People, Planet & Prosperity: Co-creating a Sustainable Future

The Fourth Industrial Revolution that we are experiencing right now is undoubtedly changing the way we live, work and think. It seems technological developments are everywhere these days — from increasingly connected homes to artificial intelligence and from virtual/augmented reality to blockchain. But what do they mean for governments, businesses and for the average person in our day-to-day lives? How can we make sure that we use technology for the benefit of society? It is clear that digital technology is integral to this revolution, and that all stakeholders in society need to embrace and take an active role in the change.

Taking an active role in change is where Digital Society School comes into the picture. We want to train governments, businesses and communities to transform and future-proof themselves. We want to empower people and organisations to adapt, learn and innovate. What better way to be leading the future in your field than to work with leaders of the future today? The Digital Society School community is made up of young(-at-heart) people with different cultural backgrounds and expertise. They are eager to learn and re-learn new tools, methods and knowledge in addition to 21^st century skills that the World Economic Forum listed in their Future of Jobs report (2016) (see figure 1). These are the exact skills and competencies we aim to inculcate and foster through our programmes.

In the first semester we co-created on projects within two tracks: Digital to Physical, and Data-driven Transformation. During the 20-week project, our teams of learners, post-master transformational designers and PhD-level track associates collaborated with the organisations to create high quality prototypes that help to address societal challenges they face. For the first track, we worked with VodafoneZiggo, Exodus and Facility Services of the Amsterdam University of Applied Science. For the latter track, we worked with Johan Cruyff ArenA, Climate Cleanup, and Association of Dutch Headache Centers (VNHC), SAP and Delaware.

This semester we are very proud to share that we continued on projects with three existing partners: VodafoneZiggo, Climate Cleanup and Johan Cruyff ArenA. We also started three new partnerships with ING, GGD Amsterdam and Landelijk Eenheid (Dutch Police), where we look at for example how we can create a connected campus to how policing will look like in 2030. Stay tuned to our Medium to follow the project sprints!

These organisations may be very different in their size and core business, but they have at least one thing in common: their commitment to innovating their businesses while contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They have a shared ambition to care, dare to experiment and be on the forefront of the digital transformation of their business and society.

Whether it is a desire to learn new innovative ways of working on finding solutions to business and societal challenges, or a need to recruit and (re)train digitally-savvy (international) talent, our ambition is to help you with the various needs your organisation may face.

Apart from the track 20-week projects, we also offer shorter Digital Camp programmes (think formats like workshops, masterclasses, hackathons). As well, we have our Professional Programmes where you will be able to take your digital transformation leadership to the next level. We have standard offerings for these programmes but we are also able to customize the content and duration specially to cater to the needs of your organisation.

Since our official launch in September 2018, we have had the privilege to connect with forward-looking organisations and people who are passionate about building a better world using digital technology. We have built a community spread out over 70 countries via our Global Goals Jam and Design Across Cultures programmes. We have a group of trendsetting ambassadors who are sharing their knowledge about the digital society and we welcome many more people in our Studio via our Digital Society School-powered events.

Are you curious to learn more about how Digital Society School can help with your organisation’s needs while making positive impact on society? Get in touch now with Wai Feersma Hoekstra (w.feersmahoekstra@hva.nl), and let’s chat about opportunities!