Engaging with the Future: International Cooperation for Resilient Communities.A New Challenge Proposal for the ECIU Community

The future of international cooperation relies on developing new forms of active involvement of EU citizens and institutions, as much as the methods allowing communities to innovate their socio-technical approach to resources and their overall distribution. In the spirit of ECIU collaboration, this short presentation illustrates the proposal of a new challenge aimed at exploring possible scenarios of international cooperation in a changing geopolitical environment, adopting a future-oriented and culturally-informed perspective. The prompt of the challenge comes from a small NGO working on environmental protection and social inclusion in Italia and Tanzania (mazingira.org). After a long experience in the implementation of SDGs with participatory and community activities, the association searches for innovative ways to involve citizens and institutions. The global economic situation and the evolution of the geopolitical arena stimulate small and medium organizations to situate themselves differently than in the past, both in terms of external accountability and internal goalsetting. Hence, the challenge of working for common global solutions to environmental and social resilience and, specifically, exploring future scenarios of international cooperation. This specific request of the stakeholder meets the growing demand of students for multiculturalism in higher education and opportunities for practice-based learning activities. It also meets the needs of global enterprises to integrate and develop their production activities according to SDGs and ethically responsible principles.