RRU welcomes Map the System challenge

As environmental and social challenges loom large, innovative ideas and empowered leaders have never been more important. So, when the opportunity to join the Map the System challenge came up, Royal Roads University faculty and students brought their problem-solving enthusiasm to work with competitors around the world,

Map the System is a global competition of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, delivered in partnership with educational institutions around the world. The challenge empowers students and educators to come up with creative solutions to some of the most pressing global issues. During the competition, students embarked on a research journey and presented their results to a panel of judges.

To participate in the challenge, RRU provided a panel of esteemed judges tasked with selecting the winning team from the school. The winners were given the chance to advance to the Map the System Canada Finals Week, with the national winners receiving the chance to compete in the global final event in Oxford, UK. 

The winning RRU team — comprised of Jofri Issac and Katherine Matos from the Master of Arts in Environment and Management program, and Alejandra Chacon Gallardo from the Master of Arts in Global Leadership program — presented groundbreaking research, titled Regenerative Agriculture & Gender Equity in Mexico: Synergies and Dynamics.

Issac, Matos and Chacon Gallardo chose to explore the connection between regenerative agriculture and gender equality — an approach aimed at fostering social and sustainable transformation in Mexico. While their research focused on Mexico, the team noted it could have global implications. 

“System thinking allowed us to see the correlations between major challenges, such as climate change and gender inequity,” says Matos. “Even though the analysis was focused on Mexico, you can take this approach and apply it to other South American countries. There is potential to reach intervention points that can effectively change the system behaviour and have positive impacts that go beyond the countries’ boundaries.” 

The team's multidimensional perspective provided an enriching learning experience and gave them an added edge. Issac hails from India, Matos from Peru and Chacon Gallardo from Mexico. The team now aspires to expand their research in new directions, building on the foundation they established during the competition.

"The learning process of system map(ping) is never-ending,” says Chacon Gallardo. “It shows you how to connect different aspects of reality and understand the dynamics of complex systems to build solutions. You may start seeing isolated problems, then you can see connections, synergies, entry points, potential transformational opportunities, and specific solutions.” 

Through initiatives like Map the System, Royal Roads students are cultivating a community of individuals who possess the skills, knowledge and determination to shape a better world. 

“The submissions by these conscientious, big-thinking learners gave me hope for the future,” says Geo Takach, an RRU professor and one of three judges who reviewed projects for the RRU Map the System challenge. 

Takach also underscored the complexity of the societal issues they tackled and the thoughtfulness and creativity evident in their proposed solutions.

The Royal Roads team went on to compete in the Canadian Map the System finals week and did not advance to the global finals but will continue to promote their important research. 

Interested in learning more about our Master of Arts in Global Leadership or Master of Arts in Environment and Management programs? Visit the program pages or request more information.