〈Sharing Agenda ．Achieving a Better Place Together: Implementation and Practices of CEES and SDGs〉

　　Every place has its unique features and resources. We are creating a platform to communicate one another's needs, so that our university, businesses, and local communities will get better together. By consolidating our strength, we are building capacities for local revitalization and co-prosperity.

（Figure 1　Long established internship courses let students  participate in action, so that faculty and students can grow together with local communities）

Beginnings of engagement in sustainability: only when the world gets better, we can get better

　　With global climate and natural resources changed dramatically in recent years, businesses have shifted their focus from profit to sustainable management. "Sustainable development" is now an important topic for businesses and universities, as well as a high-level concern of the society. The 2015 "The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development” adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), raised awareness that "only when the world gets better, we can get better."

　　The 17 benchmarked SDGs cover three major aspects of sustainable development: "Society, Environment and Economy", which corresponded exactly with the three elements of local placemaking "people, land, and industry ". Faced with local issues such as the aging population and uneven development between urban and rural areas, the Executive Yuan declared 2019 as the first year of "Local Revitalization”. “By finding people who really care about this land, planning according to local advantages and industries, and to carry out step by step, examine and refine all practices", we believe regional placemaking has a real possibility to become a reality in the future.

　　In the implementation process, the concept of “Extension Service”, which is common in American land-granted universities, was initiated. With the university research team bridging the gap between entities including communities, businesses and the government, also by consolidating strength from all sides, we worked together to initiate a continuous flow of vital changes into local communities. For example, we started in 2019 to assist the district offices and local organizations promoting the “Miracle of Bananas in Cishan – Promotion Plan for Regional Revitalization Policy in Cishan District, Kaohsiung City.”(2019-2022); In 2020, we cooperated with the Daliao District Office, Jiu Zhen Nan Foods Co., Ltd. and local organizations to carry out initial inventory of local resources for revitalization in Daliao District.

（Figure 2　In the summer of 2020, faculties and students went to central and southern regions to case study local revitalization projects）

Everyone cares! Academia and industries move close to the hearts of communities 

　　In addition to playing  a role of think tank for the local government, we endeavored ways to power-up industry partners to promote sustainable developments for the locality. In our investigating process, we found: "companies were very willing to feedback when it comes to social welfare; but unfortunately, due to their lack of connection with the local society, or that tangible benefits from one-time donations were difficult to sustain impacts."

　　Thus, we lined up cooperative projects with corporate partners on a conjoint platform. For instance, since most of its employees reside in Daliao and Dashu, Taiwan Hopax Chemicals hence identified these two communities as practice fields. The company sent over volunteers along with its signature product Stick'n to the care centers there, teaching the elderly how to make colorful and creative sticker artworks. This was to cultivate a local identity for the three-parties involved, as well as to build lasting public resources for Kaohsiung. 

（Figure 3　USR X CSR enhance local identity between schools and businesses. Talents staying in-place is the continuous driving source for the local community）

　　"To resolve local issues, you have to listen to the local voices". After multiple contacts with Laser Tek Taiwan Co., Ltd., the Social Affairs Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government, district offices, and new residents' groups, we noticed that many cases were in-distress and were unable "to make their dreams come true"; even the ability "to dream" was a luxury. The “Turn Around, Dream Come True!” Plan in Kaohsiung was born as a result. "No dream too big, no dreamer too small; every dream can come true." We hope that through corporate investing resources, cases-in-need can be encouraged to pursue their dreams, cultivate now to light up the future.

（Figure 4　Principal investigator Jui-Kun Kuo and volunteers from the Daliao Jiangshan Community discuss activities for the local elders）

Learning, sharing and prospering together, cooperative empowerment is the model of circulatory driving force

　　"One’s strength is not enough; we must embed this belief into the DNA of many people." Like 350 years ago while building the Oxford University Chapel, architects foresaw that large amounts of oak would be needed for future renovations. They then planted a grove of oak trees on the land destined for replacement purposes hundreds of years later. This is how the historic building remains standing today. This project team believes that sustainable development must be deeply internalized into the minds of young generations, corporate employees and local residents. Everyone must desire it from the bottom of their hearts, so the power of co-prosperity may be consolidated and strengthened.

（Figure 5　USR project partners, PwC Taiwan, CSRone, etc., are invited to enhance teachers’ CSR knowledge）

　　We thereby held placemaking field trips and study visits, taking students to central and southern regions to learn different perspectives from industry, academia, and community groups then proceeded into cooperative empowerment, and to achieve a circular pattern of cooperation of the three parties involved. We invited sustainable development trainers from industries to NSYSU Teachers CSR Co-Learning, so that our faculty can turn their classes into cultivating future CSR talents. Moreover, the faculty and students of our department carried out social practices by going to the Nansheng Community to initiate the "Community Scenery Highlights Remodeling", and to the Luchungmiao Community to implement the "Time Bank Coffee Bar", renewing those communities with  fresh vigor.

（Figure 6　NSYSU faculty and students in community empowerment）

　　Every place is unique in characteristics. This project team hopes by pooling the duo forces of USR X CSR, a cooperative mechanism can be established to connect industries and academia with communities; students may gain a better understanding of their communities and local businesses; businesses be more attuned to the local needs; by uniting all of our strength we can shape our homeland to become a place of sustainable development.

Extended Reading:

Use time for coffee, NSYSU does revitalization with Luchungmiao Community 

Teachers and students of NSYSU lite up Nansheng Community by co-crafting paper mâché dolls inserts 

Crafts for Elders, NSYSU and Hopax Chemicals connect with locality

"Placemaking” by learning from experiences, NSYSU’s "social practice, cultivation and engagement" exchange

Placemaking combat camp, the Institute of Public Affairs Management forms "special training team” to bolster practical combat capabilities

CSR talent cultivation in progress, NSYSU College of Management signs industry-academia cooperation MOU