Students bring sustainability and social justice into focus at Threads of Change

Organised by master's students from the Department of Environmental Science at Stockholm University, Threads of Change was held on 15 and 21 April with support from Stockholm Trio for Sustainable Actions (STSA).

Across two evenings, participants explored sustainability and social justice through lectures, panel discussions, poster presentations and networking opportunities. The event created a space where students from different disciplines and institutions could meet, exchange ideas and engage with researchers and organisations working to address some of today's most pressing societal challenges.

"We wanted to create a space where students from different backgrounds could come together to discuss sustainability challenges, learn from one another and explore ways to turn knowledge into action," says Niccolò Mattiotti, a Master’s student in Environmental Toxicology and one of the student organisers.

According to Mattiotti, creating opportunities for students to connect across institutions is becoming increasingly important as sustainability challenges grow more complex:

"A university is made up of a collection of people who each have a unique set of qualities and expertise. Historically, this has led them to work in silos, focusing on deepening their understanding of one field to maximise discovery of new knowledge. However, when confronted with complex and overlapping societal issues, like climate change, biodiversity loss and chemical pollution, we need interdisciplinary collaborations to rise to the challenge."

Global governance in focus

The first session on global governance examined how international cooperation, scientific knowledge and public policy can contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future.
Participants heard from leading researchers working across environmental science, public health, resilience and climate action, including Marlene Ågerstrand from Stockholm University, Tobias Alfvén from Karolinska Institutet, Garry Peterson from Stockholm Resilience Centre and Hannah Ziemons from KTH Climate Action Centre. Together, they explored the opportunities and challenges of addressing global sustainability issues in an increasingly interconnected world.

The evening also featured a poster exhibition where doctoral students presented their ongoing research and discussed their work with attendees. Four prizes were awarded for outstanding poster presentations, including awards selected by both a jury and the audience.

From ideas to action

While the first session focused on global perspectives, the second, on local engagement, turned attention to the role of communities, organisations and individuals in driving change.
It brought together twelve organisations working with sustainability, environmental advocacy and social justice. Participants had the opportunity to meet representatives, learn about ongoing initiatives and discover ways to get involved in issues they care about.

The programme featured talks by Raya da Silva from Plant-Based Universities, Erik Ahlström, founder of Plogga, Markus Olsson from Hands2Ocean and Stockholm University, and Petter Kallioinen from Stockholm University and Extinction Rebellion. Drawing on experiences from activism, research and community initiatives, the speakers highlighted how local action can contribute to broader societal transformation.

Building connections across disciplines

More than 250 registrations were recorded across the two sessions, reflecting a strong interest in sustainability issues among students from Stockholm University, KTH, Karolinska Institutet and several international institutions.

By bringing together students, researchers and civil society organisations, Threads of Change demonstrated the value of interdisciplinary dialogue and student-led initiatives. Beyond sharing knowledge, the event created opportunities to build networks, exchange perspectives and explore pathways for future engagement.

For the organisers, one of the biggest lessons came from behind the scenes.

"What surprised us the most is the number of people needed behind the scenes to make an event like this come together. Besides our own team of students, we needed support from administrators, security personnel and cooks. Planning all this felt daunting. But the amount of help and support we received made us persevere."

"We learned by doing, everyone embraced it and wanted to be part of it. In the end all pieces of the puzzle came into place, and we were all very happy with the outcome," says Mattiotti.