This Summer School is organized by students and young adults, we are not supported by a university. Some of us have been volunteering since the start, organizing the Summer School in 2022 and 2023 and some of us have joined the team more recently after participating in 2023. Maybe you are joining the organization team next year? :)
To find out more about our team, scroll through our bios below.
Diego
(he/him)
Program / Funding / Coordination
Social Anthropology & Econ student, very much into scifi (utopian, dystopian, arthouse, b-movies), political niche debates (preferebly from an optimistic neopostfuturist-anarchamarxist ecoecon perspective), STS, gardening, cycling, spreadsheets and podcasts. cu! <3
Elaine
(she/her)
Program / Funding / Participants & Communication
Currently studying Sociology and Economics in my bachelor's at the University of Zurich. I love the first days of spring, playing pétanque with a glass of pastis in my hand, book clubs in crowded cafés, dance improvisations and endless summer evenings with friends. Our summer school helps me not to completely despair about the state of the world and to regain strength from our shared commitment to a future worth living.
Elisabeth
(she/her)
Program
International relations & economics student who also works for a labour union. Loves reading, long walks, swimming in rivers and having aperos with friends. Might be heard singing to random pop songs.
Gabor
(he/him)
Participants & Communication / Logistics
Civil engineer working as a teaching assistant and project engineer at ETH specializing in fish migration in rivers. Passionate about cycling infrastructure and loves to cycle everywhere. Looking forward to another edition of the Summer School.
Karin
(she/her)
Participants & Communication / Finance / Coordination
Economics student interested in a social and sustainable future. When I'm not at uni or work, I like to cycle, read, or babysit. Looking forward to meeting known and new faces at the summer school!
Krzysztof
(he/they)
Participants & Communication / Program
Has an education in computer science & statistics. Loves nature and reading groups. Probably spends too much time at the library. Would love to hear about your favourite book!
Max
(he/him)
Logistics
Into outdoor activites, food (system transformation), just collaps; onto something ... ; see you in August :)
Nicolas
(he/him)
Coordination
Econ-Runaway who found a home in Economic History. Interested in Inequality, Monetary Policy and the Financial system. Trying to look not too stupid playing soccer and basketball.
Tessa
(she/her)
Participants & Communication
Background in area studies, sociology, and science & technology studies. Combining jobs as researcher and social worker in a poverty organization. When I'm not working, I like to play violin (alone or with others), attend debates or lectures or stay at home and do some cross-stitching. I attended the summer school in 2023, and I'm curious to meet you this summer!
Yaksh
(he/him)
Program / Participants & Communication
Intern at the ILO and a masters student in economic policy at Sorbonne, studying socioeconomic inequality in educational access. Passionate about value theory, ecological economics and climate activism. Loves to run and bike. I love experimenting with vegetarian and vegan cooking. I solve the sudoku as a daily habit. Attended the 2023 summer school and looking forward to the 2024 edition.
Yannick
(he/him)
Logistics / Funding / Program
Trained economist living in the anthropocene. After a short detour in the private sector, I started teaching economics and law. Very much into social sciences more broadly, always keen to learn about new ideas and perspectives. I like two (or more) day hikes, looking at plants/insects in any garden, swimming in open water, going for (too) long rides on my road bike, and having apéro somewhere nice.
Zora
(she/her)
Finance / Program
Studying Economics in my bachelor's at HSG, interested in economic history and philosophy. Besides working on my thesis, I teach volleyball and am a yoga instructor (u may look forward to yoga at the SuSo!). After a long day I like to cook and listen to music from the 70s or have some wine with my friends. Really looking forward to the amazing discussions we'll have this summer :)
Camil
(he/him)
Dominik
(he/him)
Maria
(she/her)
Marlene
(she/her)
Paulius
(he/him)
Rebekka
(she/her)
In 2021, Lea and Diego (then members of the Plurale Ökonomik Zürich board) had the idea to plan a Summer School. They pitched their plan at the start-of-semester-event in September 2021 and a group of around 8 people got together to plan the first Summer School, focusing on Feminist Economics and Ecological Economics. After a year of planning, it was held end of August 2022 in Beatenberg, where around 50 participants, 8 team members and 7 speakers joined and together created an incredible experience.
As the Summer School was quickly fully booked in 2022, and Haus Amisbühl can not host more than around 80 people, we decided to look for a bigger location. We found the biggest group house in Switzerland (as far as we know) in Grand Hôtel Chandolin, that can accommodate 130 people. Focusing on Climate, Finance, and Inequality in 2023, we were happy to experience another successful Summer School.Thank you to everyone who participated so far, we’re looking forward to the third edition!
At the moment, the Summer School is a Plurale Ökonomik Zürich project, although not all team members are part of Plurale Ökonomik Zürich or another local Rethinking Economics group. Plurale Ökonomik Zürich is part of the international Rethinking Economics network and of Rethinking Economics Switzerland. To find out more about Rethinking Economics Switzerland and other local groups in Switzerland, you can visit their website. Our aim is to bring members of all Swiss Rethinking Economics groups together at this Summer School and provide a yearly meeting where we can talk about our events and projects, share ideas and plan a pluralist future together.