As the autumn semester ends and the new semester begins, I finally find time to reflect. In 2025, a series of initiatives centred on regenerative futures, participatory learning, and sustainability competence development have been shared. Early in the year, heart-holders reflected on how Indigenous knowledge, culture, and relationships to place inform regenerative futures, offering personal insights into the role of land‑based understandings in sustainability work. We also highlighted community‑building activities such as an online Student Narratives Workshop, where students, researchers, and members of the Impact Network explored the role of personal storytelling in sustainability education. Members showcased co‑creation efforts between students and teachers, emphasizing how collaborative seed projects help shape sustainability learning across institutions.
Complementing these initiatives, engineering students at Umeå University demonstrated the use of mindset mapping tools to cultivate sustainability competencies and reflective practices. The IN4RF event, Resonance–Reshaping Regenerative Futures, held in May 2025 at Acadia University, highlighted its focus on collective learning and regenerative thinking. Later in the year, members also shared insights from the IBE‑ReGloMi Final Conference in Maastricht, where global approaches to responsible and regenerative learning featured prominently. Overall, 2025 revealed to be a year marked by active collaboration, cross‑regional engagement, and a strong emphasis on integrating Indigenous frameworks, reflective tools, and co‑creative pedagogies to advance sustainability education.
I have also been majorly occupied by a new master’s program that we started last semester, integrating sustainability into our accounting program. It has been wonderful getting to know the students over the course of the entire semester. I have been able to follow the students through the first half of their studies and I really appreciate the ability to see their confidence and critical thinking grow. Well done to all the participants this academic year, and enjoy the next stage in Finland!
In the new year, I will be Chair of the Sustainability Council at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics. I am looking forward to taking on this new role and working more closely with different colleagues across the department. I have also had good news about the sustainability competence mindset map project. The latest version of the questionnaire was tested, and results have been written in the paper Sustainability Competence Mindset: building capacity with students, published in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. It will be printed in a forthcoming special issue. We continue to collaborate with several lecturers in different disciplines across universities in Europe and have had a great response from students. Thank you to everyone who has taken part and continues to support this work.
Work with the IN4RF group has also continued to blossom. We have been planning for a new activity taking place at the end of this semester. Students and facilitators will gather in Valencia to co-create our narratives for regenerative leadership. We also welcome several new members, which I will introduce to you all very soon. The many great new projects that help to support and inspire hope in education are uplifting. Thank you to everyone for a great new year!
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