winter School 2019 Participant
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LEAP Program oikos LEAP is a leadership development program that enhances participants’ knowledge and skills and urges them to reflect on their experiences in order to grow and become responsible leaders at a forefront of sustainable development. The oikos LEAP welcomed over 70 participants to its Advanced and Chapter Tracks in 2019. A LEAP year in oikos starts in October with the first on-site meeting of the LEAP Chapter and Advanced Track participants lasting all the way to June, once LEAPers from the Advanced Track bid farewell to the program. From October 25 to 31, oikos LEAP participants, our members, alumni and partners, came together in a beautiful village of Leysin, in Vaudois Alps, Switzerland. There, they spent a week full of energetic discussions, poignant and heartfelt exchanges, impact-driven workshops, and brilliantly funny and invigorating energizers. The meeting featured a refugee simulation where participants briefly put themselves in the shoes of millions of people fleeing their homes and leaving everything behind in search for safety and a better life for their families. The meeting also determined who among the participants would join the LEAP Advanced class 2019/2020. 30 LEAPers who rose to the challenge have already completed their first reflection and webinar.
Nino Kvaratskhelia oikos Tbilisi
Luisa Pütz
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oikos Bayreuth
LEAP Program in 19-20: 57 Participants
15 Coaches
20 Countries
2 Partner organizations
"LEAP put me on a journey to discover who I am. It gave me confidence, taught me to be a change agent, gave me a deeper insight into today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities, helped me make a transition, made me consider what kind of leader I want to be and create my path towards a sustainable future."
"The LEAP program inspired me to pursue my interest in spreading awareness of sustainability and becoming a responsible leader. The LEAP program taught me, for instance, how to be a responsible leader, gave a clearer understanding of my values and my WHY in life. The LEAP program changed my life by teaching me how to be aware of my own body, thoughts, and actions.
LEAP Program Launch of the LEAP Chapter Track In November 2019, we kicked off the LEAP Chapter Track. The new track is a means for our chapters to receive support, reflect on, and practice responsible leadership at the local level. Opportunities like chapter coaching, facilitation kits, onsite meetings and community reflections are provided and guided by a team of committed, oikos-related coaches. Chapters can find more information on our website and apply on an ongoing basis. “Before I started my studies in Graz I did not consider myself a balanced person. Not that I am perfectly balanced now, but I live much more in harmony and peace with myself. Yet, getting where I am now has not been an easy task. Joining LEAP undoubtedly stood as a milestone in my selfdevelopment, as it triggered in me a valuable process of introspection: thinking about myself, my actions, my feelings, my beliefs, my values, my emotions and, ultimately, my purpose. Before, such thoughts were indeed present but kept whirling through my mind in indiscernible and sometimes overwhelming patterns. The LEAP program thus infused me with unprecedented cognitive acuteness and provided me with a space for pursuing personal reflections. Something inside me started changing as a consequence, opening my understanding of a variety of hitherto uncharted regions of the mind. LEAP has therefore been remarkable empowerment for me, and I urge any other oikees to benefit from it as well.”
oikos Graz
LEAP cohort 2018/19
Hannah Muther
LEAP Advanced Program 2019-20
30 LEAP Advanced Participants
15 coaches
13 nationalities
1 partner organization
6 webinars
16 chapters
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Inspiration Day
oikos and DisruptivePlay came together to organize a workshop for trainees, interns and working students at Helvetia, one of the leading insurance companies in Switzerland, that has supported oikos for over two decades now. We exchanged ideas, built towers and, above all, learned more about our values and identity. We, furthermore, discussed how our actions could aid a broader societal purpose, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and create a more just and sustainable world. Young employees, like Helvetia's Inspiration Day participants, will take the reins of the global economy in the coming decades. Therefore, it is vital to expose them to the responsible, selfdirected leadership, as well as to the key sustainability challenges and goals of our century. Workshops like this and companies like Helvetia that welcome open discussions and selfcriticism allow these young people to be a part of the solution and not simple spectators of the current corporate system. 14
oikos Contribution to International Organizations oikos International in the Advisory Committee of PRME in 2019
The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) is a United Nationssupported initiative founded in 2007 as a platform to raise the profile of sustainability in schools around the world, and to equip today's business students with the understanding and ability to deliver change tomorrow.As the president of oikos International, Clémentine Robert represented PRME Student Perspective in its Advisory Committee. Source: https://www.unprme.org/resource-docs/PRME-Advisory-Committee-in-2019.pdf“The purpose of the PRME Advisory Committee (PRME AC) is twofold: to provide strategic advice and guidance to the PRME Secretariat and PRME Steering Committee on matters of importance to the P RME community’ and serve as a channel for the PRME community to raise ideas, concerns, and solutions, and influence the future direction of the initiative. “Source: https://www.unprme.org/resource-docs/PRMEAdvisoryCommitteeToR.pdf
Positive Impact Rating: oikos International in the core team in 2019
oikos International has been part of the core team of the Positive Impact Rating in 2019. Its role was to represent the student perspective in preparation discussions and gather other international and local student organizations in order to run surveys in Fall 2019 in Business Schools all over the world to assess how students perceive the positive impact of their institution. https://www.positiveimpactrating.org/who-we-are
oikos International a member of the Wise Network in 2019 The Wise Network regroups (inter)national networks & organisations working towards sustainability in higher education and student empowerment. Its goal is to connect & strengthen student groups and networks to lead on sustainability in higher education and beyond by developing collaborative relationships & projects among members, exploring synergies among our activities and communities and learning from & supporting each other to strengthen our impact capacity. Other members along with oikos International: SOS UK, Rootability & the Green Office Movement, REFEDD, Netzwerk n, VSN-FDD-FSS, and Studenten voor Morgen. End of 2019, this network started to move into SOS International, a bigger and more structured movement. It should be effective in 2020.
Carbon Literacy Training out in 2019! In 2018 oikos members from different chapters got involved in the development of a Carbon Literacy Training. This training was developed by Nottingham Business School (Nottingham Trent University) in collaboration with the UN PRME Champions, oikos International, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Carbon Literacy Project. The aim of this project is to get academics, students and others Carbon Literate within a short time frame and to get as many people as possible actively involved in embedding climate solutions in their own life and work. In order to do so, a train-the-trainer approach has been chosen and started in 2019, with regional events for all the universities and business schools in the vicinity to train academics and students there so that they can become trainers in their own institution and/or involved in training others in other regions of the world.In 2020, the carbon literacy training will be adapted to different specific subjects (accounting, economics, etc).Source: https://oikos-international.org/news/host-acarbon-literacy-training-to-tackle-the-climate-crisis-and-promote-climate-solutions/
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Curriculum Change Initiative Curriculum Academy 2019 in Prague The first oikos Curriculum Academy was hosted by the oikos Prague Chapter. The three days workshop focused on reform of economics and management education and was a result of close collaboration of local oikos Prague chapter and oikos International Curriculum Initiative team. Its main purpose was to reflect and learn about innovative economics and management programs and teaching approaches that are designed to address current global environmental and social challenges. During this first and pilot project, the organisers decided to test following organisational approaches and learning methods. Online and Onsite Interaction The Academy was hosted both on-site and online, which proved to be beneficial for the participants. It also allowed to involve diverse groups and participants into the conversation about curriculum reform. 10 on-site participants from the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland thus interacted with around 10 online participants from Italy, Germany, Austria, USA, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Active Participation and Informal Learning Methods The oikos Curriculum Academy was a participant's driven event. Each participant had a chance to present or discuss a project they were involved in. oikos St. Gallen members, oikos Cologne representatives as well as oikos Prague members presented the status of curriculum at their university with respect to sustainability, PhD students from Masaryk University and Wageningen University run an interactive session on alternative economic models. Representatives of oikos International introduced the Exploring Economics Platform during their hands on workshop. Representatives from oikos Cologne organised reflection and warm-up sessions. Action Focus and Followup
The main goal of the Academy was to kick-start a discussion about the economics and management curriculum reform which would have several follow-up activities with tangible results. During the Academy, two workshop tutorials were developed in order to bring the various concepts of heterodox economics as well as discussion about curriculum innovation further. What was kick started in Prague will continue in April in Lausanne. Based on the experience made during the first oikos Curriculum Academy the follow up event has been planned in April 2020 by the Business School Lausanne.
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oikos Curriculum Change Activities in 2019 To accelerate the process of bringing sustainability into the core of economics and management education, in 2019 we launched the Curriculum Change Initiative (CCI). Its main purpose is to foster the transformation of economics and management education together with the global oikos student community. The key events of the CCI are the oikos Curriculum Academy, which was held in Prague this year, and the oikos in Residence which was held for the first time in early 2020. The Curriculum Change Initiative also continuously works to support oikos chapters and members via our two “squads” on action and research, and to better connect oikos with Academia by attending scientific conferences and preparing publications. Squads: The Curriculum Change squads continue the work of educational transformation in between the Academy and Residence events. There are currently two CC squads: Action and Research.
The Action squad supports members by hosting discussions and helping chapters think through a strategy to change the curriculum at their university. Throughout the year this Squad hosted a number of webinars on curriculum change, including a three part series on “Getting Started with Curriculum Change”. The Research squad works creating academic materials needed to change curriculums. In 2019 it started work on creating a “Design your own curriculum” guide which will help students think about what they want business education to look like at their university. Academic Events: In 2019, the oikos Curriculum Change Managers Lenka and J.Christopher represented oikos at a number of academic events, including an “Economy Studies” Writing Workshop with Rethinking Economics in the Netherlands, the Young Scholars Initiative and Italian Association for the History of Political Economy (STOREP) conference in Siena, and the Economic Policies in the Age of Globalization and French Association for Political Economy conference in Lille. They also hosted an online workshop with the Harvard Extension School’s Environmental Economics Masters program and virtually attended the Hans Böckler Foundation’s Forum for Macroeconomics and Macroeconomic Policies. On 28th March 2019, oikos organized a roundtable to engage key stakeholders in a discussion about the future of economics curricula. We provided a space for students, faculty and practitioners who have a stake in the future of economics to come together, share experiences and opinions and develop a plan for a coherent way forward. On the same day, oikos organized an alumni debate on “ Management for a Sustainable Future –Classroom and the World of Work” that was attended by our former members onsite in Geneva as well as online. The alumni debate gathered participants from Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Georgia, India, Netherlands, and Switzerland. Publications: Our “oikos Guide to Pluralist Economics” was translated into Italian by our friends in Rethinking Economics Italia. We also published a report titled “Mapping Pluralist Economics” which describes the landscape of student research into economics education. oikos also made an appearance as an entry in the Springer Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education.
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Cases Program The oikos Cases Program supports the development and use of cases on sustainability. It comprises the annual oikos Case Writing Competition and the oikos Case Collection. The Online Case Collection includes inspection copies of all winning cases, as well as runners-up. Furthermore, the oikos Free Cases provide cases to lecturers around the world free of charge, under the Creative Commons license.
1st Place
Sustainable Urban Delivery: can lastmile bicycle delivery survive the ecommerce minefield?
By Prof. Madeleine Pullman, Prof. Jacen Greene, Prof. Wanying Shi, and Stephan Kaplan, Portland State University, Portland, USA.
2nd Place
Authenticitys: ho said unicorns are legendary?
By Chiara De Bernardi and Prof. Daniel Arenas Vives, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart – Milano, Milan, Italy; ESADE Business School, Barcelona, Spain.
3rd Place
Sistema Biobolsa: Addressing Challenges of Climate Change, Sustainable Agriculture and Waste Management in Mexico
By Indu Perepu, ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad, India
Launched in 2003, the Cases Program grew in accordance with contemporary sustainability needs. While the competition began with a single track on corporate sustainability, in 2009 it expanded to include a track on social entrepreneurship. In 2013 it further introduced a sustainable finance track. Fifteen years later, recognizing the complexity to label sustainability cases in different categories led us to relaunch the oikos Case Writing Competition in a renewed format. In 2019, the Competition has only one track on sustainability, therefore expanding the scope of possible topics addressed through cases. The goal is to promote the writing of high-quality cases on sustainability topics that stimulate innovative teaching and learning experiences.
160 Peer-reviewed cases (2003-2020) 10327 Program page views (2019) 18
10427 Case views (2019)
32 Page views every day (2019)
Regional Activities Asia (East and South Asia Regions)
In 2019 we saw an expansion of oikos in Asia. A new chapter was open in the Nort-Eastern Indian city of Bangalore which was officially announced at the Legislative Meeting in Belgrade in March. At the same time, oikos Suzhou was voted to become a full chapter of oikos Community, while at the Legislative assembly in November, oikos Jamshedpur gained the full chapter status.
Francophone (Wine & Waffles)
The 2019 edition of the Francophone Meeting was organized by oikos Brussels chapter in November. The meeting revolved around sustainable entrepreneurship taking a look at sustainable innovations and initiatives. For the first time last year, the meeting was held in English which allowed for sharing insights from our French-speaking community with a broader group of oikees.
German Speaking (North and South)
The Germany Meeting 2019 was hosted by oikos Cologne Chapter from June 7 to 9. Under the motto “Take the lead for change! – WIR für eine nachhaltige Zukunft” (US for a sustainable future) the German speaking oikees gathered in Cologne and took part in an interesting program with engaging workshops & discussions, some space for inspiring each other to take action ourselves by cleaning the greens around the University while having a nice socializing event with music & barbecue.
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oikos Chapters
oikos chapters work tirelessly in order to implement our shared vision, promote environmental awareness and bring positive change to the world. This global network of chapters organizes more than 200 projects every year. Here, we compiled just a small selection of local chapter projects. oikos Leipzig - oikos Book Presentation and Discussion Presentation of the oikos Book “Anders wachsen! Von der Krise der kapitalistischen Wachstumsgesellschaft und Ansätzen einer Transformation” published thanks to the efforts of oikos Leipzig with the discussion on topic of unconditional basic income. oikos Reims - Ethical Fashion Show
Summer, autumn, winter, spring: what is your favorite season? Each one brings changes and novelties. From one season to another, our moods change, our desires evolve and our wardrobe is renewed. oikos Reims, with the support of creators from all walks of life, promoted ethical and trendy shopping: handmade accessories, clothes, organic lingerie, vegan and artisanal shoes, green decor, accompanied by live performances, dance, music. oikos Copenhagen - Green Week 2019
Green Week 2019 was all about discovering chances and challenges of the sustainable business ecosystem. It was a unique opportunity for engaging with high-profile actors from different fields through lectures, workshops, panel talks, a sustainability themed career fair and green food tasting. oikos Hong Kong - Sustainability Impact Case Competition oikos Hong Kong organising their first case competition in April 2019. The champion team was awarded a sponsorship to represent Hong Kong at the oikos International FutureLab 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. oikos Bangalore - Business Plan Competition The first event of the young oikos Bangalore chapter - The Business Plan Competition: “The change starts with small steps.” Sustainability business plans by students were judged by faculties from different fields within the Institute of Management which made the overall results as well as the event successful. oikos Warsaw - Renewable Energy Forum oikos Warsaw hosted the Renewable Energy Forum in 2019 focusing on investing in renewable energy sources for a better future of our planet. Participants had the opportunity to meet the people from the industry and get answers to their questions related to renewable energy sources and technologies used in the sector. 20
oikos Berlin - PariGo Green
oikos Berlin chapter organized the PariGo Green festival, in collaboration with Noise ESCP Europe, and the new Berlin association Ethos! The festival took place on the République campus of ESCP Europe Paris, during the Student Sustainability Week, with the theme for 2019 - ‘Tech for Good’, or the role of technology in sustainable development.
oikos Graz - Green Mobility Design Thinking Challenge oikos Graz teamed up with local partners to launch the Green Mobility Design Thinking Challenge (GMDTC). Bachelor, Master and PhD students were offered the opportunity to learn about Design Thinking, gain hands-on experience and work together, develop, test and pitch ideas and concepts in interdisciplinary teams for 2 full days. oikos Barcelona - Sustainability Cycle
The Sustainability Cycle is an event in which students are able to learn about sustainable management through presentations, workshops, and other activities organized by companies and academics. The goal of the event is to raise awareness amongst the leaders of the future about how important it is to change our mentality when it comes to sustainability in busines oikos St.Gallen - EVOLVE Conference The EVOLVE Conference is a yearly event on the topic of Social Entrepreneurship organized by oikos St. Gallen. EVOLVE is an opportunity for students and graduates to learn about social entrepreneurship and network with interesting and successful people from the field. Cross Chapter - oikos Talks oikos Talks are organized across our chapters with an aim to question the orthodox understanding of economics and management and to learn about new opportunities, drawbacks, and developments in different industries.
Cross chapters - World Climate Simulation The simulation of UN negotiations on climate change was organized by various chapters throughout the year. This unique workshop shows us just how difficult it is for world leaders to agree on world climate measures that need to be taken when they are motivated by other things. Cross chapters - oiConference: The Green Future of Investment oikos members from different chapters gathered with Harvard’s Environmental club to bring a virtual, student-led conference focused on learning about Sustainable Investing. This series of workshops was held over two days in an interactive style and encouraged everyone to learn and discuss with participants from all over the world.
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Climate March Early 2019, oikos International along with other student organizations wrote and released a shared open letter explaining and supporting the global youth Climate Movement. All year long many chapter members took part of the Friday for Future movement and demonstrations. In September oikos members joined millions of fellow young people on the streets and raised their voices for a sustainable future. We see how this global action continues to help us at oikos, and w h a t w e d o t o k e e p t h e m o m e n t u m g r o w i n g a t o u r universities and communities worldwide. Millions of protesters from Vienna to Tokyo, Copenhagen to Rio de Janeiro, New York to Mumbai took to the streets in September to demand action against climate change. School children and young people at the forefront of the g l o b a l c l i m a t e m o v e m e n t e x p r e s s e d t h e i r a n g e r a t politicians and corporate leaders who had failed to halt the imminent threat of the climate crisis. These young people led the largest environmental protest in history that engulfed over 4 million people in 163 countries. The September protests have proved especially impactful in convincing our stakeholders to trust student leadership and open up to change. “The protests have slowly opened new doors to us, especially in the education sector. They seem to be the first stakeholders influenced by the youth, as top management representatives at universities are more willing to embed sustainability in their “Everyone was incredibly helpful and empathetic p r o g r a m s a n d o p e r a t i o n s . A n d i t i s j u s t t h e throughout the strike – unlike anything I’ve seen in other b e g i n n i n g . T h i s g e n e r a t i o n o f y o u n g p e o p l e demand more, and we need to accompany them in NYC protests.” Irie, oikos NYC alumna. t h e i r e ff o r t s t o d e e p l y c h a n g e o u r e c o n o m i c system.” Clementine, oikos International President
“I went to the strike because I believe that Fridays for Future are making a change. If people continue going t o p r o t e s t s l i k e t h i s o n e , w e w i l l c r e a t e m o r e awareness and media coverage, which I think is the main objective.” Marta, oikos Barcelona. “I liked being united with so many like-minded people. The mood was very peaceful, inclusive, and fun. I think the climate movement, in general, is a great way to show that what matters to us is the environment.” Ellen, oikos St.Gallen 22
“The protesters were full of energy and hope but also concerned. They were fewer in numbers than their peers in other countries. On top of that, protests in Serbia, in general, aren’t exactly a s p r o l i fi c a s t h e y a r e i n o t h e r E u r o p e a n countries, so the strikers recognized how little the movement could influence the government.” Stefan, oikos Belgrade.
oikos Alumni oikos Alumni are active across the world in business, government, NGOs and academia. Their common history and interest in sustainability provides a bond that lasts long beyond their university years. The Alumni take part in our international activities and get together in an informal setting to discuss their favorite topic of sustainability and reminisce about their time at oikos. Paris Cologne
In 2019, oikos Alumni network organized 14 events around the world.
Toronto Geneva HochYbrig
Jan Tbilisi
Feb
Mar
May
Brussels
Jun
Jul
Brussels
Paris Belgrade Geneva
Aug
Sep
Nov Brussels
Zurich St Gallen
Alumni Impressions Mrudula Tanari oikos Kolkata
oikos instilled a lot of confidence in me and helped me develop a sense of ownership. With a great network of wonderful people, oikos is a library of endless learning. Urs Karl Egger oikos St Gallen On this journey I got new insights and realized how much we are stuck in our thinking patterns, concepts and behavior, experiences we individually and collectively have been gathering in the past. YoonJoo Jee oikos Lille “I am not alone!” This is what I felt when I joined oikos and participated in my first FutureLab and Presidents Meeting oikos Unconference 2019
Unlike a regular conference, an Unconference is an event where the agenda is shaped by the participants, which creates space for peer-to-peer learning, collaboration and creativity, with a strong focus on networking possibilities. The Unconference on Sustainability is created by oikos Alumni for the oikos community to leverage the participants’ knowledge and skills from each other’s know-how. The First edition took place in St Gallen, where oikos was founded in 1987. 23
Outlook 2020 In 2020, we will keep fostering leadership to transform economics and management education in order to develop an economic system that respects ecosystem limits and serves society. We envision economics and management education that prepares youth to address urgent global sustainability challenges and supports leaders in making society more resilient. We will engage the oikos international community, our allies and other stakeholders in the profound reform of economics and management curriculum via various curriculum initiatives at international and local levels (oikos Program, oikos Curricula Academy, oikos in Residence) and in empowering the youth via international leadership programs (for individual members, for chapters and for early career researchers). To make those programs even more powerful, outreach and collaboration with various stakeholders (youth, academia, corporate, governmental, civil society, etc.) will be key to achieve an indepth transformation and that is what oikos will be also working on in 2020. We will keep developing the infrastructure to foster exchanges within our community for them to get different perspectives on sustainability matters, exchange best practices, support and inspire each other to leverage and deeper local impact.
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Meet the oikos Team Management Team
Dominika Czyz Case Program Manager
Alexandra Horvath Project Coordinator
Lenka Kepkova Curriculum Strategy Manager
Mariam Patsasia Communications Manager
J. Christopher Proctor Pluralist Economics Associate
Stefano Ramelli PhD Fellow
Adriana Troxler
Program Manager
Board
Mike Brodersen Member, Board 2019-2020
Paula Heess Member, Board 2019-2020
Sophie Charrois Member, Board 2018-2020
Clémentine Robert President, oikos International 2018-2020
Wyatt Ball
Jakob Eberhagen
Member, Board 2018-2019
Member, Board 2018-2019
Asif Gurbanov Member, Board 2019-2020
Arthur Mària Member, Board 2019-2020
Eva Späte Member, Board 2018-2019
Sarah Martin
Member, Board 2018-2019
Luisa Marie Pütz Member, Board 2019-2020
Benoît Pitsaer
Member, Board 2018-2019
Zvezdana Vuletić Member, Board 2019-2020
Alexis Troup Member, Board 2018-2019
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Farewell to the oikos Foundation
2019 was also the year in which we bid farewell to the oikos Foundation, as it decided to close its doors to turn oikos into a fully student-led organization. The oikos Foundation was established in 1990 as a result of the successful engagement by the students of oikos St. Gallen for a foundation to support the integration of ecological issues into research and teaching of economics and management. In 1991 and 1992, the foundation welcomed the first oikos visiting professors to the University of St. Gallen. In 1993, it was among the initial funders of the university’s Institute for Economy and Ecology. In the following years, it launched further key pillars of the oikos activities – such as the oikos Young Scholars Academies, the oikos Case Writing Competition and the oikos PhD Fellowships – that contributed to a growing momentum for sustainability in economics and management worldwide. When the members of oikos St. Gallen decided in 1997 to internationalize the oikos activities, the foundation was at their side. And it remained there ever since. Over the years, a growing part of the foundation’s engagement was devoted to supporting the impact of oikos International and our chapters. In 2017, as oikos celebrated its 30-year anniversary, the foundation trustees invited us to plan for a next phase of oikos without the foundation and with the intention to give oikos entirely into the hands of the young generation. We took the challenge, used 2018 to prepare and stood ready in 2019. With this launch pad in place, and after a wonderful farewell party in June to celebrate our joint journey over the last decades, the foundation closed its doors.Mark Wade, a current foundation trustee will continue his engagement in oikos as a member o f t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l a d v i s o r y c o u n c i l . o i k o s trustees Alexander Barkawi, Mathias Binswanger, Thomas Dyllick, and Gary Steel are ending their oikos roles with the foundation’s closing.
“Today, with close to 50 oikos groups worldwide and with an amazing team of students in the driving seat, we want to give the entire organization into the hands of the young generation and turn oikos into a fully student-led initiative. We are greatly looking forward to this next phase”, Alexander Barkawi, President, oikos Foundation.
To the team, the trustees and everybody who made the foundation the inspiration and backbone that it was for us: thank you hugely! 23 26
Advisory council
Message from oikos International Advisory council 2019 was a momentous year for oikos as it transitioned to a truly student run organisation, the first time in its 30-year history. The oikos Foundation was formally closed on 31 st March and the new, more integrated governance structure instigated. An Advisory Council was established to provide guidance and continuity.The advisors applaud the extraordinary dedication and competence of the oikos International Board and Management Team in accepting the challenge and building a more integrated and purposeful global organisation. It is with pride we recognise the increasing professionalism and clear determination to fulfil the Vision, Mission, and Values. All the flagship programmes continue to be delivered to high quality and impact, while building an ever more connected chapter community.
Mark Wade Advisory Council
Ankit Agarwal Advisory Council
Sophia Tickell Advisory Council
Jonas Haertle Advisory Council
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Our Partners
Our projects would have been impossible without our partners. Thank you for your support in terms of funding, ideas, knowledge, guidance and outreach.
Corporate Donors Alternative Bank Switzerland BDO
Helvetia
Delinat (In-Kind)
Foundations | Private and Public Donors Alexander Mauthner
Principles for Responsible Management Education
Corymbo foundation (Baer-Amann)
swissnex Brazil
City of Geneva
IWÖ University of St Gallen (Institute of ecology) Kathrin Schweizer Stiftung
Mission Possible Foundation Movetia
Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation DisruptivePlay
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Academic Partners
University of St. Gallen University of Zurich
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