The For Good platform ran from 2017- 2022, empowering students to innovate and progress all aspects of sustainability through meaningful research, projects and placements. We are now re-structuring For Good as a resource that students, educators and career services staff can use to ensure students are given meaningful opportunities to use their education to progress holistic sustainability.

For Good served as an online platform connecting students at all levels of study across the UK and globally with organisations to help them tackle important challenges related to environmental, economic or social sustainability. Students turn their education into a force for social and environmental good by answering and implementing solutions to real-world research questions as part of their academic assessments or as extra-curricular experiences.

Students benefit from this experience by understanding how their subject relates to sustainability, making a tangible positive impact on their community, developing a range of professional transferrable skills, developing a professional network and gaining impressive experience working with a local or national organisation.

For Good’s mission is driven by annual SOS-UK research showing that students in the UK see experiential learning and placements as the most relevant way to develop sustainability skills. Experiential learning is also highlighted in QAA and Advance HE’s 2021 Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) guidance as a key method for delivering ESD. ESD is a pedagogical process to equip learners with skills, competencies, and attributes to realise sustainability today and in the future.

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We have created “Education for Good Principles” to help educational institutions shape learning opportunities for students based on reflections from the For Good programme.

Mutual benefit and impact

• Experiential educational opportunities provide benefits to students, organisations as well as people and planet.
• Educational opportunities shouldn’t disproportionately benefit one stakeholder or be extractive to students or the community.

Grounded in real life challenges‍

• Experiential opportunities grounded in what is happening in the local, or global community.
• Moving away from solely theoretical, lecture-based learning to hands on experiences.
• Connecting students and educators with their civic responsibilities.

Partnership/collaboration
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• Educational opportunities that partner students with others, supporting them to learn from and through collaboration.
• All partners are supported to learn from others, and share opinions and ideas
• Understand the value of collaboration, in whatever capacity.
• Encouraging students, educators and organisations to co-create and shape learning and research environments.

Progressive
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‍• Genuine and meaningful learning for students, rather than a means to an end.
• Assessment that considers and values a range of skills and experiences.
• Encourages students, staff and organisations to think outside of the box.

Relevance to holistic sustainability

• Students should be supported to see the relevance of holistic sustainability to their discipline.
• Linking disciplines to civic responsibility.

"My highlight was seeing the impact of the research and how it will truly inform future work, both on a national and international scale, within the NUS and within international research conferences"

"I believe it’s a highly valuable opportunity for students and partners, and can have a great impact on the achievement of partner organisation’s aspirations and thus societal progression!"

“…definitely an opportunity I’m proud to discuss, I believe it showed commitment and self-motivation of interest to employers working on behalf of an organisation and coordinating most things virtually."

“It was truly wonderful to be able to support the Fairtrade Foundation and engage with my interests in the field, and my passion for this will hopefully shine through to employers into the future!”

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We are working to share case studies on students experiences of For Good opportunities on this page.

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“We have been working in the same way for a long time and needed to be challenged – it was good to have someone from outside come at it from a different direction.”

"It has been good to work with the student to refine the project to meet both our needs and to get some in depth research on an area that is a high priority for us."

"Using the research, we were able to apply successfully to the Scottish Government Community Choices fund for match funding of £40k to carry out cost of the school day initiatives in the 12 primary schools in our targeted areas."

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For more information on the legacy of For Good, please email Sonya Peres.