Abstract:
Purpose – Among the various pro-sustainability strategies that universities adopt, Stellenbosch
University’s 2030 Agenda further challenges universities to provide sustainability education that enables
students to become change agents for sustainability. The Listen, Live and Learn (LLL) initiative is a cocurricular
programme developed at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, that seeks to foster social cohesion
and develop change agency among students. This study aims to understand how LLL students had
developed agency for change through their experiential learning in the programme.
Design/methodology/approach – Using a transformative sustainability learning approach, this study
examined secondary data containing qualitative and quantitative data from the 2018 LLL end-of-year survey. The
qualitative datawas analysed thematically, and the quantitative datawas analysed using counts and frequencies.
Findings – Through their participation in the programme, the students learned about their character and
opened up to engage with the ‘others’ whom they lived with in the same residence. They also reported becoming more open-minded, intentional, reflective and confident. Another personal change reported by
the students was their ability to collaborate with their housemates. The learners recommended that the
programme could be improved by providing resources for house projects, guidance with inviting house theme
experts and help with conflict resolution.
Originality/value – Through this research, the authors have demonstrated the ability of a transformative
sustainability learning programme to effect a change in the attitudes, norms and behaviours of students at a
higher educational institution towards a sustainable and just society.
