Commitment to embed social responsibility into the curriculum and student experience
The University of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh University Students’ Association have received the NUS Responsible Futures accreditation, recognising efforts to embed social responsibility and sustainability into the curriculum and student experience.
Since its launch in 2014, 30 institutions have worked with their students’ unions across the UK to take part in Responsible Futures, demonstrating their commitment to creating an environment where education for sustainable development can thrive.
What is Responsible Futures?
Responsible Futures offers a framework and certification of a whole institution’s commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, and having an enabling environment for it to thrive, rather than an endpoint. Following an audit led by students trained by NUS , the University and Students’ Association were rewarded the Responsible Futures accreditation for their achievements.
NUS’ aim is to see students leave formal education with the knowledge, skills, attributes, and values required to critically challenge the world around them, and a desire and willingness to tackle social, economic, and environmental issues and inequalities.
Gaining re-accreditation for our participation in Responsible Futures is a real badge of honour for us. The Association continues to support student activity that complements social responsibility and sustainability teaching in the formal curriculum; for instance we continue to support motions, campaigns and policies that our students take through our democratic structures like Student Council – the most recent example being our ban on single-use plastics.
Partnership approach
The University’s Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability works in partnership with the Edinburgh University Students’ Association and academic schools to provide students with a diverse range of opportunities to engage with these issues.
This includes providing financial assistance to student-led projects through the Student Project Grant, providing Living Lab projects on campus through academic courses and supporting students develop their employability skills through volunteering roles and placements.
This accreditation recognises our efforts to make social responsibility and sustainability at the heart of the student experience through the formal and informal curriculum. We will continue to work in partnership with the Students’ Association to provide more opportunities for students to develop their graduate attributes in this area.
Find out more about Responsible Futures