Empowering the next generation of changemakers
- Florence Robson
- Aug 28
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 29
“For those looking to expand your problem-solving capacity, engage with global policy frameworks, or work across sectors and borders to produce real solutions — this program is for you. It is demanding. It is transformative. And it is real.”
Student at American University Kogod School of Business
In a rapidly changing world, the Global Business Student Changemaker (GBSC) program aims to bridge the gap between higher education and the future of sustainable business. A collaboration between the Global Business School Network (GBSN) and How to Change the World, the program is equipping the next generation of leaders with the skills, mindsets and behaviours to lead real-world change.
What is the Global Business Student Changemaker program?
The GBSC program provides students with unique experiences that go beyond the lecture hall, connecting them with peers and professionals around the world.
It’s designed to:
Catalyse international collaboration and virtual global mobility.
Contribute to sustainable development and community engagement.
Advance academic excellence and real-world problem-solving
Every selected student who participates in the program is formally recognised as a “Changemaker” (a recognition they can add to their CVs and LinkedIn).
The program consists of two core elements:
The intensive, multi-university and interdisciplinary Global Sustainability Project Bootcamp run by How to Change the World. Here, students collaborate with hundreds of peers from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds to design solutions to real-world problems, and are mentored by a network of over 200 experts and leaders from around the world.
A series of curated, highly interactive global virtual events led by GBSN. These include expert roundtables with education and business leaders like Gyöngyi Kovács, Erkko Professor in Humanitarian Logistics and Dean of Research at the Hanken School of Economics in Finland; and Mark Jarvis, former Global and Group Chief Financial Officer at EY and Visiting Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University.
A transformative learning experience
Still in its inaugural year, the program has had enthusiastic participation from leading business schools worldwide. 178 Changemakers from across 17 GBSN schools have already taken part in Global Sustainability Project Bootcamps across the spring, alongside a cohort of students from more than 35 higher education institutions across over 25 countries.
The program has also received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students:
Recommendation feedback: 8.8 /10
Where 10 = ‘extremely likely to recommend’ the experience to peers
Experience feedback: 8.6 /10
Where 10 = ‘one of their most exceptional educational experiences ever’
Learning feedback: 4.3 /5
This is the average of learners’ self-rated development during the program across 16 different mindsets and skills, where 5 = significant improvement.
As additional context: 53% of the self-rated development ratings provided by graduates across all skills were 5/5 !
Hear from the Changemakers
“It was virtual but very collaborative. You are constantly talking to teammates, meeting people from other teams, asking mentors questions. I’ve never experienced that before, nor have I heard of it in other settings.”
Chiara Cassina, student at IE University
“Being in a bootcamp of this scale I could see the boldness and humility merging in everyone involved.”
Student at Sofia University
“This bootcamp pushed me to think critically, collaborate globally, and apply design thinking to dire urban challenges.”
Student at BI Norwegian Business School
“This experience was incredibly rewarding — it sharpened my critical thinking, strengthened my collaborative skills, and deepened my understanding of how diverse perspectives can drive real-world impact… I walked away inspired and equipped with new tools to help create positive change.”
Student at American University Kogod School of Business
“How would I sum up the Bootcamp? Intense, exciting and life-changing.”
Sharon Wanyana, student at American University
Building internal capacity via the Experiential Educator Fellowship
Beyond empowering students, the GBSC program is a unique opportunity for faculty. Through the Experiential Educator Fellowship, we support our partner universities in building their capacity to deliver effective and impactful experiential learning at scale. Fellows participate in a two-part online workshop and have the option to join a "teaching team" for a Bootcamp practicum, providing a valuable professional development experience that reinforces new skills and builds long-term value for their institution.
We were thrilled to have a cohort of 28 new Experiential Educator Fellows from across 16 countries complete the initial Experiential Learning Workshop component of their Fellowship in June and July this year. Within this cohort, 17 Fellows were from GBSN member schools, based across nine countries!
Our post-workshop feedback form from this cohort of Fellows:
Recommendation feedback: 9.0 /10
Where 10 = ‘extremely likely to recommend’ the experience to peers)
Value feedback: 9.0 /10
Where 10 = ‘extremely valuable’
Available exclusively to GBSN members, the Global Business School Changemaker program is a chance to join a growing movement equipping students with the skills, mindsets and community to lead change on a global scale. To find out how your institution can get involved, reach out to Prof Jason Blackstock and/or Dr Dan LeClair.