USI Alpine Seminar: three days immersed in social sustainability and equal opportunities

From 12 to 14 November, the Alpine Seminar promoted by the House of Sustainability and the Equal Opportunities Service took place successfully, focusing on the theme of social sustainability. The seminar offered students an immersive 2.5-day experience, where the alpine natural setting provided the backdrop for an in-depth exploration of social and environmental sustainability, equal opportunities, inclusion, and the valorization of diversity.

The seminar was led by Prof. Christa Binswanger, Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Department of Gender and Diversity, University of St. Gallen, and by Dr. Giovanni Pellegri, Lecturer at the House of Sustainability, and welcomed 17 students from the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Communication, Culture, and Society

The course combined a reflection on the relationship between humans and nature and the limits of planet Earth with social sustainability, deepening the understanding of connections between human and non-human beings, and examining how gender, care, and work shape everyday life. Through an interdisciplinary approach, participants reflected on how caring relationships can serve as a lever for transitioning toward a sustainable world oriented toward collective and planetary well-being, where everyone has the opportunity to play a crucial role.

The residential format encouraged authentic and continuous exchange, allowing perspectives from different disciplinary backgrounds to emerge, a key element of a project that aims to bring together knowledge, experiences, and sensitivities.

This initiative marks an important step in integrating the themes of equal opportunities, inclusion, and diversity into the educational offer of the House of Sustainability, in line with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly its goals on gender equality, reducing inequalities, and fostering more just and inclusive societies.

During the 2025–26 academic year, from 15 to 17 April 2026, a second thematic seminar will be offered, focusing on Equal Opportunities.

Enrollment will follow the procedures set by the individual Faculties.

The success of this first edition confirms the value of an innovative educational approach, capable of connecting theory, experience, and place, and fostering a more aware, inclusive, and sustainable form of personal and collective growth.