IE University is home to innovation and we strive to give our students every opportunity to realize their vision. Shannon Clancy took this cha nce to combine the university’s core pillars of entrepreneurship and innovation to drive sustainable positive impact. Together with her team, she developed a socioeconomic plan to revitalize Coca, a small town outside of Segovia.
Originally from Philadelphia, the US, Shannon is now going into the third year of her Bachelor in International Relations. She served as project manager in this endeavor, showcasing her passion and skill for working with local communities and tackling the root of the world’s inequalities.
Toward a sustainable goal
Toward a sustainable goal
Shannon headed up a multidisciplinary team of ten students from a range of years and academic programs spread across both our Segovia campus and Madrid installation. The blended lineup was chosen because of their shared interests in business development, sustainability issues and community impact.
The project gave these students a unique mission: to revitalize the town of Coca and create a feasible economic, social and cultural framework to help it realize its full potential. Located just minutes away from Segovia, the 1800-person community has a rich historical background and boasts stunning natural vistas. However, Coca is experiencing depopulation and is facing many of the same difficulties as numerous other small towns in rural Europe as a result.
Tackling such a complex task demanded a strong leader—a role Shannon excelled in. The team took an innovative entrepreneurial approach to attract more people to Coca and breath new life into the community. Through a series of workshops, field visits and hackathons, they got to hear directly from local Caucanses and discover what they wanted the project to look like.
Shannon and crew have just completed the first phase of their ambitious project. This type of project doesn’t have an overnight solution and Shannon’s team is getting stakeholders on board for the next steps.
A rewarding challenge
A rewarding challenge
The Coca project taught Shannon the benefit of community engagement. Connecting with local citizens helped the team strike the balance between old and new. And after receiving valuable insights firsthand, they went on to tailor a business plan that emphasized the townspeople’s social and emotional strengths.
She believes there is something powerful about being able to marry the ideas of many different stakeholders. At times, it was hard to visualize how the project would turn out because there were so many different ideas to consider. However, through teamwork and collaboration, they reached a common consensus—a valuable skill to practice for the real world.
For Shannon, the team’s diversity played a key role in this project’s success. Each member not only offered different perspectives on key issues but also brought complementary skills to the table. Putting classroom theories and ideas to the test also showed her that, while project-based learning is great, problem-based learning can be a more satisfying and effective approach. The team developed a renewed sense of responsibility and direction when faced with a real-life challenge.
The Coca project helped Shannon find a real sense of purpose and connected her to Spain as a whole. Committed to community impact, she hopes that the resulting framework can be recreated in other countries facing similar issues of depopulation.
