Threads

1

Active Citizenship

Beyond the ballot box, active citizenship is about showing up, speaking out, and participating meaningfully in shaping the communities and institutions that affect our lives. This theme invites students to explore their role in the world—not as passive observers, but as everyday agents of change. Whether it's participating in local decision-making, initiating dialogue on issues that matter, or holding institutions accountable, active citizenship is vital to building strong, inclusive, and responsive institutions, enabling community building and shaping better, more inclusive futures. By embedding skills of deliberation, critical thinking, and respectful dialogue, this theme strengthens the foundations of civic life and supports a new generation of leaders and participants.

Questions to explore

What does it mean to be an active citizen in today’s world?
How are you involved in shaping our communities and institutions?
In what ways do you contribute to change for better, more inclusive futures?

2

Connected Communities

In an increasingly fragmented world, this thread invites students to explore how inclusive, respectful and resilient communities are formed and strengthened through shared values and collective action. Grounded in frameworks of primary prevention, community development, and health promotion, the thread of Connected Communities centres the belief that we all have a role to play in creating environments that are safe, supportive and equitable.
This thread supports students to critically engage with the social conditions that enable or undermine wellbeing and inclusion, and to actively participate in shaping healthier, fairer communities, on campus and beyond.

Questions to explore

What does it mean to build and belong to a connected community?
In what ways do you participate to shape social conditions for wellbeing and inclusion?

3

Enabling Technologies

Technology is being embedded in every aspect of our lives – from communication and education to governance and social movements. But is society shaping technology or does technology shape society?

While technologies enable people to do many different tasks and achieve different goals, it doesn’t emerge fully formed from nowhere. Technologies are created by people with agendas, ideals and hopes and dreams for the futures that won’t 100% align with everyone in society. As a result, its impacts are not neutral: while it can empower, it can also entrench inequalities and create new risks.

Questions to explore

What is the role of different types of technology in society?
What are the consequences of technological developments from multiple perspectives, disciplinary standpoints, expertise, lived experiences and in different contexts?
How can technologies be used as tools to advance social good?
How can we integrate technologies in ways that are responsible, ethical and situationally appropriate?

4

Planetary Health

The health of people and the health of the planet are inseparable. From air quality and food security to biodiversity loss and climate disruption, environmental change is reshaping human lives in profound and often deeply unequal ways. The choices we make today—individually and collectively—will determine the world inherited by future generations.
This thread challenges students to grapple with the complex, interconnected systems that sustain life on Earth, and to think creatively about how we can protect and restore them. Drawing on perspectives from ecology, public health, Indigenous knowledge, economics, and design, students explore what it means to live and act within planetary boundaries.
Rather than focusing on crisis alone, this thread is solutions-oriented. Students develop the knowledge, skills, and disposition to contribute meaningfully to a sustainable future—whether through policy, technology, community action, or systems-level change. This thread asks students to see themselves not as bystanders to environmental challenge, but as active participants in shaping healthier outcomes for people, planet, and the generations that follow.

Questions to explore

How are human health and planetary health connected, and what does that mean for how we live?
Who bears the greatest burden of environmental degradation, and why?
What actions—at the individual, community, and systems level—can help sustain ecosystems for people and future generations?

5

Shared Prosperity

In a world of unprecedented wealth, billions still live without access to basic needs, opportunity, or the chance to flourish. Prosperity is not simply about economic growth—it is about who benefits, who is left behind, and what kind of systems we build to ensure that opportunity and wellbeing are genuinely available to all.
This thread invites students to examine the structures, policies, and values that shape how resources, power, and opportunity are distributed across societies. It challenges students to move beyond narrow economic metrics and develop holistic views of what it means to thrive—ones that account for social wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and the dignity of every person.
Students will explore the forces that drive inequality and exclusion, while examining the innovations, policies, and community-led initiatives working to reshape systems for greater equity. From local living-wage campaigns to global trade frameworks, this thread equips students to think critically and act creatively in building more just and inclusive economies—recognising that shared prosperity is not a gift to be bestowed, but a set of conditions to be actively constructed.

Questions to explore

What does it mean for a society to be truly prosperous?
Who benefits from current economic systems, and who is left out?
What role can individuals, communities, and institutions play in building fairer systems that support wellbeing and opportunity for all?