On May 29th, an impact conference took place in Lund, featuring distinguished alumni from our “Innovation in Governance for Urban Nature-based Solutions” programme. The conference aimed to explore the intersection of cities, nature, and innovation, providing a platform for our alumni to share their professional experiences, valuable insights, and future perspectives. We had the privilege of interviewing a few of them, and we are excited to present their thoughts in a short film.
By merging academic expertise and practical knowledge, the programme equips participants with the necessary tools and insights to tackle the challenges of urbanization while promoting sustainable and nature-based solutions. The alumni featured in our film are shining examples of the positive impact this programme has had on their professional journeys.
We invite you to watch the short film, where our alumni share their experiences, ideas, and visions for the future. Gain valuable perspectives from experts who have successfully implemented nature-based solutions in diverse urban contexts.
Team Buca from Izmir, Turkey, after having received their diplomas by Lund University. From the left: Beyza Kuşoğlu, Yasemin Güzel, Ferhat Orhun Uyar, Berk Hızlıateş and Hande Taylan. Photo: Emma Holm.
At the end of May, Team Buca, which consists of four people from Izmir Buca Municipality in Turkey, came to Sweden for a few days filled with study visits. We took the chance to talk to them about their reflections on the programme ‘Co-design for Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Public Spaces and Services’ (CIPSS) and also organize a small graduation ceremony.
Team Buca’s change project, which they presented at the final conference of CIPSS in early May, aims to increase the renewable energy usage capacity in the public buildings of Buca Municipality and to provide energy and water efficiency with solar energy system/rainwater collection applications by creating a good pilot example.
They focused on a big youth centre where thousands of university students go regularly to study and so on and turned it into a green building.
“We wanted to affect the youth as a first step and build their awareness around sustainability, which can make them become ambassadors for change. In the long run we want all public buildings in Buca Municipality to have a green stamp”, says Berk Hızlıateş, one of the project team members.
In Izmir, which is a very hot city, ‘green building’ is quite a new concept.
“We have to make the environment much cooler and good examples of how to do that are needed. Around the youth centre, we have put up an information wall where people can read about green buildings and our project with the youth centre in particular”, says Yasemin Güzel, another team member.
It’s not about ego it’s about eco!
“Through the modules of the programme we learned that humans are part of the nature, so we are all in this together. We are so human centred today and need to think differently. It’s not about ego it’s about eco!”, says Ferhat Orhun Uyar.
“We also built a very valuable network through the programme. For example, we have already met the Tetovo team from North Macedonia face to face and started a co-operation”, says Yasemin Güzel.
“When we go back to Turkey, I feel hopeful that we can make some changes. It was like a utopia for us before, but now we have seen that it’s not a utopia at all, it’s the reality in some other countries. So, it’s not impossible to do. In fact, there are lots of good examples around the world. We only need to change our way of thinking and this was a very efficient programme about how to make the world more sustainable and inclusive”, says Ferhat Orhun Uyar.
“As a next step in Buca Municipality we want to align the sustainable development goals to our strategic planning for the coming years. We also plan to share our experience with other municipalities”, says Beyza Kuşoğlu.
Among other places, the team members visited the Norra Fäladen area in Lund to study nature-based solutions and rainwater harvesting systems that the municipality and inhabitants have developed. With them were CIPSS coordinator Johanna Alkan Olsson (the Centre for Environmental and Climate Science at Lund University), mentor coordinator Ilhami Alkan Olssson (The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law) and two guides from the area. Photo: Ilhami Alkan Olsson.Team Buca from Izmir Buca Municipality studying a rainwater harvesting system in Norra Fäladen, Lund. Photo: Ilhami Alkan Olsson.
Representatives from Lund University Commissioned Education (LUCE) and The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE). Photo: Johan Persson.
Recently, we had the pleasure of welcoming our alumni and current participants in the programme “Innovation in Governance for Urban Nature-based Solutions” to a packed week in Lund and Malmö.
As urban practitioners, coming from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, they are directly involved in change-making processes and city planning. During the programme they have had the opportunity to further develop their skills and capacities when it comes to facilitating long-term transformations toward sustainability.
Sweden Week took off with a large impact conference. There, the invited alumni could present the results from their change projects, which they developed during their one year training programme at Lund University. Each presentation was followed by a discussion with participants in the current batch on how to address challenges and take the projects on further. To explore the current state and the future opportunities of the programme, relevant guests were also invited. Among these, representatives from the Swedish Institute (the financier of the programme) and colleagues from Lund University.
Group discussion during the impact conference. Photo: Johan Persson.Meri Harutyunyan, alumnus from Armenia, presents her project and its impact. Photo: Johan Persson.
The next day started off with a joint workshop in Lund – “Taste agile”. Afterwards the alumni and the current participants in the programme were split up. One group headed to Malmö for a study visit to Augustenborg Eco-City and the Scandinavian Green Roof Institute. The alumni stayed in Lund for an intense knowledge exchange workshop where they reflected on future needs to continue learning and future collaborations.
From the workshop “Taste agile”. Photo: Johan Persson.Björn Wickenberg, lecturer and researcher at IIIEE talks at the Scandinavian Green Roof Institute. Photo: Johan Persson.Study visit in Augustenborg Eco-City. Photo: Johan Persson.
In the middle of the week, a whole day in Malmö was planned. A guest lecture was held by Mathilda Rosengren, Postdoc at the Institute for Urban Research, Malmö University about urban trees. Lunch was taken on the beautiful roof of the Niagara Building.
Björn Wickenberg, lecturer in the programme, in discussion with some participants on the roof top of the Niagara Building in Malmö. Photo: Emma Holm.Salads were taken in the sun at the roof top of the Niagara building in Malmö. Photo: Emma Holm.
In the afternoon, the whole group of current participants headed towards the Western Harbour in Malmö where they got a guided tour by the teachers in the programme. Focus was on nature-based solutions in the city planning.
Bernadett “Berni” Kiss — lecturer and research associate at the IIIEE — talks to the participants in the programme during a field trip in the Western Harbour in Malmö. Photo: Johan Persson.From the field trip in the Western Harbour. Photo: Johan Persson.Participants in the programme studying nature-based solutions in Malmö. Photo: Johan Persson.
On the Thursday, a guest lecture was held about the Brunnshög Project in Lund. Lecturer was Eva Dalman, project leader at Lund municipality. The participants also got a guided tour at Brunnshög with Ib Rosvall, community planner at Lund municipality and Mats Persson, cathedral treasurer at the Swedish church. A workshop where the participants could reflect on the learning of the study visits was held in the afternoon.
The last day was the big day of the change project presentations for the participants! What an impressive work they have done!
“It’s fascinating and powerful to listen to you all. We’ve been waiting for Sweden Week for months. It’s definitely the highlight of this course. You’ve made a quick jump on that learning curve! We look forward to following your continued work! Because you will continue now”, said Björn Wickenberg, lecturer in the programme.
The teachers in the programme were happy about the presentations. Photo: Johan Persson.
During the wrapping up of the week and discussion on the way forward, a lot of positive comments were made by the participants.
“I’ve discovered many new tools within nature-based solutions. Now I want to develop my city!”
“I will be putting a green stamp on all our projects at home from now on. That’s my plan.”
“The first thing I will do at home is tell everyone how amazing Lund is. How clean a city can be thanks to cyclists instead of motorists. People of all ages cycle here!”
“I will share my newly acquired knowledge with colleagues from other ministries.”
“I will go beyond doing business as usual. I want to inspire others to implement projects like these. I will arrange workshops for stakeholders back home and tell them about all achievements done in Sweden and about how laws and regulations need to change.”
“I took a lot of photos during my stay here and I will show them to my boss. I’ve got many ideas! Let’s do it!”
Wrapping up the week with discussion on the way forward. Photo: Emma Holm.Lots of positive comments were made on the last day of Sweden Week. Photo: Emma Holm.Goodbye mingle in Lund. Photo: Emma Holm.
Outdoor drawing competition on how to revitalize a public space – Merdeka Square in Indonesia
Since September 2022, the programme participants of “Co-design for Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Public Spaces and Services” (CIPSS) have completed several online modules, exploring and understanding the development of sustainable, inclusive and climate resilient cities.
At the beginning of May, an online final conference was held, where they got to share their experiences of developing and implementing local change projects in relation to Sustainable Development Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
And oh were there a lot of interesting presentations! Everything from how they worked to revitalize a public place in Indonesia (Merdeka square) by engaging important stakeholders in the public, to making playgrounds more inclusive in North Macedonia and making a busy street in Istanbul, Turkey become full of urban green infrastructure including active and passive recreation opportunities.
A selection of pictures from the presentation of the change project on revitalizing Merdeka square in Indonesia
As one step to start revitalizing Merdeka square in Indonesia, a drawing competition was held among elementary and junior high school students.The project also had focus group discussions with relevant stakeholders and an opinion competition among senior high school students.
Some pictures from the presentation of the change project on transforming a busy street in Istanbul
In Istanbul this is a very busy street where three different schools are situated. The busy traffic makes the children there vulnerable.The project team asked the public to convey their opinions on the street and what changes they wanted.One day in April they turned the street into a pop-up game street. Plants and trees were temporarily put out on the asphalt as were different opportunities to play.
The Swedish Institute and SALAR International were present
SALAR International is a company owned by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR). They support democratic community planning and administration at the local and regional levels, using knowledge and experience from Swedish local and regional governments. Magnus Liljeström, senior advisor at SALAR International, spoke about his reflections on the project presentations on the second day of the seminar.
The Swedish Institute, financing the programme, is a public agency that builds interest and trust in Sweden around the world. Magdalena Ellfors, programme manager from the Swedish Institute, also held a presentation and talked about future networking-possibilities.
At the end, Lund University Commissioned Education (LUCE) gave a virtual tour of the city of Lund, which was much appreciated. And, of course, there was a festive diploma ceremony! Now, we wish everybody the best of luck!
Soon, a book is coming that will summarize all the fantastic change projects in the programme so far. Stay tuned for more information!
Our programme ‘Co-design for Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Public Spaces and Services’ (CIPSS) is running in three countries: North Macedonia, Turkey and Indonesia. Mid-term seminars for the Turkish and North Macedonian participants were already held, in January 2023. At the end of February it was the time to organize the mid-term workshop for the Indonesian teams.
“This year we decided to combine the mid-term workshop with the Alumni meeting and invited previous teams’ representors to Bali to present the current state of their change projects and share their experiences from the programme with the current participants”, says programme coordinator Johanna Alkan Olson from the Centre for Environmental and Climate Science at Lund University. The programme and mentor coordinators (Johanna Alkan Olson and Ilhami Alkan Olson) were not able to join live in the previous meetings because of Covid-19, but this year, for the first time, they were also present in the workshop.
Invited Guest Speaker
Dr. Nyoman Gede Matu Putra, Head of the Architecture Department at the University of Warmadewa, Bali presented the impact of tourism on the local identity and how the university and municipalities in the region cooperate to support the local identity against the erosion the mass tourism may create.
Dr. Nyoman Gede Matu Putra, invited guest speaker
Visits to the Swedish Embassy and SDG Academy in Jakarta
To make the most of the travel, the programme and mentor coordinators, together with the country mentors (Dr. Sylvia Yazid and Dr. Unang Mulkhan) paid visit to the Swedish Embassy in Jakarta to inform about the programme and explore the possibility to link the results of the programme and the Alumni to the Embassy’s activities.
“In the meeting the Ambassador Marina Berg informed us about their activities. We think that the talk about how the Business Sweden Indonesia and the programme activities can be linked to each other was particularly interesting”, says Ilhami Alkan Olson, mentor coordinator from the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.
The programme coordinators and the country mentors paid visit to the Swedish Embassy in Jakarta.In front of the Swedish Embassy in Jakarta.
The team also visited the UNDP supported ‘SDG Academy’ in Jakarta to discuss the possible cooperation between their Alumni activities and CIPSS programme.
The CIPSS coordinators and mentors meeting representatives from SDG Academy in Jakarta.Discussion on a possible cooperation between SDG Academy in Jakarta and the CIPSS programme.
Positive Outcomes of the Seminar
“We think that our visit to Indonesia has been productive in a number of ways, above all exploring the different possibilities to link the programme and the programme Alumni to the different Swedish initiatives in Indonesia”, says Johanna Alkan Olson.
In the workshop the representors of five Alumni teams were present: Medan, Malang, Jambi, Pekalongan and Yogyakarta.
“Meeting with the Alumni was also inspiring. We got to see how the former participants continue to work with their change projects and develop their activities to strengthen their municipalities”, Ilhami Alkan Olson fills in.
There were interesting ideas and suggestions during and after the workshop. Bandoro Budi Nugroho from Yogyakarta Municipality (2nd batch) for instance said after the group’s visit to two villages in Bali that their change projects should maybe include not only formal rules and regulations, but also traditional/cultural rules and regulations on spatial planning to create more inclusive, sustainable, and creative planning.
The Indonesian participants together with the mentors and the programme coordinator on a visit to a traditional village in Bali.
“The seminar has been proven a good opportunity to build up network, exchange experiences, develop new ideas and possibly new projects between different municipalities. We were also very happy to see that former participants and their municipalities have been continuing to work with their ‘change projects’ in many ways and taken steps to make their cities more sustainable, resilient, human rights based and equal”, says mentor Ilhami Alkan Olsson.
The workshop ended with a speech by Johanna Alkan Olsson where she outlined the coming steps for the participants.
Keep an eye out for further information on the blog!
The programme “Human Rights and Gender Equality in Climate and Disaster Displacement” brings together participants from capital and secondary cities in Kenya, Uganda and Sierra Leone. Hear what some of them have to say about climate-related displacement in their cities in these videos filmed by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute.
The CIPSS-teams from North Macedonia and Turkey together with the mentors.
Our programme Co-design for Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Public Spaces and Services (CIPSS) is running in three countries; North Macedonia, Turkey and Indonesia.
In order to increase interaction and motivation, we decided to organise North Macedonia’s and Turkey’s midterm workshops together and host North Macedonian participants in Turkey. The geographical closeness and bettered Covid situation in both countries made this possible. Macedonian participants flew to Izmir/Çeşme where most Turkish participants are homebased. In that way, Turkish participants were able to reach the seminar venue after a short travel. This was cost and time wise an attractive solution, and we minimised the carbon footprint of the seminar.
We also invited some of the former participants to update their work and share their experiences. Gülay Günlük Şenesen, a professor from Istabul University and Human Rights City expert, also presented the practical application of the concept of ‘gender-budgeting in local governments’.
Furthermore, the three days long seminar was visited by the Vice Mayor of Karşıyaka, one of the participant municipalities in Turkey and she gave a speech on their system of collecting data and analyse in use of their climate change action plan.
A speech by the Vice Mayor of Karşıyaka on a system of collecting data for a better climate action plan.
“The seminar has been proven a good opportunity to build up network, exchange experiences, develop new ideas and possibly new projects between different municipalities. We were also very happy to see that former participants and their municipalities have been continuing to work with their ‘change projects’ in many ways and taken steps to make their cities more sustainable, resilient, human rights based and equal”, says mentor Ilhami Alkan Olsson, from the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.
The seminar ended with a speech by Johanna Alkan Olsson, CIPSS coordinator from the Centre for Environmental and Climate Science at Lund University, where she outlined the coming steps for the participants.
A methodology explained to increase citizen participation.Mentor and CIPSS coordinator Johanna Alkan Olsson in dialogue with one of the participants.
Municipality of Tetovo team’s impression of the Çeşme workshop “In a short time, the workshop gave us even more awareness of Agenda2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. Also of urban development, including rights-based urban planning, gender budgeting and climate change action plans. We will now reflect on everything that was discussed and start making changes in Tetovo Municipality.
We concluded that incorporating sustainability concepts and methods works as a catalyst that strengthens the capacity building in the planning and Co-design process for Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Public Spaces and Services.
Meeting all participants was very valuable for our future networking. We also had the chance to exchange experiences and expertise with alumni, which gave a lot. All in all, it was an amazing workshop with excellent professional support and lots of nice and friendly meetings”, says the Tetovo team.
At the end of last year our local mentors Unang Mulkhan and Sylvia Yazid in the programme Co-design for Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Public Spaces and Services (CIPSS) visited the participants in Indonesia.
The first stop was Jayapura City where they had a consultation meeting with the CIPSS participants Ben, Vivin and Ester. The meeting, which focused on the approach and method of their change project, took place in their office, i.e. the Environmental Department office of Jayapura City.
Participants from Papua and the Indonesian mentors in front of the Environmental Office of the City of Jayapura in Papua Province.
The aim of their change project is to design safe, healthy and inclusive public spaces at the coastal areas in the city, through public participation. Teenagers and youths will be the target of this initiative by involving them to think, discuss and provide input to local authorities on how to design inclusive public spaces in the beach area, which is located in front of the Governor’s office of Papua Province.
Participants from Papua in discussion with the mentors at the beach area in front of the Governor’s office. This will be the location of the change project.
Students at junior high school level are believed to be the right age as agents of change. The plan is to present the result of the teenagers’ designs to related city offices. Thus, the team explained that the plan of this change project is also related to the Emancipated Learning initiative from the Ministry of Education which encourages students to be more involved with their environments and surroundings.
The day after, the mentors visited the Junior High School of YPK Paulus Dok V Jayapura. The idea is to involve some of it’s students in formulating a plan to establish a cleaner habit in the public space.
Visit at the school that will be the partner for the change project in Jayapura.
“We agreed with Ben, Vivin and Ester that the project should go beyond rubbish collection in the beach. Thus, the change project should include designing the utilization of coastal areas with safe and enjoyable beaches for children with some activity options. We met the headmaster of the school who enthusiastically agreed to be involved in the project. We were also given a tour of the school (which has a beautiful view of the ocean) and had a brief chat with the students”, says Sylvia Yazid.
Furthermore, the mentors met the Secretary General of the City of Jayapura to discuss the involvement of the city’s staff in CIPSS program 2022/2023.
“We received his full support, particularly because CIPSS is seen as a capacity building programme to local actors. He emphasized the needs for more capacity building activities for the government officers of Jayapura and he expressed his interest in joining the mid-term workshop 2023”, says Unang Mulkhan.
The team of Jayapura and the mentors meeting the Regional Secretary of the City of Jayapura.
Next in line was a meeting at the Mayor of Pariaman’s residence, together with the participants Ma’ruf, Adjo Fe, Yofan and the Mayor himself. All participants come from different organizations and have different backgrounds; academia, private sector and local government. This is very beneficial, as they can contribute to the team with different expertise.
During the mentor visit, the Mayor explained the conditions, issues and vision for the city.
“Based on the discussion, we can understand why the Mayor himself decided to be one of the team members. He understands concepts and practices on co-design for development and can learn from other cities joined in the CIPPS program”, says Sylvia Yazid.
The mentors meeting the Pariaman team in the official residence of the Mayor of Pariaman.
The focus of the change project in Pariaman City is to design the utilization of Lapangan Merdeka (a public space at the centre of the city) to be a more clean and inclusive area for all people in the city. The mayor has a goal to return the function of this public space to it’s original function as the space for all. At present, one of the issues is that the surrounding area is crowded by damaged buildings and morning markets which makes the area dirty, dense and not really comfortable for public activities.
The temporary market on the location of the change project in Pariaman.
“As we made a walking tour, we found out that the extension of the area may include the riverbank and the beach area. So, the plan is to create activities which aim to involve various stakeholders in designing the utilization of the Lapangan Merdeka and its surroundings”, says Unang Mulkhan.
Mentors and participants walking on the beach, which is the possible extended location for the change project in Pariaman.
“Coincidentally, both cities involved in CIPSS 2022/2023, Jayapura and Pariaman, are similar types of coastal cities which are very vulnerable to natural disaster and sea waste pollution. Therefore, we believe that these two groups will be able to learn and benefit from each other during the midterm workshop”, concludes Sylvia Yazid.
Wars in the 21st century have had long-lasting effects on our societies and ecosystems alike. The forced migration and displacement of communities, the mass destruction of infrastructure and institutions, and the consequent environmental degradation weakens cities, communities, and their surrounding ecosystems. There is an immediate need to make cities, communities, and ecosystems function in a way that they can better respond to crises.
Olena Tarasova-Krasiieva, a Ukrainian alumna from the programme ‘Innovation in Governance for Urban Nature-based Solutions’, who arranged a workshop on post-war recovery.
The aim of the workshop (which was funded by the Swedish Institute) was to strengthen resilience of individuals, communities, and cities and create a pathway to a more sustainable and just future. Together with communities and experts involved, engaging with state-of-the-art ambitions and visions, the participants explored potential recovery pathways for more sustainable and resilient urban futures.
“First and foremost, we wanted to support our alumni and participants from Ukraine with lessons learned and knowledge about how they can contribute to rebuilding the country in a sustainable way. Of course the workshop was also valuable to other participants from countries that have been or are in conflict”, says Bernadett Kiss.
Several Ukrainian experts were invited to give talks and facilitate discussions. Together, the workshop participants got to try out a real-world example with a case-study on Irpin city, one of the Hero Cities of Ukraine, discussing different ideas and paths forward for recovery with input from the invited experts. Both the talks and the case study discussions were very much appreciated by all participants.
”The workshop raised new questions and aspects about recovery that I didn’t think of before. It’s a good starting point for my own project, to research what is done and what can be done”, says Kateryna Kolosiuk, an alumna from Ukraine, who is working with a group of people to rebuild parts of her city in a more sustainable way.
The workshop was also appreciated by the participants joining from other countries – as both the examples of post-war recovery around the world which were presented and the discussion on the city of Irpin case gave interesting lessons and ideas forward for any country dealing with the after-effects of conflicts and war. Participants expressed that they could see similarities with their own situations, past and present.
The workshop gave a clear message on the importance of thinking long-term and keeping the big picture in mind, as opposed to just solving our immediate problems here and now. ”Economic recovery should be with a clear vision of the whole state’s recovery. There are many mistakes done by other post-war countries and we should attentively look through them.” says Serhii Koreniev, participant of the current course, also from Ukraine.
“The great thing with this urban nature-themed programme is that we are working together with urban practitioners, who are directly involved in change-making processes, such as city planning. The online format makes it possible to enrol participants worldwide, equip them with skills and strengthen their capacities required facilitating long-term transformations toward sustainability,” says Dr Bernadett “Berni” Kiss — lecturer and research associate at the IIIEE— about the capacity development programme Innovation in Governance for Urban Nature-based Solutions.
The group of participants together with Prof. Mo Hamza and Dr Matthew Scott at the kick-off event in Kenya.
At COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 the Global Mayors Action Agenda on Climate and Migration was launched. Our programme ‘Human Rights and Gender Equality in Climate and Disaster Displacement’, carried out with financial support from the Swedish Institute, is designed to contribute directly to this. It will be done by strengthening the capacity of municipal authorities in multiple cities in Africa (Free Town, Kampala and Nairobi) when it comes to how they address climate-related displacement into and within their municipalities.
Recently, we arranged a large kick-off event for the programme participants (public sector professionals working on local and county government issues in Sierra Leone, Uganda and Kenya, with a mandate to develop policies on for example housing, migration and crisis preparedness).
An introduction was held by Prof. Mo Hamza and Dr Matthew Scott to human mobility in the context of disasters and climate change.
Furthermore, the participants got to work together to start developing action plans for how they will build profiles of displacement issues from the perspective of local authorities. The profiles will be developed over the course of seven modules and will be presented at a final event in one of the three participating countries in August 2023.
A selection of photos from the event:
Sierra Leone Red Cross team in group discussion during the kick-off event.Field trip around Lake Naivasha in Kenya, where participants learned of climate-related rising of the lake and associated displacement.Sylvestre Sidie Mohamed Kallon and Yusufu Kamara (Sierra Leone Red Cross) in discussion during a break.Quiz on mobility and migration – Kenya team.Introduction to Mobility, Migration and Displacement – Uganda and Sierra Leone teams.Introduction to FIRE (Framework for Integrating Rights and Equality) – Kenya Team.Nicholas Wanjiru (Kenya) presenting his team’s plan for City Profile on Migration and Displacement.
“We wanted to visit the teams of participants in the programme and their municipalities to gain more political and administrative support along the way. We met the participants’ supervisors and local politicians, often the mayors, and presented the goals of the programme to them directly, to answer their questions, as well as build up trust and networking. Meeting the participants in person was also very valuable. That way, the programme becomes more real. We also tried to meet some other potential stakeholders, partners and ‘programme friends’ during the visits. Universities and UNDP country organisations were particularly important in that respect”, says Ilhami Alkan Olsson.
“On the whole, the visits were useful and fruitful. Not only did they increase the motivation of the participants and teachers/mentors, they also created opportunities to meet different organisations and people that may contribute to our programme in different ways. The visits are also a promising basis for the future cooperation with the participants and stakeholders. The alumni meetings, that took place in Turkey, showed the importance of continued networking. Through such meetings and encounters the programme does not become ‘passé’ for the former participants, but alive and meaningful”, says Johanna Alkan Olsson.
Some of the meetings were covered by local and national media, including CNN Turkey, as well as several social media networks.
Below is a selection of events during the trip:
On the 2nd of November, the mentors visited Ohrid, a participant municipality from North Macedonia. The team members and the Mayor of the city were very welcoming. Here the Mayor hands over a gift to Johanna Alkan Olsson.In Tetovo, in North Macedonia, the mentors met our participants as well as members of the City Council. In Tetovo, the mentors also had the chance to visit the place where the team will implement their change project and got to talk to some of their stakeholders. The last stop in the city was the university, as the mentors want to strengthen the linkage between the change project and a local university.On the 4th of November the mentors were in Antalya, Turkey, to attain their first ‘Country alumni meeting’. 29 former and current participants, as well as those academics that contributed to our programme, participated in the meeting. The Mayor and municipal experts also actively participated in the discussions.On the 7th of November, our mentors visited Buca, our new participant district municipality (500.000 inhabitants) from Izmir Metropolitan Municipality in Turkey and met the current team and the Mayor.Buca also hosted our Alumni meeting in the afternoon. Around 20 former and current participants from Izmir participated.On the 8th of November, the mentors visited Karşıyaka, another district municipality (350.000 inhabitants) in Izmir in Turkey, and had a very productive working day with the team members as well as the Mayor and Vice-Mayor.The following day, the mentors visited Team Originn, the third team from Izmir, a civil initiative on sustainability. Alongside with the team members, they met some other civil initiatives and groups that were present in their shared building. In the Izmir visits, two of the programme’s local teachers and mentors; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özgür Arun and Prof. Dr. Canan Madran were also present.
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