WeGO started October with the very first session of its youth training program, WeGO Champions.

October 1, 2023. 22. The in-person discussion about Digital and Ecological Transformation in Cities was attended by students from the University of Architecture and Construction (Azərbaycan Memarlıq və İnşaat Universiteti) and other young professionals and practitioners. The discussion revolved around building the skills of the citizens to become future urban resilience leaders. The panel discussion was led by WeGO Champions Program Advisor Alexandre Hedjazi and WeGO Champions Dean Danil Kerimi.

The offline discussion was held in line with the UN Habitat’s 2nd Azerbaijan National Urban Forum. The participants were then encouraged to take the supplementary WeGO Champions certificate and online lectures that will be launched this October. This WeGO Champions event in Baku will also be followed by site visits to Baku’s relevant institutions this coming November.

On the sidelines of NUFA 2023 and UN World Habitat Day Conference in Baku the event, “Young Urban Leadership: Perspectives in Dialogue,” was an extraordinary convergence of thought and action, where students and young professionals as the next generation of urban leaders engage in a dialogue with experienced practitioners on Urban Challenges and how to best address those challenges. The event was set to engage youth in sustainability transition partnerships between the Public and Private sectors as well as local communities. The WeGo Baku session brought together insights and perspectives from WeGO, Drees & Sommer Consulting, EAWAG ( Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich), and the unique perspective of young people themselves, brought by students attending the NUFA – UN Habitat Day conference.

WeGO Champions’ Young Urban Leadership: Perspectives in Dialogues continued in Munich.

October 3, 2023. WeGO Champions from Munich learned more about WeGO’s efforts in Measuring, Benchmarking, and Accelerating the Cities Progress Towards Sustainable Smart Futures. The discussion was moderated by Ms. Helene von Schwichow and led by WeGO Champions Program Dean, Dr. Danil Kerimi. The multifaceted approach is deemed important as it involves the systematic evaluation of key indicators, setting benchmarks against established standards, and implementing targeted initiatives to push for the transition to a smarter, more sustainable urban landscape, as WeGO supports what urban development should be. The discussions were fruitful and the students were highly engaged in the topic. Four students even wrote their papers on WeGO’s Smart Cities Index 2022. Truly, WeGO Champion’s goals are being realized one city at a time, one student at a time.

WeGO Champions held its Geneva leg through Young Urban Leadership: Perspectives in Dialogue.

October 4, 2023. It was an extraordinary convergence of thought and action, where the voices of the next generation resonated with the wisdom of experienced practitioners who participated in the event. Mr. Dimitry Mayrasin from the UNECE shared his knowledge about the Intergenerational Dialogues of UNECE and how it is a way forward in development. It was an open discussion moderated by Dr. Matteo Tarantino and Dr. Alexandre Hedjaz, and attended by students from the Innovation of Human Development & Sustainability program of the University of Geneva. “Young Urban Leadership: Perspectives in Dialogue,” took place on the sidelines of UN-ECE Mayors Forum and Urban Resilience Week, an extraordinary convergence of thought and action, where the voices of the next generation of Urban Leaders resonate with the wisdom of experienced practitioners. The event as promised was a unique exploration of the critical subject of engaging youth in sustainability transitions, true digital and ecological transformation lenses, featuring insights from WeGO, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and the unique perspective of young people themselves, brought by the students of the University of Geneva.

The WeGO Sustainable Smart City Champions program continues its momentum this November 3 by successfully holding its workshop in Athens, at the University of Patras.

November 3, 2023. Experts in the field, Professors Demetra Katsota and Alcistis Rodi (both from the Department of Architecture, University of Patras) joined our WeGO Champion advisor Dr. Alexandre Hedjazi to impart their experience on architecture and design, especially on research in Retrieving Athens and Coastal Domains, urban morphology and the making of more sustainable, resilient, socially cohesive, healthy and happy cities. Professor Rodi’s presentation focused on the idea of creating urban modules or plans based on walking distances as a way to address the environmental and social issues caused by the dominance of automobiles. The goal is to promote healthier and more eco-friendly lifestyles.
Professor Katsota, on the other hand, emphasized the urgent requirement for affordable housing that caters to various groups, including families, couples, young professionals, the elderly, students, artists, small businesses, and start-ups. The aim is to address the broader societal need for accessible and reasonably priced housing options, beyond the more exclusive and commercial offerings currently dominating the urban landscape in Athens.

WeGO Sustainable Smart City Champions held its fifth in-person lecture series Young Urban Leadership: Perspectives in Dialogue in the Catholic University of Milan.

November 14, 2023. On November 14, 2023. The event garnered substantial attendance, with 47 students participating in a thoughtful dialogue with esteemed professors. The focal point of the discussion was the topic of “Redefining Urban Communication: Conflict, Culture, and Digital Media in Smart and Sustainable Cities.” Esteemed professors Dr. Matteo Tarantino (Catholic University of Milan), Dr. Simone Tosoni (Catholic University of Milan), and Dr. Zlatan Krajina (Zagreb University, Croatia) shared their expertise in different aspects of urban development communication. Dr. Tarantino specializes in Data, Information & Society and Information and Communication Systems. Dr. Krajina’s field of focus on the other hand, is media cities, media audiences, and qualitative methodologies.