Journey to Changemaker Certificate

J2CC Mission

PROGRAM CERTIFICATION

Today the universities need to change their way of teaching and of operating. Simple methods like providing information do not work – we need to create a culture of management and cooperation that equip and nurture students’ and employees’ skills necessary for building a better world in the future. A modern Higher Education Institution has to create an educational experience that would help students to acquire or develop certain transversal competencies – competencies we at Ashoka call changemaker skills. These competencies should lead the students to be more responsible for their environment and create impact.

After the J2CC, thanks to extensive investment into the competencies of teachers, students under their guidance should:

Be ready to see their actions as a way to create common good for society
Be able to effectively work in various inclusive networks
Become entrepreneurial in all aspects of their life
Be ready to constantly learn and develop their empathy through respectful and responsible interactions

The J2CC is the answer to the challenges facing higher education in the 21^st century and is a path to fulfil the so-called Universities' Third Mission.

J2CC Framework

TIMEFRAME OF CERTIFICATION:

The Pre-certification stage – up to 6 months
The Certification stage – up to 3 months

The whole process should take 9 months.

Step 1: Interviews, 1 day, Ashoka

Interviews with:

Senior management
Program’s leaders
Academic Staff
Students

Each interview lasts about 45 minutes.
Interviews are run by two people from Ashoka.
The format of the interview is a discussion with interviewers.

Step 2: Training for Academic Staff, 3 days, Ashoka & University of Northampton

The goal of the training is to work on modules with the academic staff of the certificated institution. Teachers will be taught to design classes where students will learn about and practice key Changemaking skills: collaboration, acting for the common good (including empathy) and entrepreneurship.

The first two days of the program are located at the University of Northampton – the Changemaker Campus University – where the CAIeRO is delivered to academic staff (extra info about CAIeRO).

The third day is located at the institution seeking certification. It is led by Ashoka experts. The main goal of the workshop is to transfer the experiences from the University of Northampton to the home institution.

The workshop is designed for max. 10 persons.

The certification fee includes travel expenses, accommodation and the workshop.

Step 3: Audit of documents, Ashoka

The goal is to look at the course syllabus and provide feedback on:

Learning Outcomes of the program and courses
Verification methods

The J2CC focuses on skills and social competences.

Step 4: Preparation of the Self Development Report (SDR), 1 month, Ashoka’s Network

HEI is responsible for preparing a Self Development Report which should:

Assess the present situation of the program
Identify opportunities for the program
Design general results of the program
Prepare Key Performance Indicators for the results

The SDR should take on board the mission of the J2CC and develop an action plan customised to each institution.

The SDR is prepared with the support of Ashoka. The certification fee includes one month work with an Ashoka Fellow in Residence who has extensive experience in change management. The workload of the Fellow is negotiated with each institution. It may include:

Delivering host classes
Designing tools for effective change
Sharing best practices
Identifying which resources of Ashoka can be offered to the institution
Providing better knowledge about the Ashoka Network
[The list is not closed]

Step 5: Certification visit

2 days, 3 Academic Experts e.g.:
- from Ashoka Europe
- from Changemaker Campus University (e.g. UoN)

The main goal of the certification visit is to provide the certified educational institution feedback about the SDR. After conducting interviews on the first day of the program, Ashoka experts will provide two-hour sessions on the second day. These sessions are directed at senior management, program leaders, and academic staff involved in the program.

These activities should be implemented into the SDR of the certified program.

Step 6: Final version of SDR, 1 day, Ashoka

To obtain the J2CC, the HEI has to sign an agreement with Ashoka which regulates the rights and obligations of both sides. The basis of this agreement is the SDR. With the J2CC label, the certified HEI has access to valuable resources in the Ashoka Network.

Renewals

Steps: 1, 3, 6 repeated after 1, 3, 5 years.

The renewal will help an HEI in building out strong educational programming, which is one component of the Changemaker Campus selection process.

BENEFITS FOR CERTIFIED PROGRAM

International recognition of a university (HEI) and its program.

Access to Ashoka’s networks

Ashoka Fellows
Ashoka Support Network
Ashoka U Changemaker Campuses
Ashoka Changemaker Schools
Business Partners

Continuous improvement of programs with active support from Ashoka’s Experts.

Ashoka’s Experts continuously cooperate with J2CC. J2CC provides advice in improving the skills of the academic staff who are part of the certified program.

Launching the REAL changes into certificated program and HEI.

J2CC leads the program to real changes. This is a challenging process which allows the institution to raise real competitiveness.

Foundation for becoming a changemaker institution.

J2CC HEIs strengthen their educational program, a key component of building a social innovation ecosystem across campus.

Better employability of graduates.

Ashoka provides access to its resources including the business and public administration partners network. Maintaining connection with organisations that align with the values and mission of J2CC is a great opportunity for students to find a job which recognizes and rewards their changemaking talents.

Being a member of a GLOBAL network of organizations changing the world.

Access to other HEIs which want to build a global learning network offers unique opportunities for collaboration, providing unique opportunities in many fields such as research.

Costs and Timeline

J2CC general costs: about 41 000 € (+ VAT)
(Costs are regulated by the agreement signed with Ashoka. Each agreement is customised to the needs of the certificate program)

Renewal – 1 x year (steps: 1, 3, 6): 5 200 € (+ VAT)

NB: In some countries, national educational authorities fund international accreditation of local Higher Education Institutions. E.g., in Poland, such option is available to both public and private HEIs until the end of 2021. Ashoka staff would happy to assist your HEI in preparing an application.

Step 1

Interviews, up to 1 month

Step 2

Training for Academic Staff - up to 2 months

Step 3

Audit of documents up to 3 months

Preparation of self development report (SDR)

up to 2 months

Certification visit

up to 2 months

Final version of SDR

up to 1 month

FAQs

What are the benefits of this program?

For a university and the certified program:

Internationalization and better global recognition
More meaningful education: deeper fulfilment of the so-called Third Mission
Cultural shift: change in the way students work, change of the learning outcomes
Inclusion in a global network of like-minded universities, organizations and individuals
Cooperation with external business partners
Fitter response to the challenges of the employment market by better equipping students for their future
New research and study fields as an additional attraction factor for potential students
Development opportunities for faculty and staff

For students:

Strengthening of their agency and leadership
Developing empathy and entrepreneurial skills desired by the employers and needed to thrive in the new markets
Vision for one’s work as a way to create common good: discovering that it is possible to work with a meaning
First-hand experience of collaborating in teams and networks
Higher employability

Who executes the J2CC program?

J2CC program is operated by an international team of Ashoka staff coordinated by Ashoka Poland. A big role is played by the country office of the candidate university.

Ashoka Fellow in Residence and certification experts come from the global network of Ashoka.

Training is provided by the staff of the University of Northampton – one of three European Changemaker Campuses.

The main effort, however, is made by the Change Team of the candidate university program – by you! The Change Team is made of representatives of academic staff, administration and students of the university who are working together towards creating an educational experience that will help students acquire and develop transversal competencies that we call changemaker skills.

How many higher education institutions have joined Ashoka Network?

Through Ashoka U Changemaker Campuses program (currently on a strategic pause) some fifty universities from around the world have committed to bringing up new generations of changemakers.

In 2017, this process was reinforced by the newly established program called Journey to Changemaker Certificate. By 2019, two programs at two universities have received the J2CC (SWPS and Collegium Civitas). Currently, several more universities have started the journey and will join the global network of education changemakers.

What is the difference between Ashoka U campus process and J2CC?

Both processes are part of Ashoka’s mission to build a world where everyone can become a changemaker. And thus, both of those processes reach the young generations through higher education institutions. Both focus on universities and university programs that are interested in bringing up young social entrepreneurs and social innovators who get first-hand experience and knowledge of what empathy and agency mean.

Yet, there is a lot of differences between the Changemaker Campus process and J2CC. The former is rather a selection of universities that have already undergone a transformation process as a whole institution and fulfil certain criteria, while the latter is, in fact, helping the chosen department/program at the university to embark on this journey and introduce the necessary changes. One is accreditation as an appreciation of the university’s achievements, while the other one includes empowering the university and giving it a boost that then might lead towards the accreditation of the program that was selected as the catalyzation point.

Different scopes of the two programs explain the difference in their prices and duration.

What is included in the program scope and price? How long does it last?

Among other things J2CC includes:

a Learning Design training for the 10-person Change Team from the candidate university at the University of Northampton, UK, with travel and accommodation expenses covered (a lower-cost version is also available but not recommended);
an audit of the program documentation and syllabi from the perspective of incorporation of changemaker skills as learning outcomes of the program courses;
a month-long residence of an Ashoka Fellow at the candidate university to supervise the process of creation of Self Development Report (along with the updates to the program syllabi);
a certification visit of three education experts from the global Ashoka network to share the extensive expertise and vision of Ashoka with the university and assess the progress of the university on the Journey to Changemaker.

Overall, the program lasts up to nine months and is divided into six steps (see more here).

Does the University have to fulfil any requirements before applying for J2CC?

The Journey to Changemaker Certificate program does more than just assess what has been achieved by the candidate university. Before that, Ashoka helps it to set out on this journey and introduce the necessary changes so that the university years become an amazing educational experience for the students helping them to become changemakers.

Therefore, even though a previous familiarity with the notions of changemaking and social entrepreneurship and respective courses in the curriculum can help the university in the process, it is not required. We come to those higher education institutions where there is a desire to move forward within the framework of a concrete department/program and a contact person (an ‘intrapreneur’) who will coordinate the journey on the university’s side.

The working language of J2CC is English.

Should the certificate be renewed?

Yes, the certificate is awarded for a year’s time. Then it has to be renewed after 1 and 3 years. The renewal process is much shorter than the initial certification, as it involves steps 1, 3 and 6 only and costs 5’200 euro.

How to start?

The easiest way is to send an e-mail to [email protected] – please state your HEI’s name, the name of the unit/program you represent and include a short explanation describing why you are interested in attaining the certificate.

News & Events

J2CC session at Ashoka U Exchange 2020

Every year, Ashoka U Exchange gathers several hundred of university changemakers from all over the world to share experience and ideas. In 2020, the event had to take place online. On 16 April, Agata Stafiej-Bartosik and Misza Czerniak from Ashoka Poland delivered a session on the Journey to Changemaker Certificate program and on introducing changemaking into the culture and practice of higher education institutions (HEIs), especially in inflexible education systems. Ashoka staff were joined and supported by the representatives of two Polish HEIs that were awarded J2CC in 2019: Marcin Jacoby from SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities and Roland Zarzycki from Collegium Civitas. The guests shared their reflections on the benefits that their schools gained from participating in the program. The whole session is available here.

Stage 2 of J2CC process at University of Gdansk is finished with a follow-up session

On 1 March 2020, Ashoka's Agata Stafiej-Bartosik and Misza Czerniak once again met the Change Team of the University of Gdansk to discuss how to implement the theoretical and practical knowledge they brought back from the CAIeRO training at the University of Northampton. Applying the learned lessons is crucial for the success of the ongoing J2CC certification process at the Innovation Pedagogy program of UG.

Study visit of University of Gdansk Change Team to Northampton

On 17-18 February 2020, the Change Team from University of Gdansk visited University of Northampton as part of Step 2 of J2CC process at UoG Innovation Pedagogy program. The main goal of the visit was to participate in the CAIeRO training that equips academic teachers with tools to incorporate Changemaker Skills into the learning outcomes and assessment methods of university courses.

Six academic teachers were accompanied by two students and the head of J2CC program, Misza Czerniak, who acted as "friendly critics" during the CAIeRO sessions.

Apart from attending the training, the Change Team was also given a tour of University of Northampton to see how changemaking is embedded in the culture and infrastructure of the university that had been awarded the Changemaker Campus status by AshokaU back in 2013.

J2CC awarded to the Management Program at Collegium Civitas, Warsaw

For the second time in 2019, Ashoka has awarded J2CC certificate to a Polish higher education institution. On 12 December, Management Program at Collegium Civitas has successfully concluded the accreditation process. The Rector of Collegium Civitas, Professor Stanisław Mocek, and Ashoka Poland Country Director, Agata Stafiej-Bartosik, signed an official agreement and unveiled a plaque confirming the certified status of the Management Program. At the occasion of this celebration, several comments were shared followed by a reception. Read the comments below.