Two University of Westminster students’ projects that evaluate the sustainability of Cape Town and Istanbul have won joint second place in the Alternative Media category for Principles for Responsible Managements Education’s (PRME) Responsible Business and Management Student Writing Competition 2023/24.
In its eighth year, the competition saw 104 entries from 20 institutions submit work to the variety of categories on offer, including Undergraduate Essay, Postgraduate Essay and Alternative Media.
To take home second place both students submitted a poster they created as part of Westminster’s Sustainable City Economies (SCE) module assessment. The project tasked them to explore the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and use this information to analyse two sustainability issues that negatively impact a city’s sustainability performance, raising awareness of these problems and their causes.
The two winners explored two different cities. Drilena Ukperaj, Business Management BA Honours student, focused on Istanbul, while Business exchange student from Australia, Jasmin Lubbers, explored Cape Town.
The Sustainable City Economies module was developed in the 2021/22 academic year for second-year students studying at the Westminster Business School, and over the last three years it has seen more than 320 students take part. The module aims to provide students with the theoretical and practical knowledge regarding sustainable cities. During the module students develop a critical understanding of SDGs and their importance. Students also critically reflect upon the role of stakeholders and their own role as citizens regarding socio-economic and environmental issues.
About the achievement, Drilena Ukperaj wrote on LinkedIn: “I feel very proud and grateful to have received the second award in the category of alternative media and share it with Jasmin Lubbers in the posters we created for the module of sustainable cities last semester. Moreover, I couldn’t be more happy to represent my university the University of Westminster, Peter Bonfield and showcase our work in a such honourable manner in this student writing competition 2023/2024.”
Dr Gustavo Espinoza-Ramos, Co-leader for the Sustainable City Economies module, said: "We are very proud of all our Sustainable City Economies students who participated in the PRME Chapter UK and Ireland - Responsible Business and Management Student Writing Competition 2023/24, especially to Drilena and Jasmin. This demonstrates the importance of authentic assessment to demonstrate students' knowledge according to their learning preferences, analyse the causes and find solutions to sustainability issues and as a mechanism to show employability skills."
The students’ achievement, along with work and opportunities available as part of the Sustainable City Economies module, directly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
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