Our Story – 2018

A rich year of testing ways of working with each other and with clients! This is what we did:

• Worked with universities and other institutions on short-term contracts, while exploring the potential for longer and deeper cooperation
• Joined consortia applying for funding for international projects, two of which are now funded and working
• Supported each other, working and learning together

University concept, and beyond

We now have a model for working with and through universities to include business and other employers within the ‘constituency’ of the university. We believe this model can offer unique opportunities both for us and for participating universities. The working group is led by Marco Valente.

We worked on a series of contracts in Switzerland, Sweden and Kazakhstan, listed on our web site – also outside the academic sphere, for instance an in-house workshop for UNIDO in Vienna; Katrin Hauser is acting as point person for these contracts.

International projects

Funding has been awarded for two of the projects in which Legacy17 is a partner, both of them through the EU Erasmus+ fund and listed on our website. One is led by a German NGO and is focused on methods and skills for teachers of adult education for sustainable development; it began in October 2018. The other is a Turkish-led consortium of universities focused on defining and measuring sustainable food habits, where Legacy17 is included as a source of methods and experience.

Working together

How do we support each other? How can we learn from each other? During the year we have tried face-to-face meetings, online meetings, an online envisioning session, and ‘case clinics’; as well as informal network-building.

The administrative/financial/legal aspects of working together are not obvious for an international worker-owned cooperative. We may test some kind of ‘LETS’ service bartering or Time Banking, in the light of current research. Meantime we have developed a praxis where several of us work on one contract; more information available.

Governance and administration

The board consists of Katrin Hauser, Marco Valente, Marilyn Mehlmann and Stanley Nyoni (reelected for 2019-2020); see the Who we are page. Day-to-day operations are managed by Alexander Mehlmann. The office is in Stockholm, Sweden.

Looking ahead

We look forward to welcoming new members, new partner organizations, new clients – and new ways of working. Together we can take SDG work to a whole new level!

Katrin Hauser, Marco Valente,
Marilyn Mehlmann, Stanley Nyoni