Testimonials: Skills Module 'Climate Changemaker'

Tamara (student)

Envisioning our lives for the coming 5 years made me realize there's multiple ways in which I could contribute to tackling the climate crisis. Looking back at the plans I made a year ago, many things have changed. Now I know that whichever alternative route I end up on, I can still contribute to this issue in a valuable way. I’ve learned that it’s good to have a plan, but I don’t need to stick to it a 100% to achieve what I want.  

I loved that the group was so diverse. I learned a lot just by talking with students from all around the world with different academic backgrounds. It is so valuable to learn about the technological developments and the biggest challenges in their fields and their countries. It helped me realize even more that we need to have a multicultural and interdisciplinary approach when tackling climate change. 

Brenda (peer facillitator)

As a peer facilitator, I have learned that it is possible to learn a lot about yourself in ten weeks by listening to and engaging with others. Even if they have a very different background from yourself. I love seeing this reflected in my life design team. 

The most valuable part of being PF is the bonding. Everyone starts the journey with strangers and ends up in a close-knit group with whom you can share personal ideas and help others. Everyone always knows someone. You soon find that out during the networking assignment. Together, your network is big and powerful and you can offer someone opportunities and options that might not have worked out otherwise. 

Rick (student)

I got very useful insights about my strengths and weaknesses. I had never considered doing something like a strengths questionnaire before and I became aware of strengths that were not directly visible for me. I also learned that I was complicating decision making about my future trajectory by looking at a small timeframe. By taking a longer timeframe I can allow myself to take smaller intermediate steps that give me the requirements to meet my goal instead of hitting it in one go. 

In daily life and with other courses going on it can be hard to sit yourself down and think about you and your future. This course makes you devote time to that while providing hands on tools to do so. Open discussion on these topics with other participants in the weekly meetings provided extra insights into other people’s approach.