Institutions and Partner Organisations

• Institute of Art, Design + Technology (IADT)
• N-TUTORR Programme
• Atlantic Technological University (ATU)
• South East Technological University (SETU)
• Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin)
• Climate Fresk (Ireland)
• NatureExperts (Wicklow)
• Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS)
• IADT Students’ Union Environmental Society

Description

The N-TUTORR Climate Action initiative, led by Dr. Sivakumar Ramachandran (Ganesh) at IADT Dun Laoghaire, aimed to empower students as change agents for sustainability through practical, hands-on campus events. Within a six-week timeframe in late 2024, he co-organised the recruitment of student champions who developed and managed climate-focused initiatives, culminating in the Climate Christmas Bazar—a student-led arts, crafts, and sustainability fair.

The project integrated United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the AREA Student Competency Framework, and aligned with themes including Digital Transformation, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Employability. Students were scaffolded through research resources, workshops, and masterclasses, including prior Climate Fresk training and sessions with a team of warzone environmental scientists.

Prior to the start of student champion involvement, Ganesh devised a framework and methodology to proceed with seeking disciplinary areas at IADT where students would be most likely to apply for the posts, including the Students’ Union Environmental Society. He developed the job specification and applied a selection process for the champions. Ganesh also identified at an early stage, an overall leader.

Prior to the initial meeting, Ganesh provided extensive online material to enthuse and galvanise students into action. At the first meeting he fielded the broad global concerns and fears of students, and how the development of a large-scale event at IADT would be a positive step to engage students and staff with the mitigation of the climate emergency, as well as two other prior events.

Ganesh then allocated the students to several teams of varying sizes, as follows:

• Red: Final event content creation
• Orange: Final event management
• Yellow: Publicity for all events
• Green: Prior event management

To provide the students with pilot opportunities in event management, he facilitated a Climate Fresk workshop at IADT delivered by Susan Doyle at the end of November. All student champions, and others from IADT attended. The event deepened attendees understanding of the scale of the climate emergency challenge as well as giving them opportunities for collaborative problem solving.

To provide students and staff with further global understanding of the situation, Ganesh organised, with help from the champions, a seminar from Nature Experts, a United Nations allied group who conduct environmental damage assessments in Ukraine, Palestine and other warzones, to help maintain heritage and conservation commitments under extreme circumstances.

Both events helped galvanised students’ actions and developed their management skills.

For the final event, the overall leader decided to move the event from the room booked by Ganesh to the Student Union hub and reorganised the teams according to the events envisaged for the final event, which was named as the Climate Christmas Bazar. The students also recruited a further 50% of students as volunteers that they needed for specific aspects of the event.

The event included a sustainable crafts stall and recyclable present wrapping workshop, garment mending station, an environmentally vegan winter bird food stall, vegan food platters, and live social media coverage of demonstrations, with environmentally conscious disposal practices, followed finally by a ceremonial planting in the IADT garden. The event was a great success and a nice way to end the semester on Friday 13^th December.

So, in summary, having shadowed Ganesh to gain event management and publicity skills, students gained many skills in self-organising in teams, digital and non-digital content design, event management, different forms of publicity, and mutual support. They applied digital communication tools, social media, and creative design for event promotion. The initiative fostered leadership, teamwork, project management, and sustainability literacy. By the end, students independently managed all aspects of the event, demonstrating enhanced confidence, collaboration, and advocacy skills, while raising campus awareness of climate action.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students developed leadership and project management skills by planning and executing the campus events, fulfilling AREA’s Leadership & Empowerment competency as they took ownership of timelines, task allocation, and coordination. They applied sustainability knowledge in real-world contexts, putting theory into practice in event design and operations, thereby engaging AREA’s Responsibility & Active Citizenship competency. Through digital communication and publicity tasks—designing posters, managing social media outreach—they met the Digital Content & Information Literacy competency. By working in teams, peer mentoring, and collaborating across disciplines, they exercised the Communication & Collaboration competency. Their iterative planning, troubleshooting, and adaptive responses cultivated Problem-Solving & Innovation. Finally, by aligning their work with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and recognized competency frameworks, they strengthened their Global & Systems Literacy as well as Employability & Contextual Awareness.

Teaching and Learning Approach

Students developed Leadership and Empowerment competencies by planning and executing climate-focused campus events, managing timelines, delegating tasks, and leading peer teams. They applied sustainability knowledge in authentic contexts, fulfilling the Responsibility and Active Citizenship competency through environmentally conscious event design and delivery. By creating digital posters, managing social media, and documenting activities, students enhanced Digital Content and Information Literacy. Collaboration across disciplines and peer mentoring supported Communication and Collaboration, fostering inclusion and mutual learning. Iterative event planning, creative problem-solving, and adaptive responses to challenges strengthened the Problem-Solving and Innovation competency. Finally, by embedding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and frameworks throughout the project, students advanced Global and Systems Literacy while enhancing Employability and Contextual Awareness. Collectively, these outcomes ensured students translated sustainability theory into practice, developing transferable competencies essential for leadership, innovation, and civic responsibility.

Assessment Strategy

Assessment was formative and reflective, aligned with the AREA Student Competency Framework competencies such as Self-Awareness & Self-Regulation, Communication & Collaboration, Digital Content & Information Literacy, Problem-Solving & Innovation, and Responsibility & Active Citizenship. Students’ engagement and leadership, was observed through active participation in workshops, team meetings, and event deliver; demonstrating Empowerment, Leadership Practices, and Communication & Collaboration. Skills in digital communications, design, management, and sustainability literacy were evidenced through execution of the Climate Christmas Bazar, indicating Digital Proficiency & Productivity and Sustainability Competences. Peer and mentor feedback, self-reflection, and demonstration of independence in managing tasks provided qualitative measures of learning. Students reflected on successes and adaptation needs; fulfilling Problem-Solving & Innovation. Through responsibility for tasks and ethical event practices (e.g. sustainable disposal), they exercised Active Citizenship. Overall, assessment was designed to illuminate growth toward competencies rather than solely measuring outcomes.

Impact & Outcomes

The initiative enhanced Leadership and Empowerment as students exercised independent control over planning and executing a large-scale campus event, increasing confidence and teamwork abilities. Through their leadership of teams, coordination of stalls, and event management, they met AREA’s Communication & Collaboration and Responsibility & Active Citizenship competencies. Engaging in sustainability-themed tasks aligned with the UN SDGs, they developed Sustainability Competence through practical application. The project advanced SDG 4 (Quality Education) by building sustainability and leadership skills; SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption) through sustainable crafts and waste-conscious event design; SDG 13 (Climate Action) by promoting awareness and climate-positive behaviour; and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through collaboration across institutions and networks. Digital communication and design work fulfilled AREA’s Digital Content and Information Literacy competencies, extending employability and global awareness. Feedback showed high engagement and motivation, while long-term impact includes a cadre of student sustainability champions equipped to lead future initiatives.

Collaboration, Partnerships & Student Participation

Students were central to shaping, leading, and implementing the initiative, directly fulfilling competencies from the AREA Student Competency Framework—Communication & Collaboration, Digital Content & Information Literacy, Problem-Solving & Innovation, Responsibility & Active Citizenship, and Empowerment. Collaborating with Climate Fresk, Alliance Brave Earth, ATU, TU Dublin, and the Students’ Union Environmental Society, students worked in diverse teams managing event content, publicity, and logistics. They applied digital tools to design posters and conduct social media outreach, meeting the Digital Content & Information Literacy competency. Workshops with sustainability leaders and Carbon Literacy training strengthened Problem-Solving & Innovation skills. By recruiting peers, coordinating stalls, and driving event publicity, they demonstrated Empowerment and Active Citizenship through initiative and leadership in organising a sustainable campus event. This interdisciplinary, cross-institutional, and student-led model exemplified the AREA framework’s goal—transforming awareness into collaborative, action-oriented impact within a real-world learning context.

Student Engagement

Approximately 16 students were directly engaged, including 14 recruited student champions, 2 existing N-TUTORR champions, and an additional 6 recruited by student leaders, as volunteers.

Disciplines

• Arts and Humanities
• Education
• Information and Communication Technologies
• Social Sciences, Journalism and Information
• Teaching and Learning

Programmes

IADT undergraduate programmes across the disciplines of film, art, design, technologies, entrepreneurship and humanities.

Best Practices & Resources

Top Tips

• Scaffold student engagement through structured resources and workshops while gradually increasing autonomy.
• Align initiatives with recognised sustainability frameworks and competency standards to ensure measurable learning outcomes.
• Encourage peer-led recruitment and team formation to foster ownership, motivation, and creativity.

Useful Resources

• https://www.transforminglearning.ie/about/
• https://www.transforminglearning.ie/resources-publications/n-tutorr-area-student-competency-framework/ AREA Student Competency Framework – N-TUTORR AREA Student Competency Framework – N-TUTORR – Skills mapping and development tool.
• https://climatefresk.org/ Climate Fresk – Climate literacy workshops.
• Natureexperts.org – Expert seminars on environmental action.
• https://sdgs.un.org/goals THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development – United Nations framework for addressing sustainability

Funding Details

N-TUTORR programme funding via IADT