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The organization of the JEDDT is an institutional project that aims 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: thinking for action
Started during the 2024-2025 academic year, this project offers all interested students a cross-disciplinary and holistic 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 are going through.
Aftermovie of the JEDDT (October 2024)
More than a training course, the JEDDT is an experience in its own right, designed to give students a solid, interdisciplinary grounding in the current and future challenges facing their university and society. In concrete terms, the project is structured around three days during which participants come together to tackle the issue of ecological transition (in particular, climate change and biodiversity loss) and its various impacts, learn from each other through 6 cross-disciplinary conferences and, finally, creatively present their work on a research question exploring a social issue. This work, carried out in small groups of students from different faculties, will question their possibilities for action as citizens, university-trained professionals and players in tomorrow's world. The project is currently in a pilot phase, with a view to generalizing it to all final-year bachelor students at UNamur.
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.
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 projet 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 founded by entrepreneurs Michel and Carole Dumont (Lebronze Alloys). Michel Dumont and Fabienne Bister, president of the 6-24 Fund, are both UNamur alumni in economics.
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In close liaison with the King Baudouin Foundation, which manages our Fund, we are very pleased and proud to support an initiative that enables students to work in an inter-faculty approach on the major subject of sustainability. Careers will be increasingly multidisciplinary and evolving, with the need to work in teams: the innovative project developed by UNamur fits well into this framework, where adaptability will be an important asset in managing the many challenges that new generations will have to face and solve.
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Following contact with the Rector of UNamur and her team, a creative discussion very quickly focused on a project linked to sustainability, which fitted in perfectly with my values. I felt that the partnership between the University of Namur and the King Baudouin Foundation via the 6-24 Fund offered a powerful opportunity to get a project off the ground. The members of Fonds 6-24 were all impressed by the speed, impact and professionalism with which the idea of JEDDT was transformed into a concrete project in the space of a few weeks, while at the same time federating a large number of players around this extraordinary initiative. Thanks to this sponsorship, we have been able to test a new academic formula, while at the same time setting up a mechanism that will enable all third-year students to discover how sustainability can help shape a bright future for humanity.
Become a JEDDT partner too
Take concrete action alongside us to give tomorrow's citizens and professionals the keys to imagining and building a resilient, just and sustainable world. With the support of the King Baudouin Foundation, UNamur is looking for partners and sponsors who wish to make a commitment to future generations and invest in education for sustainable development and transition. We propose to :
- become associated with a higher education program unique in Wallonia
- participate in the JEDDT conferences and public events
- visibilize, together, your CSR action to the public
Interested? Contact Morgane Belin, sponsorship & patronage manager - development campaign
morgane.belin@unamur.be - 081/72 50 36