Act for Change Certificate Ceremony: check out the 7 projects of the first graduating class

On April 12, 2023, MBS celebrated the graduation ceremony of the very first class of students involved in the “Act for Change” Program of Excellence, a leadership program unique in the world of business schools, to address societal and environmental issues.

Coached since September by Dr. Magalie Marais and Dr. Cédrine Joly, this first class, sponsored by Sage, has benefited from an additional 90 hours of educational content and customized mentoring alongside the MIND Chair’s professors and partners.

EMPOWERING STUDENTS AND SUPPORTING THEM IN THEIR EFFORTS TO FIND OUT WHAT IS MEANINGFUL TO THEM

The 24 students who are part of the first class of the Act For Change Excellence program received their certificates of achievement in front of the speakers of the six thematic conferences that punctuated the course. “I am very proud to welcome this first class, which gives full meaning to the school’s mission to train the forerunners of the responsible economic transition,” explained Bruno Ducasse, Dean of MBS.

“We have had the opportunity to meet and mentor these students throughout the course, and today we wish them to pursue their commitment and to share the values that are precious to them within all the organizations in which they will evolve,” testified Marie-Claude Chazot, Sr. People Director Europe at Sage.

“In a context where we are changing paradigms every day, staying connected to our humanity is essential. We are moving into a phase where the world is vulnerable, and the commitment of these students is a fixer. It is now up to us, teachers and researchers, schools and companies, to support them in their efforts,” said Dr. Magalie Marais, co-founder of the program and co-holder of the MIND Chair.

THE 7 COLLECTIVE ACTIONS RESULTING FROM STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

One of the main challenges of the course is to transform an isolated individual commitment into a collective and inclusive change. The 24 students of the program have therefore imagined seven projects to create a positive impact within and outside the school:

• The creation of an awareness and discussion event around responsible fashion, with an original conference led by experts from the Paris Good Fashion collective, as well as workshops and stands to better understand and transform one’s consumption habits, in partnership with the student associations Montpellier’s Treasures and Mon Bureau Solidaire.
• The design of an ecological and educational garden prototype with a shared vegetable garden for the future MBS campus. The first workshops have already been organized to transmit the first tips for greening the roofs.
• The creation of an online game “Play For Change”, a series of interactive enigmas that uses the rules of the escape game to learn about current ecological issues in a playful way.
• The implementation of an inclusive system that encourages discussions about interculturality within the school through the tasting of culinary specialties representing the hundred or so nationalities present on campus.
• The implementation of an eloquence contest within the Act For Change program to allow each student to express themselves on a subject that is dear to them while allowing them to develop their public speaking skills.
• The creation of the student association “Act 4 Change” in order to disseminate knowledge outside the program, to support all students in the realization of their individual projects for the transition, to establish a link between all the classes of the Act For Change program and to allow participants to act independently of the program.
• The integration of citizen journalism made by students for students, with the objective of addressing everyday difficulties, creating a momentum of solidarity and fighting against student isolation. The first interviews will soon be shared on the Act 4 Change association page.