ACG is excited to share the news that eleven Deree students were selected to be part of the Class of 2020 in the United Nations Millennium Fellowship Program.
The Millennium Fellowship is a semester-long leadership development program that takes place on campus and is organized by the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), of which ACG is a member, and the Millennium Campus Network (MCN). The program, which launched in 2013, celebrates an Alumni network of over 6,000 from more than 300 universities around the globe, with 75% of the alumni currently pursuing social impact careers.
This program convenes, challenges, and celebrates bold student leadership advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UNAI Principles on campus and in communities globally. This year, the application process was very competitive, with over 15,000 applicants from over 1,400 campuses across 135 nations, but under the guidance of the ACG Sustainability Manager, Rania Assariotaki, our students’ applications stood out. The American College of Greece is part of 80 campuses worldwide (just 6%) that have been selected to host 1,000+ Millennium Fellows in 2020, marking this as an important milestone for both our students and ACG!
Following US best practices and as also reflected in its President’s 2025 vision, ACG is committed to systematically addressing issues from sustainability focus in academic programs and research and reducing its carbon footprint while improving its energy efficiency, to enhancing its social impact and increasing transparency and accountability in its daily operations. The College’s commitment to advancing sustainability on campus is showcased in the recent achievement of AASHE’s STARS Gold Rating.
Nikol Louzi, HR major, Millennium Fellow, says, “Our planet is in great need for action and change of behavior. For this reason, the importance of this project for ACG and every individual involved is huge because we know that through this initiative, we can have a direct impact and make the world a little better today!”
The eleven students come from various majors and have displayed a strong interest in social impact throughout their studies, with many of them being part of Deree student organizations and clubs, such as the ACG Sustainability Leaders, and participating in ACG’s social impact initiatives. Two of the students will also serve as Campus Directors for the period of August–December 2020.
The program curriculum is experiential in order to help participating students grow as leaders in real-time as they manage a project, exposing them to the cultivation of core values, such as empathy, humility, and inclusion, honing hard and soft skills, and engaging in peer-to-peer feedback. On the campus hub level, the Fellows can choose to take on a collective action on campus to help advance the SDGs. Active Fellows with completed projects will earn a certificate by UNAI and MCN. As future alumni of the program, they will also have the opportunity to build a robust campus hub to ensure future Millennium Fellows can participate, recruit students, and even return as guest speakers and mentors for future classes.
“Being chosen as the first Greek Millennium Fellowship cohort is truly an honor and presents us with an unparalleled opportunity to further develop our leadership skills, connect with fellow leaders across the world, and join them to help pave the way for the realization of the UN SDGs.”, says Dionysios Tzavaras, Psychology major, Campus Director.
The student team has already taken up the organization of a collective action on campus to boost the adaptation of the SDGs. “ACG has always been a pioneer in enhancing its own academic and social impact both at a local and global level. In this respect, it has played an active role as an institution, in terms of encouraging us as students to engage in diverse social, environmental, business and political projects. Encouraged and inspired by the ACG culture, we are organizing a Symposium in order to enhance the social impact of the SDGs as well as improve our skills and grow our network”, says Hasan Oksuz, Sociology major, Campus Director.
The “United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Symposium: Exploring the DiverCity of Athens”, co-organized by the Office of Public Affairs, will take place via livestreaming due to the protective measures against the spread of COVID-19, in November 11-13, 2020. The Symposium will dive into the exploration of four out of the 17 Goals: SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities, SGD 5 – Gender Equality, SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 12 – Sustainable Consumption and Production.