Our whole society is embedded in nature, but we seem to have lost contact with the vital advantages it provides. This module presents ecosystem services and how they can be a huge contributor to reconcile human needs and biodiversity considerations, and how to consider the value of what nature brings to us.

This module explores various worldviews on our relationship with the natural world, ranging from deep ecology to ecological modernisation.

Participants will learn to identify their own worldview and understand those of others. This helps to foster collaboration and productive dialogue about the role of individuals and business in developing pro-nature enterprises and projects.

Reappropriation of indigenous knowledge that made humans « custodians of the earth » is a strong step to create a peaceful environment for sustainable futures. This module intends to explore African indigenous ecology as a resource for today’s challenges.

In this module we will explore how complex adaptive systems thinking can be used to better inform our understanding of human-nature interactions and sustainable development.

We will use a practical case – food systems – to illustrate what systems thinking is as well as why it is vital to take this broader perspective when approaching pro-nature project or business development work.

This session transitions the participants into the world of entrepreneurship by starting to equip them with all the necessary entrepreneurship concepts to reflect on the design of their project or business idea.

Key concepts are therefore shared to help frame the next phase of the programme. Here we also continue with a strong focus on nature starting to make practical connections between understanding what biodiversity and ecology how it can be applied to entrepreneurial ideas for their projects and businesses.

This module aims to start equipping participants with the skills and tools to design and setup a business or project that will run well on a day-to-day basis. This includes understanding the project/business offering, customers/clients/audience, and income and expense flows.

Through case studies and other interactive learning methods participants will start to learn what project and business models and success factors are and reflect on what this means for the context they operate in. This is an ongoing refining process from now through the Business Sprint to the final pitch event.

This module will focus on brand generation, brand storytelling and cocreation of brand-related content that aligns with pro-nature messaging.

Brand generation encompasses identifying and understanding target markets, designing an identity that is congruent with values and most likely to engender customer brand identification and ‘brand love’.

Key principles of storytelling for change are identified to provide a basis for ongoing communication activities, and processes of co-creating content with stakeholders are explored.

The in-nature immersion is a learning experience that allows the participants to be in nature and connect with the natural environment.

It is also a time to start exploring storytelling - an important part of personal exploration, community building, understanding our world and importantly to communicate ideas in a project/business context.

The Business Sprint is a time-bound human-centred approach to business innovation that borrows heavily from agile, design thinking and planet-centric design to provide a systematic vehicle for innovation.

It is a four-day structured process that offers systems thinking tools that are useful for dealing with uncertainty, ambiguity and complexity of developing pro-nature products, services, and systems that serve society, the environment and helps to establish and deliver value.

A key challenge of entrepreneurship is that being an innovator or a founder of a transformative idea, does not automatically make one a transformative leader. Entrepreneurship and leadership, while inter-related, are not necessarily the same thing.

This part of the programme will empower participants with three key skills and mindsets for effective leadership: being a leader, building a team and leading change. The module explores how one transitions into leadership from both a mindset and behavioural perspective and what key shifts are necessary in this transition.

The module covers information on the various sources and platforms of funding available for pronature businesses. It also covers what is required to source and access appropriate funding in the sector.

In addition, it aims to help participants see opportunities for collaborative partnerships that could further unlock funding opportunities.

This module helps to get participants ready for the final pitch event, providing a platform for them to put into practise all the knowledge they have gained throughout the programme.

This module equips participants with pulling everything they have learnt together into a clear business or project pitch resulting in proposal and pitch.

It therefore includes presenting a financial forecast, a compelling value proposition and the context of the idea or concept presented resulting in a clear understanding to the potential funder and person that must approve the budget/investment.