category_news
Summer school a success
Accompanied by the calls of the tawny owl, a group of PhD researchers spent two days and nights immersed in the forest. This was the start of the Summer School on Human-Nature Relationships for Transformative Change.
Held from 23–27 September, this was the second edition of the WUR summer school for PhDs, organised by the Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group (FNP) together with the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the University of Nottingham. It brought together PhD students from various countries and disciplines to explore theories and practices of how humans relate to nature, and how to use these insights for transformative change and in research towards future sustainability.
The first two days took place in a forest camp site, where participants engaged in embodied practices that moved beyond traditional academic approaches. Activities such as spoon carving, making fire without modern tools, and setting up shelters sparked rich conversations. Sessions on grief and hope, and sensory exercises of nature connectedness, provided experiential and emotional insights into participants’ relationship with nature. The practices in the forest evoked a different way of knowing and challenged the idea that research must always be objective and detached. Transformative change requires not just cognitive understanding, but a deeper emotional and relational shift. The summer school has aimed to contribute to this shift.
While the fresh air at night – a bit too fresh for some – marked the turn from summer to autumn, the sunshine provided relief the next morning. Sharing experiences of cold nights and listening to the calls of the tawny owl proved to be a great bonding experience.
Back on campus, the programme shifted to lectures and discussions, connecting experience with theory. The sessions focused on the diversity of values and knowledge systems that emerge from people’s interactions with natural places, and explored the role of human-nature relationships in facilitating collective change. Lecturers included prof. dr. Maria Tengö and dr. Chris Ives, alongside dr. Arjen Buijs and dr. Koen Arts from FNP.
Through its variety of activities, the summer school offered more than just academic enrichment: it provided a space for connection and reflection and fueled the motivation and inspiration that is at the heart of scientists’ work and research. Participants of last year’s edition have formed an active network, in which they continue to share ideas and experiences. The network will grow after this edition, and hopefully continue to do so over the coming years. – by Jelte Vredenbregt