Collaborating for sustainability – Engaging audiences in dialogue and action

To tackle sustainability challenges, to influence stakeholder attitudes and behavior, and to help foster sustainable development goals, it is necessary to create long-term and value-based collaboration among diverse stakeholder groups on a human-to-human level. Stakeholder engagement and dialogue can be built up step by step through inspirational storytelling about real-life experiences and open discussion about values.

Building strategic collaboration partnerships

Haaga-Helia’s blended intensive programme (BIP) Krea Spring School – Inspirational Storytelling has focused on building strategic and value-based collaboration networks between Haaga-Helia, local service providers, and European partner universities annually since 2016. The aim of the BIP is to engage students, teachers, local entrepreneurs, and public organizations in sustainability dialogue through cross-cultural teamwork, value reflections, digital storytelling, and digital engagement.

Several Erasmus+ funded RDI projects have been integrated into the course curriculum and syllabi since 2020. Over the years, the Erasmus+ projects have focused on the research and development of collaborative autonomous learning (CORALL 2019-2022), university-industry collaboration through digital storytelling (LEARN&CHANGE 2021-2023), and sustainable leadership for building digital communities and value-based interaction aimed at fostering sustainable change (SHUTTLE 2024-2027).

The integration of these RDI projects with annual BIP collaborations have enabled participants to develop networks that go beyond the boundaries of individual projects or courses. As a result, we have managed to plan and implement strategic long-term partnerships for promoting responsible and sustainable tourism, consumption, and lifestyles.

In May 2025 an international team of teachers and students gathered at Haaga-Helia to engage in dialogue about sustainability values and to get hands-on practice in video-making and audience engagement on social media. The annual blended intensive programme (BIP) Krea Spring School culminated in a five-day video storytelling project in Helsinki.

Suomenlinna UN World Heritage Site as an inspiration for sustainable living

The Krea Spring School BIP collaborated with the Suomenlinna UNESCO World Heritage Site for the second year in a row. With its carefully thought-out policies and practices of environmental, social, cultural, architectural, and economic sustainability, Suomenlinna is an inspiring example both as a collaboration partner and as a video shooting venue for students’ sustainability storytelling projects.

The students’ digital storytelling project challenge was to engage young adult audiences in dialogue about sustainability values and to inspire the sharing of ideas and experiences of responsible tourism and sustainable lifestyles across disciplines and cultures.

The team of students and teachers held planning and feedback discussions with the Suomenlinna Governing Body, enjoyed dinner provided by the Suomenlinna Officers’ Club at the Pirunkirkko banquet hall, and experienced the traditional Finnish sauna at the premises of Bastion Bistro. The lawn by the Suomenlinna Church was ideal for playing the relaxing – albeit highly competitive – traditional Finnish throwing game Mölkky.

Sustainability storytelling that triggers reflexive thinking and action

The students worked in teams to plan, edit and publish video content along with conversation triggers to increase audience engagement and resonance. As project outputs, they published video storytelling that invited audiences to take a good reflexive look at their values and actions, nudging them to adopt a small-steps strategy of making more sustainable choices.

The students’ videos were published on the channels of Haaga-Helia’s Creative Agency Krea as YouTube videos and shorts (YouTube/@Krea83) coupled with Instagram posts and reels. The student teams succeeded well in sharing their content and engaging their audiences: during the first days after publication, the content already had more than 3 000 views, along with other forms of engagement.

The project usefully demonstrated how individuals, communities, and networks of organisations can work together to create awareness and interest in sustainable living and thus influence the thoughts and inspire the actions of wider audiences.

Picture: Haaga-Helia