Want to pitch your idea to make IE a stronger community? Join us for the next Sustainability Board meeting!

The Sustainability Office is delighted to announce that, to help achieve the 2021 Challenge, the next board meeting will be held on March 3rd at noon Madrid time to share ideas and present initiative proposals that the Sustainability Office and the sustainability clubs could help pursue. 

How can dance help tackle the Climate Crisis?

Global cooperation is needed more than ever in the dawn of the climate crisis. Japanese IMBA and MID student, Yoko Kojima performed a choreographed dance in Tokyo before arriving in Madrid to raise awareness about the importance of art as a promotion of sustainability. As much as high level political discussion is needed to tackle such global issues, we can look to dance to be part of the solution to bring people together and share individual perspectives of the global issues. Please CLICK here to see her latest performance video focused on climate change activism and HERE for the article with more information.

Making an Impact: Online English Tutors for Cañada Real

Do you know English and Spanish? Would you be interested in making an impact in the community? Here is your opportunity calling: The IE SDG Club and Refugiados Sin Fronteras, in collaboration with AMAL and the community of Cañada Real, are looking for bilingual volunteers to teach English online to the youth in the community. As the job market continues to favor English and bilingual speakers, these classes are an important, generationally impactful step to improving the future job opportunities of the residents of Cañada Real. Contribute to the Chain of Change by applying here.

Fostering Resilience through Community Building: Talent Chats

We miss those moments of encountering a familiar face on or around campus. Whether it’s to be social or to discuss work, these interactions have played a fundamental role in our work life and are an example of what defines us as a collaborative community. Regrettably, for the past year this form of “informal knowledge sharing” has been paused.  With the aim of recreating these fruitful moments, the Talent Management team began Talent Chats. Since October 2020, they have been hosting weekly Zoom meetings with small groups of people from different departments and positions.  The Chats offer a place to reconnect with colleagues and share projects, challenges, and what’s been learned over the past year. This initiative not only continues to foment connection and support, but also reopens an informal channel to collectively stimulate new ideas. 

#ShowMeYourSmile: An IE Community Initiative

The IE Center for Health, Well-Being and Happiness, in collaboration with Campus Life and the IEU Photo Club, is launching #ShowMeYourSmile to see our community’s smiles behind our masks. In preparation for Happiness Week (from March 22nd), we will collect smiling portraits of students, faculty and staff to be exhibited in both campuses. The portraits will be anonymous, and only the participants’ smiles will be visible. Photo-taking stands will be put up on IE Day, but this initiative will continue on campus from now until International Happiness Day on March 20th. Send your pictures to: photofilm.club@ie.edu and Take the opportunity to show us your smile!
Campus groups event.

Volunteerism Fair in Segovia!

To promote volunteering opportunities in the local community, several clubs are hosting a volunteer fair on the Segovia Campus. This fair is based on this model. Instead of just signing up for a specific volunteer assignment, there will be a market with donated objects that can be taken in exchange for a social action with a local NGO. To complete the “payment”, participants will have to make a video or a photo of themselves carrying out the volunteer activity and then upload it to their social media account. The overarching idea is to be able to replicate the fair several times during the academic year (every Tuesday and Thursday this month), involving more organizations and students each time so that community is built among all involved while at the same time humanizing a situation that forces us to maintain distances. You can sign up through the Campus Groups Event here, and find out more here.

Building the IE community worldwide

Beyond our campuses in Madrid and Segovia, we build the IE community worldwide. IE has 30 international offices across de globe. Each office serves as a point of contact with the local IE community whether for candidates, students, alumni, parents, institutions, or companies. Covering all continents, IE’s offices organize events and activities to keep the community engaged and connected. Even in times of Covid, following the rules and restrictions that each country or city has in place, some offices hhave managed to offer students and alumni a space to share and stay connected. See here for just a few examples of shared spaces creating community in Johannesburg, Mexico City, Dubai and Nigeria. The IE spirit transcends the physical environment of our campuses and joins forces abroad and beyond, to continue generating personal and professional growth, with a multicultural scope.

Gurus and Griots launched by the IE Africa Center

The IE Africa Center has launched Gurus & Griots, an IE University Fellowship for African and Afro-descendent Leaders in Business, Policy,and Scholarship. Gurus and Griots provides a platform for African and diasporic solutions to global challenges. Applications to this selective, cohort-based fellowship program were accepted through February 21st, 2021.

* Though the deadline has passed, if newsletter recipients would still like to be considered, you can email the program manager at matthew.davis@ie.edu through February 24th.

Alumni Taking the Lead: Adiki Ayitevie

Adiki Ayitevie, EMCC 2017 and EPIC Award – Women Inspiring Women nominee (2019), is currently the Regional Vice President, Sustainability and External Relations of Newmont Goldcorp Africa - Newmont Goldcorp Corporation.   In this role she provides strategic communications and sustainability solutions that drive ESG performance.  Adiki also serves on the boards of several education and empowerment NGOs in Ghana. She believes that the ongoing advancement of women’s rights as well as the proof that diversity and inclusion are key to driving business performance will continue to be a game changer. She says, “Institutions are recognizing that there is still far to go in advancing qualified women into leadership roles.” See here for more information about Adiki.

IE Foundation: Grants4Impact Challenge 2021

On the occasion of the IE Campus Life Virtual Fair this month, the IE Foundation launched the “Grants4Impact Challenge 2021”, through which 3 grants of € 1,000 will be offered to three IE clubs wishing to carry out a social impact initiative designed to support one or more IE values and to foster our sense of community.
Read about it HERE. Applications are due March 11th.

AccessiBe: Enhanced UX on IE Library’s new website

IE Library launched a new website! Along with design improvements, it also includes a strong focus on technology and innovation.  One of the most exciting features of the new web is AccessiBe, a UX tool that makes the web content accessible for all. Not only can you change the appearance of what you see (colors, font, sizes, orientation, etc.), but you can also have the content read or displayed in different ways.  These adaptations facilitate the accessibility of the material for users who are, for example, visually impaired or have attention deficit concerns.  This new tool is another way IE Library demonstrates their commitment to sustainability by supporting inclusive, equitable and quality education, ensuring equal access to all.  Check out the new website here.

Semifinalists for the 4th Edition of the Fundacion MAPFRE Awards for Social Innovation

The Center for Social Innovation & Sustainability at IE is happy to announce the 27 semifinalists of the 4th Edition of the Fundacion MAPFRE Awards for Social Innovation, boosted by IE. Each semifinalist contributes to the innovation of their communities and society through impactful projects that contribute to improving Health, Safe and Sustainable Mobility, and Ageingnomics. They have been selected following a rigorous application process, with a selection and judging process led by experts from each of the sectors from across three regions (Brazil, the rest of Latin America, and Europe).

Over the coming weeks they will receive mentoring from IE mentors, before moving on to a closed-door semifinal in March. The final awards will be announced in May 2021. Do you want to know who is changing the world through Social Innovation? Meet them through this link.

The IE Winter School winning project: Hello.Health

The Center for Social Innovation & Sustainability at IE would like to share the IE Winter School competition’s winning project: Hello.Health, an alternative solution to sustainably improve the prevention of non-communicable diseases (“NCDs”) among women in rural India. This innovative project aims to help women, especially those who are underprivileged, to understand, manage and receive care for their illnesses in a few minutes with a key focus on lowering the deadly impact of NCDs, the silent killers. Meet the team that designed the project, learn about their experience in contributing to sustainable change and how they learned and explored the role as individual participants to contribute to global innovation.

Middle East and Africa Green Building Congress 2021 next month

Under the patronage of the Rt. Hon. (Eng.) Raila Amolo Odinga, The Africa Union High Level Representative for Infrastructure Development and Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya, and in partnership with Majid Al Futtaim Holdings; the World Green Building Council is hosting the Middle East and Africa Green Building Congress 2021 happening on 22nd & 23rd March 2021. This Congress is particularly tailored for global professionals, business leaders, policy makers and change champions to engage, connect and advance your knowledge in sustainable building and construction. The event presents a great opportunity to share the latest green building trends and knowledge throughout the architecture and construction industry, both regionally and globally; with leading corporations, government agencies, transnational organizations and their regional counterparts. It will be a chance to share best practices & regional case studies to collectively respond to challenges facing the region. Click HERE to register. 

Future of Housing Webinar: How Will Housing Be Designed Post-Corona

The coronavirus pandemic has unequivocally shone a light on the importance that housing has on our health and wellbeing. It has also highlighted housing crises around the globe, including the lack of affordable housing in many of our cities. In a special webinar with United Network Studio and IE School of Architecture and Design, big questions are explored surrounding the future of housing: What will housing models look like in years to come? How will we ensure the homes we build are as sustainable as possible? How will we meet shortages and ensure every demographic is catered to? And will a “New European Bauhaus” movement, an initiative called for by the European Commission as part of the European Green Deal, bring solutions and a new era of housing design? Click HERE to view the recording of the webinar.

Council on Business and Society Student Competition 2021

Each year, the Council on Business and Society holds an article writing competition for students of all programs in the Council's member schools - of which IE is one.  Participants are passionate about responsible leadership, CSR, CSV, sustainability, responsible finance, diversity, inclusion and social entrepreneurship.  To be considered, students should submit an original 1,500 to 2,000-word article in English. Winning articles in each school win a cash prize, certificate and inclusion in the June anniversary  issue of the Council's quarterly magazine Global Voice.  Registration is now open. See here for competition writing topics, guidelines and details on how to register and submit.

We need more women in science!

According to UNESCO, fewer than 30% of scientific researchers in the world are women. February 11 was the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and to celebrate, the STEM Talent Girl community, of which IE University is a partner, organized a series of activities.  These included a workshop on emerging technologies with Marcelo Royán from the ISDI Foundation as well as a workshop about discovering the clinical development of vaccines with GSK. Two masterclasses were also developed, one with Mariola Lobato, Executive Partner at Gartner and another scheduled to take place on February 24th with Fuencisla Clemares, General Director for Google Spain and Portugal. Click here, here and here to see the recordings of the past events.  To attend the masterclass on February 24th at 17:00 h, click here. You can also find more information on the Stem Girl Talent website.

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