Today, the first session of the citizens' assembly at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam kicks off. With this, VU becomes the first Dutch university to launch a citizens' assembly to work together with students, staff, and other stakeholders in determining how the university can further enhance its sustainability efforts.
This unique initiative not only represents an important step toward a more sustainable university but also marks the beginning of a remarkable research project into the role of citizens’ assemblies within universities.
The goal: to create broader support and strengthen the democratic process within the academic community.
The initiative for a university-level citizens’ assembly was launched by Ivar Maas, a researcher at the Institute for Environmental Studies and head of the Sustainability Office at VU. “In times of polarization and in a society where we increasingly seem to lose sight of one another, it is more important than ever to engage in dialogue and understand each other’s perspectives. Dialogue is often central at our university as well, yet it can still be difficult to truly connect. That’s why we are inviting students and staff to collectively think about how we, as a university, can become more sustainable. Through the format of a university citizens’ assembly, they will jointly help shape VU’s sustainability policy. At the same time, we as researchers are closely examining the process itself. We are studying whether a citizens’ assembly genuinely contributes to greater support for policies and a stronger sense of involvement in how those policies come to be. In doing so, we contribute to scientific knowledge about how such assemblies function and what their impact is—knowledge that can benefit a better-functioning democracy.”
The first session of the citizens’ assembly is scheduled for today. Students, lecturers, researchers, and staff will gather under the name Sustainability University Assembly. Over the course of five sessions, a representative cross-section of the VU community will address the question: How can VU become a sustainable university?
Through dialogue and the involvement of experts, the 160 participants will develop recommendations for the Executive Board. The Executive Board has committed to taking the proposals from the Sustainability University Assembly seriously and implementing them wherever possible.
Sustainability University Assembly
The Sustainability University Assembly is an initiative of the VU Sustainability Office and is organized by the G1000.nu Foundation, an independent organization that has been facilitating citizens’ assemblies throughout the Netherlands since 2014.