Moral Ambition Circles

What is moral ambition? How does it translate into an impactful job? Discover this and much more together with other like-minded students.

Exploring together how you can contribute

A Moral Ambition Circle is a small group of students
who reflect, plan, and challenge each other to sharpen their ambitions. Not a soft discussion group, but a journey full of
insights, conversations, and tools that help you make conscious, impactful choices for the future.

You receive support from an accountability buddy, discover new perspectives, and conclude the program with a personal pledge: a promise to yourself about the direction you consciously want to take from now on.

Session 1

You will meet your group members and discuss the practical aspects of the program. You will also receive an introduction to Moral Ambition.

Session 2

You examine a number of frameworks to set you on the path to impact. You choose a problem to focus on for the rest of the sessions. You see that you can have an impact in many different ways.

Session 3

We dive deeper into the problem you chose in the previous session. You also examine possible solutions and look for your personal contribution to solving the problem.

Session 4

In this session, everything you have learned so far comes together. You create a Theory of Change: a line of reasoning that states exactly what you are going to do and why.

Session 5

You translate your Theory of Change into a concrete experiment: a first, feasible step that you can take this semester. We also take the time to discuss your experiences and feelings so far.

Session 6

In the final session, we reflect on the past semester and discuss how we will continue on our path. You will leave with a concrete action plan and an extensive network of fellow impact-driven students.

Practicalities

A Moral Ambition Circle comprises 6 workshops spread throughout the semester.
When you register, you choose which semester you would like to participate in.
A circle consists of 6 to 8 ambitious students from different disciplines.
The workshops take place in the evening on a weekday. You decide which day with your group.
You are expected to attend all workshops. Catching up on a missed session is difficult.
You can view a circle as a 1-credit course: one workshop, including preparation, takes approximately 4 hours.
We recommend having dinner with your group; this saves time and allows you to catch up with your circlemates before starting the workshop.
To prepare for the workshops, read the book Moral Ambition by Rutger Bregman.

After the circle

Your experiment

At the end of the circle, you have a well-developed experiment and clear next steps. You take the frameworks, the lessons, the knowledge, and the network with you, and can use this to build towards a career with impact.

Even if you notice that your experiment went differently than expected, you can use the learned frameworks to get started yourself and try a different path.

Your circle

Throughout the sessions, you have bonded well with the people in your circle. Even after the sessions, people stay in touch, for career activities as well as movie nights and other relaxing events.

The wider community

During your circle and at other AMIS activities, you will come into contact with (former) members of other circles. We also guide you towards the broader Moral Ambition community at home and abroad.

It’s not what you think is right that counts, but what you’re prepared to do about it.

Rutger Bregman in Moral Ambition

Faq

I can't join all sessions, is that a problem?

You will plan the sessions together with your circlemates. We strongly recommend to attend all sessions, as they are not made to revise on your own.

Can I start a circle with just my friends?

Absolutely! You will find a field for supplemental information in the sign-up form. Mention that you will find circlemates yourself. The team will contact you with further information.

Who else will be in my circle

Your circlemates are all students from Leuven. To discuss all perspectives on an impactful career, we will match you with student from other faculties, too. Unless you've signed up with your friends, the matching process is entirely random.

What do I do after a circle?

At the end of your circle, you’ll make a promise — a pledge — to take concrete steps toward your impactful career within the next 6 months. Together with your accountability buddy, you’ll start turning your plan into reality. We’ll also connect you with Morele Ambitie Vlaanderen and The School for Moral Ambition. In addition, you’re warmly invited to our alumni events: every semester, we host a gathering for all circle participants, where alumni are always welcome. As an alumnus, you’ll also have access to all talks, conferences, and other events.

Moral Ambition Circles​