Ocean Academy - Fashion and Business Studies

Design and Arts Hub APS (

Non-governmental organization (NGO)

)

#SDGAction57017

Description

The Ocean Academy - Fashion and Business Studies is a program that has the goal to educate students in the African Diaspora and based in Africa on important topics such as fashion and business, from basics to advanced courses, as they can impact the economy and social development of entire countries. The final goal is to give the students the necessary tools to gain new skills and knowledge to navigate an industry that is strategic for the development of the African continent and its communities. By doing so, we aim to reduce the gap between the north and south of the world, making African designers and entrepreneurs more competitive and capable to participate in a global scale and to structured a strong regional market.

Due to the fact that there are not enough credited fashion schools in Africa with a global vision, and that not every student is able to afford to attend a private university, it is necessary to move from physical schools to online schools, by removing structural and geographic barriers, and making studies more equable and democratic. At the Ocean Academy we believe that the access to basic education in the fashion industry has to be fair: the modules will be published online and will be accessible from a mobile device in every country equipped with an internet connection.

Implementation of the Project/Activity

The courses will be available in two ways:

Online live lectures
Recorded lectures accessible via the website, this however will only be available for registered students

The managerial body consists of:

A board of professionals based in Africa and Europe (Italy) selected to design the modules based on the need of the African market. They will also be picking the topics, length of the course, the certifications to release, the methodology to evaluate the students and the final evaluation of the students. These professionals are university professors focused on fashion, as well as and sustainability consultants with a focus on the fashion sector.
A growing and divers network of international teachers chosen by the board. The teachers will share their expertise and supporting the students with their diverse academic and professional background.
A network of mentors available for the highest performing students, that give advice on building their business model and plan.

Events:

Local events in Africa, annual or semi-annual, in collaboration with high schools or universities to promote the mentorship programs and the masterclasses in fashion, business and sustainability, with UNESCO technical partnership.
Local events in Africa, yearly or semi-annual, organized in the context of the national fashion weeks in order to meet talents, the community and showcase our programs.

Benchmarking:

Internal benchmarking: compare our program with the performance of previous years. This type of comparison is useful to know the performance status of the courses to see if it is improving and developing, or if it developing steadily or developing in a negative manner.
External Benchmark: compare the programs performance with similar programs by other organization in the countries we operate in.
Strategic Benchmarking: examine successful strategies that have led to competitive advantage and academic success, analyzing areas of strength and weakness, prioritizing areas of improvement and identifying new ideas that contribute to building a successful strategy.

Standards/Benchmarks:

Leadership and management (institutional vision and leadership, strategy development, financial management and resource mobilization)
Teaching and learning infrastructure and resources
Development and implementation of online programs/courses
Learner assessment and evaluation
Learner support and progression
Professional development and support for teachers and staff

Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer

Capacity building and technology transfer will be implemented through the creation of basic educational material regarding the fashion industry, through videos, audios and pdf presentations, photography archive online, exercises. The students will also be introduced to professionals and experts living abroad from the diaspora and from other cultures in order to give them access to broader knowledge. They will be exposed not only to the fashion industries local and regional dynamics but additionally they will receive data, to analyze international business cases, receive inputs coming from the global industry outside their region, have the opportunity to participate in international and comparative studies. At the center stage there wont only cultural topics but also technical, business and financial aspects in order to prepare future entrepreneurs and equip them with the tools to be able to give life to their companies, and eventually boost the economy of their towns and countries.

Coordination mechanisms

Design and Arts Hub coordinates the organization of the program:

Recording of lessons and uploading of content to the website
Selection of international teachers from different fields of studies (anthropology, fashion product development, 3D design, textile experts, sustainability and climate change experts, fashion designers, finance and fashion business)
Coordination of two products: Live online lectures, recorded lectures
Launch and supervision of online and offline social media campaigns to promote the courses, connecting with students around the African continent
Extending the current international network of professionals in the fashion and design industries, and giving students the opportunity to have one on one sessions with mentors, including Q&A sessions, online group meetings and discussions, as well as offering internships to the students when such are available.

Evaluation

Focusing on highly specialized education to give the opportunity to more Africans to benefit of high quality training and become the entrepreneurs of the future.
Educating the designers as business entrepreneurs and/or product technicians and experts so they will be ready to receive consultancy and implement the strategies to enter the western market or to be more competitive in the African Market.
Reaching the highest number possible of students, offering an online program, the students won’t be limited or influenced by political, infrastructural, geographical, bureaucratic barriers.
Language barriers can eventually be resolved with AI and sophisticated translations tools
Building professional bridges between Africa and Europe
Introducing and reinforcing an education on sustainability, recycling and up-cycling, 3D design and the use of digital tools to keep the students informed on the impact of the fashion industry on our environment, teaching them how to build conscious businesses and train sustainable consultants for existing fashion companies.

Partners

UNESCO Nigeria

SDGS & Targets

Goal 4

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

4.1

By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes

4.1.1

Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex

4.1.2

Completion rate (primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education)

4.2

By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education

4.2.1

Proportion of children aged 24–59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex

4.2.2

Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex

4.3

By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

4.3.1

Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex

4.4

By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

4.4.1

Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill

4.5

By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations

4.5.1

Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated

4.6

By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy

4.6.1

Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex

4.7

By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

4.7.1

Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education and (d) student assessment

4.a

Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

4.a.1

Proportion of schools offering basic services, by type of service

4.b

By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries

4.b.1

Volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study

4.c

By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States

4.c.1

Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level

Goal 5

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

5.1

End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

5.1.1

Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex

5.2

Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation

5.2.1

Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age

5.2.2

Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence

5.3

Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation

5.3.1

Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18

5.3.2

Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age

5.4

Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

5.4.1

Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location

5.5

Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

5.5.1

Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments

5.5.2

Proportion of women in managerial positions

5.6

Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

5.6.1

Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care

5.6.2

Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education

5.a

Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

5.a.1

(a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure

5.a.2

Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control

5.b

Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

5.b.1

Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex

5.c

Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

5.c.1

Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment

Goal 12

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

12.1

Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries

12.1.1

Number of countries developing, adopting or implementing policy instruments aimed at supporting the shift to sustainable consumption and production

12.2

By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources

12.2.1

Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP

12.2.2

Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP

12.3

By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses

12.3.1

(a) Food loss index and (b) food waste index

12.4

By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment

12.4.1

Number of parties to international multilateral environmental agreements on hazardous waste, and other chemicals that meet their commitments and obligations in transmitting information as required by each relevant agreement

12.4.2

(a) Hazardous waste generated per capita; and (b) proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment

12.5

By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

12.5.1

National recycling rate, tons of material recycled

12.6

Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle

12.6.1

Number of companies publishing sustainability reports

12.7

Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

12.7.1

Number of countries implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans

12.8

By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature

12.8.1

12.a

Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production

12.a.1

Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)

12.b

Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

12.b.1

Implementation of standard accounting tools to monitor the economic and environmental aspects of tourism sustainability

12.c

Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities

12.c.1

Amount of fossil-fuel subsidies (production and consumption) per unit of GDP

SDG 14 targets covered

Name	Description

Deliverables & Timeline

27 December, 2028

Social Media Campaigns to create awareness and reach the highest number of views and engagement regarding the educational program

27 December, 2028

Finding new partners and sponsor to release scholarships or/and internships programs for a selected group of students

30 December, 2028

Finding new partners and sponsors to support the effort to generate more awareness and engagement globally but specifically in Africa

30 December, 2035

Continuous Student Registration to the educational programs

Resources mobilized

Staff / Technical expertise

Involving Fashion experts and professors already teaching in Private Universities and Institutions

Financing (in USD)

Private donations and scholarships released from potential partners

Other, please specify

University credits released by Multiversity (to confirm)