This special collection on reconnection to self, others, and nature (SON) encompasses a compendium of two distinct educational concepts, Value Creators (VC) and Managing Projects for Sustainable Development (MPSD) and the practical implications of re-imagining education and re-developing curriculum in higher education. The collection includes this introductory paper about the project background, process, implementation and outcome, an essay on our experience of exploring the reconnection to SON during the VC and MPSD semesters, and two research articles covering the topics of transformative teaching and the added value of spirituality in higher education.
This introductory paper provides an overview of the project of reconnection to SON, along with definitions of terminology used within this special collection. The essay on the VC and MPSD semesters, “Exploring reconnection to self, others, and nature through systems thinking and Theory U,” outlines the approach of the interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to exploring the topic of disconnection. It identifies the root causes of issues, target groups that became part of the network of collaborators, and leverage points for initiating systems change. The two research articles informed the creation of proposed learning activities and tools. The first article, “The added value of spirituality in reconnecting to the self, others, and nature in higher education,” examines the added value of spirituality within educational contexts, specifically its potential in fostering reconnection to SON within Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The second article, ”Exploring pedagogical competencies for transformative teaching and the role of transformative pedagogy in higher education: Fostering reconnection to self, others, and nature,” explores the pedagogical competencies for transformative teaching and the role of transformative pedagogy in higher education concerning reconnection to SON.
Project Background and Process
The four-year Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) programme in Global Project and Change Management (GPCM) at Windesheim Honours College (WHC) of Windesheim University of Applied Sciences (WUAS) in Zwolle, The Netherlands, provides students with the interdisciplinary skills and knowledge required for the role of international project managers and change makers. It equips them with the theoretical and practical knowledge to engage professionally with sustainability-related issues.
In this special collection, we look into VC, an innovative educational concept developed by WHC that offers opportunities to address sustainability issues by applying knowledge and experience gained throughout our studies utilising networking and system thinking approaches. During our VC semester, we identified the challenge of disconnection from SON, along with its implications for broader challenges of sustainable development and the various mindsets prevalent in today’s societies. We also explore the MPSD which focuses on research-informed project management in intercultural environments. The MPSD semester provided an opportunity to further develop a tangible product based on the challenges identified during the VC semester.
The learning community of GPCM showed an interest in including non-Western narratives and perspectives that go beyond the traditional sustainability frameworks, such as Regenerative Development Goals (RDG), and Inner Development Goals (IDG). Compared to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which provide targets, guidelines and aims for contemporary sustainability, the RDGs, designed by Gibbons (2020), support holistic thriving systems. They guide thinking and action towards greater alignment with life’s principles, as well as manifestation of thriving living communities. According to Gibbons (2020), the key meta-principles of regenerative development are wholeness, change, and relationships. Narratives such as regenerative development, as the potential next dimension of sustainable development, can be associated with living systems and support their wholeness, interconnectedness, and ever-changing nature (Gibbons, 2020).
This mentality and approach to learning align with the concept of reconnection to SON, which fundamentally emphasises understanding the complexity of living systems and the interconnectedness and mutual dependency of networks and worldviews. This understanding is essential for generating holistic mindsets and creating regenerative societies. Consequently, the need to educate beyond sustainability, facilitating a shift towards regeneration and thrivability, was established and formed the basis for this project collaboration.
Hence, the project aimed to develop practical learning activities and tools to integrate reconnection to SON in higher education for sustainable development. The initiative encompassed re-imagining education through a more inclusive framework that welcomes alternative narratives, such as pedagogic practices of indigenous communities and new practices of applying critical sociology and pedagogy to analyse critical questions related to sustainability (Hall, 2020).
All the aforementioned concepts and ideologies were gathered and practically implemented in the work, “Activities and tools to foster reconnection to self, others and nature: Toolbox” (further referred to as “Toolbox”), a collection of suggested learning activities and tools for integrating more reconnection practices into the current GPCM curriculum (Kaffka et al., 2023).1 Based on the input from various project stakeholders, the content and structure of the Toolbox were created by the student team and tailored to the needs of the GPCM study programme. Importantly, the Toolbox has a cross-organisational nature, encouraging other educational programmes to consider or apply the proposed suggestions.
Implementation and Outcome
The integration of this project’s outcome can already be noted, as some of the proposed learning activities and tools from the Toolbox were implemented in the new curriculum of GPCM after the project handover in June 2023. As of this publication, feedback indicates that suggestions from the Toolbox are being further designed and implemented with strong enthusiasm and collaborative effort from current students. Additionally, the Toolbox also helped shape the concept of reconnection to SON within the curriculum by providing supporting language, conceptual underpinnings, and creative implementation ideas.
Specific achievements include the introduction of an immersive day focused on nature connectedness and community resilience as a semester kick-off. Reviews were positive and emphasised the need to view higher education not solely as a cognitive experience but as an embodied one, an awareness that needs to be enhanced among some students and staff. Non-cognitive learning within a collective context has been further integrated into an educational set of trainings called Resiliency Labs (WHC, 2023). Resiliency Labs focus on personal growth in a relational context through arts- and movement-based activities and integrate non-western philosophies such as Ubuntu.
Challenges remain in finding and creating suitable physical learning spaces, due to resource limitations. There are also challenges associated with shifting education away from traditional campus settings.
Terminology used throughout the special collection
Reconnection to SON
Reconnection to SON implies shifting from mainstream ways of living, being and acting towards more regenerative and thrivable ones (Gibbons, 2020; Wahl, 2019). It involves a deeper understanding of living systems, co-existence, inner and outer sustainability expressions, and the sense of inter-, and intra-being (Gibbons, 2020; Wahl, 2019).
Reconnection to self involves closeness to the inner self as well as the physical body, covering dimensions such as (self-)compassion, awareness, and inner sustainability. Reconnection to self can be enhanced through mindfulness and embodiment practices, for example (Bristow, Bell & Wamsler, 2022).
Reconnection to others, on the other hand, describes our interactions and attitudes towards other people. It particularly implies community development, co-existence, complexity awareness, and the sense of inter-being, and intra-being. Additionally, it addresses the collective expressions of inner and outer sustainability, such as diversity, inclusivity, reflexivity, and compassion (Gibbons, 2020).
Reconnection to nature involves a deep sense of connectedness with the natural world, supported by indigenous wisdom, pro-ecological practices, thrivability, and systems thinking. It aims to address both our inner sustainability (i.e., feelings and values towards nature) and outer sustainability expressions (i.e., actions and interaction with nature) (Gibbons, 2020).
Mental, behavioural, and physical spaces
The aim of the project and related research was to explore reconnection to SON from the perspective of the spatiality of an educational environment. In this context, the different ways of creating mental, behavioural and physical spaces fostering reconnection to SON were explored. To comprehensively address the complexity of the topic, the concept of spaces was deemed to have three dimensions: mental spaces (addressing one’s mentality), behavioural spaces (its behavioural representations) and physical spaces (the natural and built environment).
Mental spaces, or inner sustainability, encompass intangible aspects of the human being and cognition, such as worldviews, paradigms, beliefs, values, thoughts, emotions, desires, and identities (Gibbons, 2020). In general, mental spaces address the psychology, mentality, and cognition of humans. Since (un)sustainable behaviour stems from an individual’s inner world, addressing mental spaces is one of the key aspects in reconnection to SON.
Behavioural spaces, or outer sustainability, refer to the embodiment of intangible dimensions of mental spaces. Consequently, behavioural spaces describe interactions between human and human-environment systems (Gibbons, 2020). These systems are influenced by one’s mentality and the societal structure of their living environment, which affects their ability to engage in sustainable practices.
Physical spaces play an essential role in human interaction with sustainability-related initiatives by shaping positive experiential and cognitive connections (Ives et al., 2018). An appropriate physical space can significantly reinforce co-creation, creativity, and involvement, while a poorly constructed space can hinder those processes (Calvo & De Rosa, 2017). In this project, the role of physical spaces, such as built environments (e.g., buildings, classrooms), and natural environments, was considered in relation to reconnection to SON.
Closure
The aim of this introduction is to provide insight into the background of our work and process. We hope that this has enhanced the understanding of the idea of reconnection to SON, especially in the context of higher education. This introduction, hopefully, serves as an appropriate foundation for reading the rest of this special collection.
Notes
Competing interests
The authors have no competing interests to declare.