The Webster Center for Creativity and Innovation is dedicated to the collaborative and interdisciplinary production of knowledge aimed at addressing societal challenges through social innovation.
All our events (lectures, workshops, conferences) are free and open to the general public. In this way, the WCCI aims to contribute to raising awareness regarding the importance and role played by creativity and innovations in the life of individuals, organisations, and community, as well as offer conceptual and practical tools for fostering creativity and managing innovation processes.
Moreover, our events are used to generate ideas and best practices when it comes to a variety of collective challenges, from addressing climate change to the migration crisis and the rapid pace of digitalisation today.
Below are a few examples of projects that are oriented towards social impact and are (co)initiated by WCCI members and/or (co)hosted by the WCCI:
Future events
Photography workshops with with and for refugees on the Webster University Geneva will be co-organised by the Webster University Geneva Media Communications and Photography Department, the Webster Center for Creativity and Innovation, the Webster Humanitarian Association and UNHCR.
Details about these workshops are included here.
June 2020
A workshop on Wondering about the World was organised with students of the local Swiss school Germaine de Staël.
The workshop asks young children to work with others in order to imagine what would it be like to be born and live in a very different country and place on earth. Students are encouraged to ask themselves as many questions as possible about these new places – e.g., What languages are spoken there? What kind of views would we find? What can kind of pets would a child have? How big or small would families be and what would they do to have fun together? – questions that trigger a sense of curiosity about the world and the experience of others within it. The workshop develops the imagination and empathy of students, beyond helping them acquire and share new knowledge about geography and culture.
This workshop is part of a broader Creative Education project co-initiated by the school Germaine de Staël and the Webster Center for Creativity and Innovation.
June – July 2019
In 2019 the Meet the Artist lecture series, coordinated by Julianna Sandholm-Bark, organised in collaboration with Icelandic artist and educator Ásthildur Jónsdóttir an exhibition on environmental concerns showcasing work done by Webster University Geneva students.
A press release about this event from the local newspaper can be read here (in French).
In addition, Meet the Artist talks that directly addressed societal issue through the socially engaged art of the speakers include Marisa Cornejo, Sema Jonsson, Rodrigo Hombre Radikal Figueredo, Kristian Skeie, Gilles Dusabe, Arantxa Cedillo, Ásthildur Jónsdóttir, Noemi Niederhauser, Pierre Bessuges, Mishkat Hafiz, and Hélène Tissières. For more details see the Meet the Artist webpage on this site.
19-20th of March 2019
Open Geneva: Migration and Social Media Hackathon
Are you concerned by the spread of online misinformation about migrants and refugees? Do you want to discover how social media can help rather than harm? Would you like to be part of a team and propose innovative solutions for the above? Join us for a two day hackathon organized at Webster University Geneva as part of the Open Geneva festival where you can meet like-minded people, learn from experts, use and sharpen your research skills, win prizes, and express your creativity in addressing one of the main challenges of today’s global, interconnected world.
More details can be found here.
February 2018 – December 2019
Vlad Glaveanu became advisor board member for a creativity project initiated by the LEGO Foundation, aiming at developing a model of the creative process that can be used by educators, researchers, and policy makers to both understand and cultivate creativity. More details can be found here.
November 13th, 2018
Workshop on “Business Idea Generation and Validation” offered by Vlad Glaveanu and Edward Boon within the Global Entrepreneurship Week, organized in cooperation with the University of Geneva. More details can be found here.
October 29th, 2018
Workshops on creativity and innovation offered for faculty and staff at the professional development day at Collège du Léman. The workshops covered the following topics: “What is innovation and why does it matter?”, “Innovation out of difference”, “Teaching for creativity / Teaching creatively”, “The innovation toolkit”.
December 1st 2017
TedX Carouge – ‘Proudly Human’ – Carouge (Switzerland)
Seven Webster Media and Photography students will volunteer for the organization of the TedX Carouge event. A Webster Media students will be one of the speakers.
October 11th 2017
Festival international du film d’animation – Geneva (Switzerland)
Francesco Arese Visconti was one of the members of the jury for the International Film Festival of Animation in Geneva.
September 2017
Webster University – Bellevue (Switzerland)
The Media Communications department launched a new online platform for students to present their best work. The ‘78magazine’ electronic version will feature photographs, videos, articles realized by the students.
September 13th 2017
Spotlight Seminars – Bellevue (Switzerland)
The Spotlight Seminars are organised and hosted by the Media Communications Department and Photography Program of Webster University Geneva in partnership with the WCCI.
They provide a platform where academics and professionals can explore and debate contemporary issues in the media, communications and photography.
The first seminar’s topic was ‘Censorship and Democracy’ on the dilemma concerning censorship for the sake of democracy and its impact on the freedom of the press. Two key speakers, Ms. Hélène Sackstein (Reporters without Borders) and Dr. Silvia Angeli (PhD in Film Studies, Westminster University), sparked the discussion about this issue.