Key Aim of this programme

The overall aim of this workshop, is to support and equip sustainability change makers with the skills, confidence and resilience to deliver ambitious commitments.

This programme has been designed to break through the current inertia of rhetoric, ‘greenwash’ and non- activated good intentions that is preventing sufficient change towards a sustainable planet.

• You will learn how to be an activator for sustainability and operationalise sustainability in your own community.
• You will learn new knowledge, skills and behaviours for developing collaborative partnerships for leading sustainability action with impact.
• You will learn why 20C leadership competencies are not fit for activating 21C sustainability imperatives.

As global performance against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators is now going backwards, it has become glaringly obvious that there is a massive deficit in the competencies that are necessary to shift good intentions into implementing practical meaningful action. This programme addresses that gap between espoused commitments to sustainability and practical implementation. This applies to leaders, managers, and people in every level of business and society, at local and national levels across the globe.

ESA offers two-days immersion in learning, exploration and troubleshooting on the challenges of implementation and learning how to be an effective activator for sustainability in your workplace and community. The programme is structured around:

• Action learning from genuine local business sustainability challenges. Projects include transport, tourism, food and agriculture
• Knowledge, Skills and behavioural development in critical areas of communications, strategy, self-management and purposeful collaboration
• Facilitated learning and feedback sessions
• Informal social/outdoor activities grounded in sustainability values

It is anticipated that this pilot programme will be a rich blend of, international, accomplished, and aspirational activators working to make sustainability happen and succeed. You may be working in a business from any sector, already active in an NGO, tasked with responsibility in government, or linking research and practice from inside a university. Or you may simply want to equip yourself to better respond to the call for action on sustainability and help secure our future that that of generations to come after us.

Participation in the pilot is non-fee paying. You simply cover your own travel to Crete and accommodation costs and make a small contribution to catering costs. Information sheets on flights, accommodation and local transport will be provided to assist your bookings.

This is a FACE TO FACE, immersive learning experience and therefore a hybrid or online option is not offered at this stage.

The two-day programme is scheduled for the 15th and 16th. As our gift to thank you for your input, we are inviting you to join us at the celebration of ESA’s 10th anniversary, Gala Dinner and party on Saturday 17th September.

This is what the participants said about the programme:

At the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

• Have a clearer understanding of your values and competences as a sustainability activator 
• Use new resources and communication tools to leverage greater influence and change 
• Present yourself and your plans, give and receive feedback, with confidence 
• Zoom in and out from the strategic context to your own community and individual project plans in activating sustainability 
• Build in resilience across collaborations through enhanced knowledge, skills and behaviours.

Sharon Jackson

Sharon is founder and leader of The European Sustainability Academy. She has been a voice and educator for sustainability leadership and business for over 2 decades across the globe. Previously she spent 15 years serving at Board level in the global electronics sector.
Her core area of expertise, and ongoing field of research, is about using sensemaking communication as an anchor for converting good intentions into action with impact. She has published several chapters and articles on Sustainability Leadership, and more recently with a focus on the built environment and the positive impact of ‘green buildings’ on human health and wellbeing.

Christina Garidi

Christina is a Purpose, Career and Business Coach and TEDx Speaker. She has 10 years of business consulting experience in strategy, customer services, change management, organisational development and IT digital transformations. As founder of Eudaimonia Coaching UK, she empowers people to realise their full potential, through bespoke career development programmes and workshops that have a lasting impact. She has touched more than 15,000 people through her work, including weeklong intensive entrepreneurship courses in Greece, in partnership with the American College ALBA Postgraduate Business School

Dr. Eleanor O’Gorman

Eleanor is a Senior Associate at the University of Cambridge, an expert on international development and published author.
She has many years’ experience, working on strategy, evaluation and organisational learning of funding, conflict, gender and peacebuilding in a range of countries with the UN, EU, governments and NGOs.
Her core expertise is in supporting new forms of multi-stakeholder alliance (public, private, community, social enterprise) at local and regional level, to address present and emerging challenges of community cohesion and sustainability.