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Triggering Change

Creativity for Sustainability

What is Triggering Change?

Triggering Change is a two-minute pitch that uses creativity to inspire action on sustainability. Since its creation in 2022, it has involved 430 students from 80 countries.

Every semester, the pitch revolves around two UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participants attend four online Prep sessions with global experts and then produce their pitch, either individually or in a pair. Before and after the project, students take Sulitest Awareness Survey, an online awareness test that measures their eco-literacy. The average increase in the SDG module over the course of the five-week duration of the project in Spring 2025 was 15%.

Winners receive a €100 Patagonia voucher. A Certificate in Sustainability is available to students who complete the pitch. (The pitch is complete when students attend the sessions, submit the pitch on time, and complete the Sulitest survey at the beginning and end of the project).

In Fall 2025, Triggering Change focused on SDG 3, Good Health and Wellbeing, and SDG 15, Life on Land. John Cabot University students were joined by peers from Oxford Brookes University, Richmond University, University of Arkansas’s Rome campus, Stellenbosch University, and Politecnico di Torino.

How to Partecipate

Participation requires the completion of all steps by the deadline, including registration, Sulitest Awareness Surveys, Prep Sessions, and Pitch Submission.

Participants have access to library resources that can help them gain a solid understanding of the two SDGs.

If a participant misses a prep session, a recording can made available. Since all prep sessions are followed by a Q&A, actively attending is preferable to watching the session ex post.

How to Register

Registration for the next edition will open in Fall 2025. The tentative dates for the program are September 15 - October 25, 2025. All students (including those working in pairs) must register individually.

Registered participants will be invited to join a shared folder that will contain all links and information for the project. For any questions, please contact [email protected].

Participants must complete the Sulitest Awareness Surveys.

Students need to finalize all the required steps by these deadlines to continue participating in the pitch and obtain the Cerificate in Sustainability.

Prep Sessions

More information on the prep sessions and guest speakers will be shared soon.

Prep Session: The Liminal Space Workshop
The Liminal Space, a London-based agency, has developed this creative thinking workshop specifically for Triggering Change to inspire participants to think creatively about sustainability issues.

Prep Session: Pitch workshop, Prof. Michèle Favorite
Sharpen your pitch, refine your arguments, and submit with confidence!

Submission

Please, make sure to include all members' names in the title of your pitch.

For any questions, please contact [email protected].

Michela Colarusso
Triggering Change showed me how creative ideas can drive real impact when rooted in sustainability. It has taught me that meaningful change often begins with a simple, thoughtful question. Read about Past Winners Winner of Triggering Change, Spring 2025

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