The Global Leadership for Sustainable Development (GLSD) programme places a strong emphasis on the role of society in sustainable development. As part of Society Week, students had the opportunity to engage with UL Access Campus, celebrating its 20 years of community outreach. Donal O'Leary, UL's Access Campus coordinator, shared insights into the impactful work of Access Campus in challenging educational disadvantage and fostering community empowerment.
On 12th March 2024, Access Campus representatives visited UL to give a presentation on their two-decade journey of community outreach. Donal O'Leary elaborated on the core mission of Access Campus, which originated from a partnership with Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership (LEDP) to address educational disadvantage in socially and economically deprived areas of Limerick.
Since its inception, Access Campus has served as a beacon of hope for thousands of Limerick families, offering a wide range of educational opportunities for learners of all ages. Donal highlighted the diverse user groups and collaborations that have contributed to Access Campus's success, emphasizing its role as a bridge between education and the community.
The collaboration between Access Campus and GLSD underscores the importance of community empowerment in sustainable development. Through initiatives like Society Week, students gain valuable insights into the transformative power of education and community engagement. As future leaders, they are inspired to leverage their skills and knowledge to drive positive change in society.
Global Leadership for Sustainable Development (GLSD) is a seven-week extracurricular programme designed by the UL Centre for Sustainable Futures and Innovation in collaboration with UL Global. This programme brings study abroad, Erasmus, and full degree students from across the world together, to actively learn about systemic approaches and challenges to sustainability across the economy, environment, and society. Students hear from expert guest speakers both on-campus and through site visits, engage in debates and discussions on contemporary sustainability issues, and work in interdisciplinary teams to co-create student-led sustainability projects to be implemented on campus. To find out more, please visit https://www.ul.ie/sustainability/global-leadership-for-sustainable-deve…, or contact the programme coordinator jack.oconnor@ul.ie.