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Urban Changemakers

Urban Changemakers

Leading the way to sustainable cities and communities

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Key information

Who's it for?

University Academic and Professional Staff

Format

Experiential and blended

Duration

4 weeks

Location

Within your University's city or region

Accreditation

Micro-Credential on completion of programme

Delivery Options

  • Exclusive Cohort - For one university, up to 30 participants
  • Consortium of 2 Universities - Up to 15 participants per institution
  • Consortium of 3 Universities - Up to 10 participants per institution
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Empowering the People Who Shape Our Cities

By 2050, nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas—intensifying pressure on infrastructure, systems, and resources. The future of our cities depends not only on bold policies or technologies, but on the people and institutions working together to reimagine civic life.

Urban Changemakers is a bold response to this challenge—designed for universities that are ready to lead.

With deep roots in local communities and strong global connections, universities are positioned to drive meaningful, place-based change.

Why Now? Why Universities?

As civic institutions, universities are uniquely placed to shape the resilience and wellbeing of the places they call home. With deep roots in local communities and strong global connections, they are positioned to drive meaningful, place-based change.

But to do this, they need more than strategy—they need changemakers: people who can build partnerships across sectors, act on local priorities, and turn ideas into action.

The Initiative

What is Urban Changemakers?

Urban Changemakers is a strategic initiative for universities committed to embedding sustainability and civic responsibility at the heart of their mission. It is an opportunity to engage, equip and empower academic and professional staff in turning institutional ambition into place-based, measurable action - strengthening the resilience and sustainability of the cities they serve.

We work with each university to identify a civic or UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities challenge to explore - making the experience directly relevant and strategic. Participants are equipped to view civic engagement and urban development through the lens of diverse stakeholders, ensuring the solutions they co-create are inclusive, practical, and locally impactful.

Through a dynamic learning experience, they build interdisciplinary networks and gain the insight, tools, and leadership capabilities to drive transformation through collaboration, innovation, and community-centred practice. In doing so, they turn intent into impact - strengthening their university’s role in shaping thriving local ecosystems.

Who is it for

Urban Changemakers is designed for interdisciplinary groups of University Academic and Professional staff, including those leading or contributing to:

  • Civic and global engagement strategies
  • Urban innovation and sustainability initiatives
  • Place-based research and teaching
  • Community partnerships and institutional strategy

What you'll gain

Strengthen understanding of sustainable urban systems and how universities can lead within them

Engage directly with the local community to explore challenges and opportunities

Build the skills to collaborate across disciplines and sectors

Design an individual or institutional action plan tailored to local priorities

Earn a digital Urban Changemaker micro-credential

The Learning Experience

Urban Changemakers blends online learning, real-time collaboration, and hands-on urban immersion to help university teams act on civic and sustainability goals.

1
Learning Modules

Self-paced and live sessions introducing systems thinking, global-to-local impact, innovation mindsets, and stakeholder engagement.

2
Urban Exploration Lab (1 Day)

In-person, facilitated immersions in your city—visiting local organizations and engaging with real-world urban challenges.

3
Urban Create Lab (½ Day)

Collaborative ideation session—co-creating practical solutions and presenting back to stakeholders.

4
Final Action Plan & Reflection

Participants develop an individual and institutional impact plan, supported by a reflective essay on what it takes to be an urban changemaker.

Why RMIT and Common Purpose?

With a shared commitment to civic leadership, RMIT Europe and Common Purpose bring:

Why RMIT Europe?

  1. Expertise in sustainable urban challenges - Deep expertise in designing learning and development programs while addressing social urban challenges, such as sustainability.
  2. Global academic recognition - Top 1% of universities globally in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, and among the world’s Top 100 for Graduate Employment Rate.
  3. Leaders in short-form learning - 61 credentials make RMIT a leader in micro-credentials and short-form learning in Australia.
  4. Innovation in education delivery - Offers 450+ internationally recognised qualifications, including 193 short courses and 347 single courses.

Why Common Purpose?

  1. Proven track record in education sector - Over 8,000 professional and academic alumni from the education sector, and 40,000+ student alumni from universities globally.
  2. Experienced collaborators - Work with over 20,000 organizations and more than 100 universities each year.
  3. Decades of learning design expertise - Over 4,000 programmes designed and developed across 35 years, with excellence in business development and convening diverse audiences.

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Let’s Build the Future of Cities—Together

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