The concept of an “unconference” is relatively new and it is built around the idea that attendees are tired of listening for hours to speakers drone on about various topics. It “flips” the conference, putting the attendees in charge of presentations and workshops with the organizers playing a facilitator role managing attendee proposals and arranging schedules.
This event was organized by a coalition of five different group on campus — Common Energy BC, Student Environment Centre, Engineers Without Borders, Ideas XChange and STAND. The “unconference” is part of Systems Thinking Sustainability Month, which runs through March.
At the start of the conference, organizers Niklas Agarwal and Sophia Yang gave an introduction to the students and faculty in attendance. This “unconference” was composed of discussion-style workshops, which all were related to the Sustainable Development Goals.
These goals — ratified by all 193 UN member states in September 2015 — outline the major social, economic and environmental changes that the UN would like to see accomplished by the year 2030. Attendees were given flash cards and some time to brainstorm workshops that they could lead.
Discussion topics were diverse and stimulating, ranging from “should water bottles be banned?” to “how to address environmental racism specifically?” and “what can we do to distribute resources more equally?”
With the attendee-led nature of an “unconference” came a group-led nature of discussion. Each small group of workshoppers was able to flow through a discussion without so much as raising a hand to speak, having conversations more than meetings. Attendees responded well to the loose structure, interjecting and speaking up as they pleased and having each offering their own relevant contributions to the discussions.
In total, three time slots were held of 25 minutes each with a wrap-up session at the end where attendees noted their experiences with the event. The general consensus was overwhelmingly positive.
“This was just such a sigh of relief, a breath of fresh air, a sign that people do care about these issues,” said Yang.
Next year, the organizers plan to have more groups involved and to increase attendee capacity. Miguel Rozo of Ideas XChange mentioned how his group is using this event to help gain affiliation with the AMS, which could set a precedent for future prospective AMS clubs.
“As students, we have so much potential and power to make a difference,” said Yang.
Systems Thinking Sustainability Month continues through the duration of March with a Macro- and Micro-Sustainability Forum as well as a Sustainability Challenge Showcase still to come.