On January 26th, STAND, an organisation that “mobilises third-level students to stand up for global justice, equality and sustainability”, hosted the STAND Ideas Collective Incubator Showcase. The event celebrated students and graduates who have devoted the past eight months to “developing innovative responses to pressing social and environmental challenges”.
The showcase featured “projects addressing issues including housing affordability, food insecurity, financial justice, access to creative spaces, circular economy solutions, waste reduction and flood resilience mechanisms”, and was assessed by a judging panel including Jo Sachs-Eldrige (Social Entrepreneurs Ireland), Joseph Lanzillotta (Student Entrepreneurship Programme Manager at Dublin City University (DCU)), and Hiba Awaysa (founder and CEO of Sawaed19).
Matthew Mosse, a Physics PhD student at Trinity, won the incubator showcase, along with Zuzanna Chadzinska, a student from DCU. Their project, Dublin Student Housing Co-op “proposes a student-run co-operative housing model near university campuses to tackle Dublin’s housing crisis by reducing costs and commutes while fostering community, sustainability, and equal access to university life”.
Mosse explained the project to the University Times: “The way it works is that the non-profit co-operative owns a building, and when a student becomes a member and starts to live in it, they own the co-operative along with all the other members. When they leave they stop being a member and ownership passes to the next member. This way it is kept affordable: there is no incentive for the students to raise the rent on themselves. They get to set the rent, the rules, organise events. They get to do this because they own it!”
He mentioned that looking for funding is the crucial next step. To approach this, the team has “requested the use of some vacant properties off the city council”. Another option they are considering is “following the example of the Student Union in Queens University Belfast, who have agreed to create a student housing co-operative alongside their university and access one of the university’s properties.” In order to do so, they are “working with the SUs of Trinity and DCU to look into this option.” Furthermore, he stated, “We are also planning a few events in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU/AMLCT) and some societies that people can attend if they are interested in the idea. We have a committee and are always looking for active members to make this happen.”
Mosse also said, “We are of course delighted to receive the €1500 prize from STAND, and being recognised like this will also give us a level of credibility when working with universities, the city council etc.” He also expressed his gratitude to STAND for the support they provided and the “space and time to think through the project. Despite this, we recognise that the hard work still lies in front of us”.
The team is planning to devote the prize money “towards pretty tangible things like the cost of incorporation and surveys of properties.”
At the ceremony, Joseph Lanzilotta, praising the cohort’s “innovation, passion and commitment to social impact” stated, “it was an extremely difficult decision, as each project responded to a real need with creativity and commitment. The passion and spark behind each idea was clear, and we’re confident all of these initiatives will go on to become a reality”.
The Ideas Collective is STAND’s “social innovation bootcamp and incubator programme for students and recent graduates”. It consists of an intensive five-day design thinking bootcamp, followed by a pitch showcase. Selected participants receive seed funding and progress to a nine-month incubator, providing mentorship, peer learning, and structured support.
