For the second time, students and researchers from the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) participated in a two-week Winter School as part of the NORPART SEEDs project together with students from Guatemala.
Hosted by Universidad de Ibagué in Colombia, the program brought together 16 students from four universities to collaborate on sustainable tourism initiatives with local communities and businesses.
Immersive Learning and Local Engagement
After completing an eight-week virtual course, students traveled to Colombia to engage directly with local realities.
The itinerary included visits to Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá, Universidad de Ibagué in Tolima, and rural communities such as Villa Restrepo and Icononzo. Activities ranged from design thinking workshops to social hackathons, all focused on community-led innovation and sustainable destination development.
Three Key Milestones
- Understanding Sustainability Models: Students explored Universidad de Ibagué’s unique approach to sustainability, emphasizing community participation and regional governance.
- Social Hackathon in Villa Restrepo: Using participatory methods, students worked alongside community initiatives to strengthen capacity for sustainable tourism.
- Entrepreneurship in Icononzo: Students collaborated with local businesses to develop prototypes addressing real-world challenges in tourism and sustainability.
Beyond Academic Output
The Winter School offered more than research opportunities. It fostered intercultural and interdisciplinary learning. Students highlighted the value of working across cultures and disciplines, gaining insights that will shape their future careers.
- "Learning about how people live here, how businesses work, and really engaging with them, not just being a tourist or reading about it, was absolutely vital if you’re going to work in a global world with sustainability." – Amund
- "You get to indulge in the communities and really experience how their daily life is. And of course, you create strong bonds with people from other countries. I absolutely love that." – Kjersti
- "It has been an amazing journey. We’ve connected across countries, experienced culture, and visited places we would never have seen as tourists." – Linda
