Universities are increasingly being challenged to show leadership in responding to and addressing climate change. Staff, students and the wider UEA community are already attempting to address some of these challenges on their own terms. However, universities have wider untapped potential to move beyond a siloed approach to decision-making and address the many social and environmental challenges we face today. What if everyone at UEA had more of a say on how the university is run and what it stands for?
The UK Energy Research Centre’s (UKERC) Public Engagement Observatory have teamed-up with UEA’s Biodiversity and Climate Action Network (BCAN) and Faculty for a Future (F4F) to hold a People’s Assembly that aims to create a vision, provide recommendations, and catalyse action to help make UEA fit for a climate-changed future.
ENV’s Professor Jason Chilvers, UKERC Co-director and lead of the Public Engagement Observatory, said:
“Citizens’ assemblies are now happening throughout the world, empowering citizens to learn about, deliberate and have a say on how we should address pressing issues, such as climate change. We in the Public Engagement Observatory are delighted to collaborate with F4F and BCAN to explore what difference these democratic innovations can make at UEA. I hope the people of UEA and of the local community will take this opportunity to get involved, that the recommendations of the assembly are listened to, and it helps catalyse changes we so urgently need.”
Following two successful sessions where a broad range of participants started developing visions for making UEA fit for a climate-changed future, we now invite you to a follow-up People’s Assembly session where we will:
a) Present and evaluate the visions emerging, and
B) Develop a concrete action plan for delivering our vision for the future.
The People’s Assembly session will take place on Thursday 6th June 2024, Council Chamber, Arts & Humanities Building UEA, 16:00 – 19:00, and everyone is welcome.
Free vegan and vegetarian food and refreshments will be available to all participants.
Advanced registration via Eventbrite is recommended: People's Assembly: Making UEA fit for a climate-changed world Tickets, Thu, Jun 6, 2024 at 4:00 PM | Eventbrite
For further details and questions, please contact DR Phedeas Stephanides (p.stephanides@uea.ac.uk).
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