Yunus Center AIT

Workshop conducted by Yunus Center AIT

12 September 2025 at AITCC room -RBB

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“Keys to Success” A Circular Economy & Systems Thinking Workshop

Overview

“Keys to Success” is a 60-minute interactive workshop designed to engage university students in systems thinking through the lens of circular economy and waste management. Using participatory methods, it invites students to emotionally connect with waste issues, unpack the complex systems driving them, and co-create strategic insights for change.

Rather than focusing on technical solutions, the session encourages reflection, mapping, and peer collaboration to uncover leverage points within systems of production, consumption, and governance.

Workshop Objectives

• Raise awareness of the interconnected causes of waste mismanagement.
• Practice systems thinking through hands-on mapping and categorization.
• Identify key leverage points for intervention across sectors.
• Generate shared insights and a collective “If… then…” systems statement.

Key Activities

1. Grounding Meditation (5 min)
   Participants begin with a guided mindfulness exercise to emotionally connect and envision a personal location they love covered in waste.

    

2. Waste Theme Review (10 min)
   A brief case study or visual story on one waste issue (e.g., ocean plastics, fast fashion, e-waste) sets the scene.

    

3. Cause Mapping (10 min)
   Participants reflect individually and write down perceived causes, actors, and impacts related to the selected issue.

    

4. Sector Categorization (5 min)
   Contributions are sorted into sectors: Government, Private Sector, Civil Society, NGOs, Academia.

    

5. Systems Mapping (10 min)
   Using visual connections (arrows, strings, drawings), participants map relationships between causes, sectors, and outcomes.

    

6. Leverage Point Voting & “If… then…” Statement (15 min)
   Participants identify and vote on key leverage points, then co-create a strategic “If… then…” change statement.

    

7. Closing Circle (5 min)
   Short reflection where participants share one insight or action they’ll take forward.

This 120-minute interactive workshop uses the live context of the INC-5.2 global plastics treaty negotiations to engage participants in systems thinking around circular economy and waste management. Participants will step into the shoes of diverse treaty stakeholders — from governments to industry, NGOs, scientists, and waste workers — to explore the complexity of aligning global priorities for plastics reduction.

Through guided visualizations, rapid ideation, stakeholder mapping, and cross-pollination exercises, participants will:

• Emotionally connect to the plastics crisis.

   

• Unpack the systems of production, consumption, and governance that drive it.

   

• Experience the trade-offs, conflicts, and synergies of multi-sector negotiations.

   

Rather than prescribing technical fixes, the workshop emphasizes reflection, mapping, and collaborative strategy to identify leverage points that can shift entire systems. The process mirrors real-world treaty dynamics, helping participants understand both the opportunities and constraints of global policy change.

Key Activities

Got it — here’s the step-by-step flow of the workshop, now framed around the INC-5.2 plastics treaty scenario.
This gives you a clear chronological sequence so you can run it or hand it to co-facilitator

10:00 –10:10 | Welcome & Treaty Context

Purpose: Ground participants in a live, global issue.

1. Facilitator intro – Purpose, outcomes, and “we’re stepping into the shoes of treaty stakeholders.”

    

2. Image & stat burst – Plastics in oceans, recycling workers, treaty negotiation photos.

    

3. Treaty snapshot – Quick slide: What INC-5.2 is, where it fits, what’s at stake.

    

4. Systems thinking intro – Show a simple loop diagram; explain interconnectedness.

    

10:10 – 10:20 | Icebreaker — “Strangest Plastic Story”

Purpose: Warm up creativity & connection.

• In pairs: Share the strangest or most impactful plastic waste situation you’ve seen.

   

• Optional props: actual plastic waste items for tactile engagement.

   

• 3–4 pairs share with the whole room.

   

10:20 – 10:25 | Guided Visualization — “Life of a Plastic Item”

Purpose: Build empathy for the problem.

• Close eyes, imagine buying a plastic item → use → disposal → ocean/landfill → future system where it’s eliminated or reused.

   

• 1–2 people share what they imagined.

   

10:25 – 10:35 | Challenge Idea Dump

Purpose: Surface all the plastics treaty–related challenges.

• In groups, write as many plastic-related challenges as possible on sticky notes (1 per note, no judging).

   

• Encourage referencing treaty issues: production caps, recycling limits, microplastics.

   

10:35 – 10:45 | Cluster Challenges

Purpose: Find patterns in the problems.

• Group similar stickies together.

   

• Name each cluster.

   

• Spot links between clusters.

   

10:45 – 10:55 | Select 1 Core Challenge

Purpose: Focus work for the rest of the session.

• Groups pick the most systemic treaty-related challenge.

   

• Write it in large text on a card and stick it to the Challenge Wall.

   

10:55 – 11:05 | Stakeholder Sector Mapping

Purpose: Show how multiple actors shape the problem.

• Replace generic sectors with treaty stakeholders:

   

  1. National Governments (North/South)

      

  2. Petrochemical Industry

      

  3. Consumer Goods Companies

      

  4. NGOs & Civil Society

      

  5. Scientists/Technical Experts

      

  6. Waste Workers & Informal Sector

      

  7. Media & Public Opinion

      

  8. UN & Multilateral Bodies

      

• Map: Who influences? Who’s impacted? What levers exist?

   

11:05 – 11:25 | Cross-Pollination Carousel

Purpose: Infuse cross-sector perspectives.

• Assign each group a stakeholder role and keep them in character.

   

• Visitors rotate to other tables, adding insights from their “stakeholder” viewpoint.

   

• Rotate 2–3 times (5–6 min per rotation).

   

11:25 – 11:45 | Collaborative Solution Design

Purpose: Create treaty-relevant multi-sector solutions.

• Please return to your home groups to review the new insights.

   

• Draft a Key Solution Statement:
  “If we activate [stakeholders] to [action], then [impact] will happen.”

   

• Ensure at least 3 stakeholders are engaged in the idea.

   

• Add visuals or simple diagrams.

   

11:45 – 11:55 | Rapid Presentations

Purpose: Share & inspire.

• 2 min per group to pitch solution (in character if desired).

   

• OPTIONAL: People’s Choice vote.

   

11:55 – 12:00 | Closing & Call to Action

Purpose: Link back to reality & commitment.

• Recap key systemic themes.

   

• Share 1–2 real INC-5.2 proposals under negotiation.

   

• Participants write one action or pledge on sticky notes → place on Future Wall.

   

• Thank group & encourage following INC-5.2 news.

   

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will:

• Understand waste not just as a symptom but as a systemic issue involving multiple actors and drivers.
• Be able to visually map and analyze complex environmental problems.
• Recognize the role of policy, markets, behavior, and communication in circular economy solutions.

Walk away with an actionable insight, framed through a systems lens.