The Changemaker Academy is a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) for 3rd-year bachelor and 1st-year master students of any discipline. It combines a 30-hour online module (February-March 2027) with a one-week in-person programme in Antwerp, Belgium (5-10 April 2027). Students learn how civil society organisations (CSOs) work and design their own civic engagement project responding to an urban challenge.

Why a Changemakers' Academy?

In this BIP (Blended Intensive Programma), we aim to take you out of the classroom, and help you translate your knowledge and skills into concrete action that can bring about change! We’ll bring some inspiration from urban sustainability, but it’s up to you to choose the topics you most care about and want to work on. 

Whether you choose to work on a campaign, a creating a citizen group or a civil society organization, we’ll provide some basic knowledge on civic engagement and will bring you in contact with inspiring people and actions – the rest is up to you! You will have the opportunity to work on a project, as a group, under the guidance of teachers and people on the field.

Who is the Changemaker Academy for?

What will you learn?

At the end of this course, the students will be able to

• Understand the complexity of starting a CSO from a legal (on EU-level, local and even neighborhood level), administrative, and financial perspective.
• Identify a specific challenge in an urban context and provide evidence for its relevance, based on adequately processed and interpreted evidence
• Independently design a fitting response to the identified challenge that can be provided by a civil society organization (CSO) or civil society project
• Work in a multidisciplinary team and divide tasks and responsibilities
• Communicate about the goals of the CSO to different target audiences, e.g. laypeople, experts, policy makers, and investors.

How is the programme structured?

Part 1: Online module (February-March 2027, about 30 hours)

The online module covers the basics of civil society organisations (CSOs), such as NGOs, advocacy groups, cooperatives and social enterprises. Topics include:​

• lobbying and public awareness campaigns
• the policy cycle at European and local level
• the legal and administrative framework for setting up an NGO or non-profit organisation
• transversal skills such as communication and advocacy

The module combines:

• short online lectures and interactive workshops
• pre-recorded videos and short articles
• a small case study of the student’s choice
• intervision (peer-feedback) sessions

The total workload for the online module will be about 30 hours (or 4 hours/ week).

Part 2: In-person week in Antwerp (5-10 April 2027)

In the first week of April (5-10 April), we will gather in Antwerp for the hands-on work. During this week, you will be challenged to apply your knowledge and skills, and set up your own project that will respond to an urban challenge of your choice. The days during the mobility period will be split into inspiration and action. 

You will visit different projects or CSOs active at different levels (e.g. EU-level, city-level, neighbourhood-level) and sectors (e.g. urban green, poverty alleviation, access to public spaces, mobility, nutrition, …) to get inspired by active initiatives. In the afternoons, you will be working on their own projects, mentored by teachers and civil society actors. 

The indicative schedule of the week in Antwerp

How are students evaluated?

1. Pitch of the civic engagement project to a jury on the last day in Antwerp.
2. Implementation plan for the project.
3. Reflection report, written after the week in Antwerp.

Projects are chosen on day 1 and can take different forms: a business plan for a social non-profit enterprise, a charter for founding an NGO, or a plan for a citizen-led campaign. You will be evaluated on the creativity of their plans and the persuasiveness of their communication, as well as on their understanding of the challenges and the adequacy of their proposed solution.

How do you apply for the programme?

International students may apply through the YUFE website.