The organization of the JEDDT is an institutional project whose aim is to train 3rd-year bachelor students at the University of Namur in the multiple challenges of the transition to sustainable development, in its social, environmental, economic and democratic dimensions.

The project

This project offers all interested students a cross-disciplinary approach that tackles transition and sustainable development from all angles: populations, health, biodiversity, planetary resources, ethics, economics, justice, governance... without neglecting the spiritual and emotional dimension of the ecological and civilizational crisis we're going through. More than a training course, the JEDDT is an experience in its own right, aimed at giving students a solid, interdisciplinary background to meet the current and future challenges facing their university and society.

L'aftermovie des JEDDT 2024

L'aftermovie des JEDDT 2024

360-degree vision

In order to promote a holistic approach to the issue, students have the opportunity to attend 6 lectures on the challenges posed by sustainable development and transition from the angle of the various disciplines taught at UNamur.

  • Sciences: Global change and the Anthropocene
  • Economic, social and management sciences: Climate governance and corporate sustainable development management
  • Medicine: One Health, one health, human, animal and planetary
  • Philo and humanities: Philosophical anthropology and ecologies
  • Law: Law and Transition
  • Informatics: Informatics and sustainability issues

Transdisciplinary and collective work

With these tools of understanding in hand, students work as a team to conduct transdisciplinary reflection on a research question. They are supported in their approach through a minimum of 3 coaching sessions. These sessions help to structure the students' thinking, but also to give it meaning, practical resonance and form. With JEDDT, students are encouraged to think in order to act. Over the course of the year, they are invited to take part in a series of activities organized on campus (workshops, lectures, film debates, activities at Haugimont, etc.) to feed their thinking, and to keep a logbook to raise awareness of their learning through questions concerning both their understanding and their feelings. The pedagogy used in JEDDT is original. Inspired by Ignatian pedagogy and its "experience - reflection - action" paradigm, it is based on Transformative Education tools (UNESCO) and the "head-heart-hand" approach popularized notably by Schumacher College in England.

Share your work with the community

At the end of the experience, students will have the opportunity to present the fruit of the team's reflection to the public through a creative medium (poster, speech, podcast, etc.) and to challenge themselves in a debate conducted with experts and representatives of civil society. Evaluation is continuous, taking into account the various deliverables expected as well as participation in activities. Participation in JEDDT can be valorized as part of a faculty or cross-disciplinary UE and/or as an Extra-Academic Student Commitment.

The project team

The project is a unifying one within UNamur. It is led by Professor Amélie Lachapelle, (Faculty of Law) , Professor Grégoire Wieërs, and Caroline Canon (Faculty of Medicine). The project is also intended to be transformative and formative for the institution and the teachers involved.

Photo des porteurs du projet JEDDT - G. Wieërs, A. Lachapelle et C. Canon
From left to right: Grégoire Wieërs, Amélie Lachapelle and Caroline Canon.

Amélie Lachapelle, professor in the Faculty of Law, and Grégoire Wieërs, professor in the Faculty of Medicine, are both behind new courses in their faculties linked to transition and sustainable development (Droit & Transition; One Health : une seule santé). A dozen teachers from 7 different faculties are directly involved in the project, through lectures and pedagogical support. Caroline Canon (Faculty of Medicine) is in charge of the pedagogical coordination aspect of this project.

The 6-24 Fund of the King Baudouin Foundation

Initiated via an impulse budget project Campus Namur Durable, this project is supported by the 6-24 Fund managed by the King Baudouin Foundation. This fund, which focuses on sustainable development, was created by entrepreneurs Michel and Carole Dumont (Lebronze Alloys). Michel Dumont and Fabienne Bister, President of the 6-24 Fund, are both alumni of the UNamur Business School. On the strength of this support, the JEDDT project is looking for partners to continue the JEDDT adventure for years to come.