Stockholm university

Research project ChangeMakers – Start-ups for sustainable environment created by youngsters

ChangeMakers is a Central Baltic Interreg project, funded by the European Union, that aims to enhance the spirit of entrepreneurship with focus on sustainability, circular economy, water sectors, and reuse-reduce-recycle.

Changemaker

Target group in ChangeMakers is students of upper-secondary schools in countries around the Baltic Sea, i.e., Sweden, Finland (including Åland), Estonia, and Latvia. The project started in 2020 and runs over two years in which 250 students will form 50 cross-border teams to establish ‘mini’ start-ups and develop business solutions to global environmental challenges with a specific focus on the Baltic Sea.

Project description

ChangeMakers aims to:

  • Cooperation between schools (upper secondary and vocational schools), students and the private sector.
  • ChangeMakers aims to develop sustainable thinking and innovative competence on environmental sector of Finnish (inc. Åland), Estonian, Latvian and Swedish 15-17-year-old students.
  • Totally 250 students will participate.
  • The project’s result is creating 50 cross-border student companies.
  • An open access ePlatform tool “ChangeMakers”.

Project members

Project managers

Zahra Kalantari

Forskare

Department of Physical Geography
Zahra Kalantari

Members

Publications

More about this project

ChangeMakers – Start-ups for sustainable environment created by youngsters

Duration: 1.3.2020 – 30.11.2022

The project designed and implemented a functional and hands-on study module for upper secondary school and vocational school. As part of the project, 253 students were divided into international teams and collaborated to establish 53 mini start-ups, each with a mission to address the environmental challenges presented by various businesses. These student-led start-ups featured a diverse range of innovative ideas, including tangible products, services, and digital solutions, all prioritizing the principles of circular economy and sustainability.

The creation of these environmental challenges added significant cross-border value for each enterprise involved, with participating students gaining valuable multidimensional experience and enhancing their skills in cross-cultural communication and teamwork within an international setting. Through a range of activities that involved collaboration with 18 enterprises throughout the Central Baltic area, students were able to gain valuable experience in cross-cultural communication and teamwork within an international setting, as well as develop their creative and self-competence skills and social intelligence.

The project engaged 10 schools across the CB area, with 16 teachers undergoing training to implement the module effectively. The study module was designed to support and enhance existing curriculums, with a particular focus on sustainability, circular economy, and entrepreneurship. The module was composed of high-quality eLearning resources that covered key topics such as innovation management, prototyping, market research, and pitching, providing students with a comprehensive skill set to drive their entrepreneurial endeavors. The aforementioned materials are conveniently accessible on an open access ePlatform, which can be utilized for educational purposes in the future.