Concrete community engagement for a sustainable future
From raising funds for an ambulance to embedding sustainability in education and research, Arcada puts its values into action. Read how students and staff have worked together to create tangible benefits for society and contribute to a sustainable future, both in Finland and globally.
At a time when the world is facing major challenges, Arcada remains committed to clear and concrete social responsibility. Through initiatives such as Arcada for Ukraine, integrated sustainability work within education and research, and nationally recognised projects and articles, students and staff are making a tangible contribution to a fairer and more sustainable society – locally, nationally and globally.
Joint fundraising for Ukraine
In spring 2025, Arcada launched the ‘Arcada for Ukraine’ campaign, a project in which students, teachers and administrative staff joined forces to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The aim of the campaign was to raise funds to finance an ambulance for use in Ukraine. The project served as a fine example of how a university can engage its community to go beyond the classroom and make concrete efforts to help people in vulnerable situations.
The aim of the campaign was to raise funds to finance an ambulance for use in Ukraine.
Through activities such as fundraising events, concerts and cross-disciplinary collaborations, Arcada raised around 20,000 euros, a result that demonstrates the breadth and depth of commitment across the entire institution.
– Arcada for Ukraine fosters a sense of community and hope, whilst enabling us to take concrete action for Ukraine. No one can do everything alone, but everyone can do something,” says Senior Lecturer Jan Nåls, one of the campaign’s project leaders.
In October 2025, the campaign achieved its most important goal when a group of Arcada students and staff took part in the Caravan to Ukraine project’s journey to Lviv to deliver the ambulance funded by the fundraising. The 1,500-kilometre journey from Helsinki to Ukraine became a tangible expression of solidarity, with the ambulance being handed over to Ukrainian soldiers and organisations working in the immediate vicinity of the war.
Skills relevant to the needs of society
In addition to specific humanitarian initiatives such as Arcada for Ukraine, Arcada’s commitment to a sustainable society is deeply rooted throughout the university’s operations. Sustainability and social responsibility are an integral part of education, research, organisational culture and everyday life on campus.
Arcada works in line with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals – the 2030 Agenda. Agenda 2030 is the UN’s global vision for a sustainable world, where social justice, economic development and ecological balance go hand in hand – a path that Arcada actively follows in its work for the society of the future.
As 2025 marks ten years since Agenda 2030 was adopted, Arcada has strengthened its efforts by joining the Climate University network. Through Climate University, the curricula have been updated to link each programme to one or more of the goals, and all research now reports on how it contributes to societal transformation.
– Climate University offers courses related to sustainable development, which can be taken as open university studies or as part of a degree, says Erica Adlercreutz, Senior Lecturer in Business Administration and Logistics and coordinator for the network at Arcada.
The aim of the network is to develop the skills society needs to tackle the challenges posed by climate change and the sustainability crisis.
Raising national awareness and sharing knowledge
In addition to its own initiatives, Arcada is also making its mark in the wider context of sustainability. In 2025, Arcada’s work in sustainable development was highlighted in a national collection of articles on sustainability work (Innovatiiviset kestävyysratkaisut aluekehityksessä), in which Finnish universities of applied sciences share good examples of how they contribute to a more sustainable society. The collection, which forms part of Arene’s* sustainability and responsibility programme, contains a total of 29 articles from 20 different universities of applied sciences.
Arcada contributed two articles, which highlight how Arcada’s sustainability work is strengthened by creating meaning, managing knowledge and balancing the values of nature with social justice for future generations. In the article ‘Project BalticReed – nutrition, nature and new value chains in the Baltic Sea’s reed beds’, researchers share their experiences of how reed biomass can be transformed into resource-efficient value chains, whilst ‘Leakage in innovation processes within higher education and industry collaboration: Project FORMER Arcada UAS’ highlights the collaboration between higher education and industry.
– “By refining and sharing the insights we gain from our research and development projects, we ensure that knowledge does not remain at the idea stage but develops into lasting social change,” says Tomas Träskman, senior lecturer in sustainability reporting and one of the editors of the collection of articles.
By refining and sharing the insights we gain from our research and development projects, we ensure that knowledge does not remain at the idea stage.
This national recognition underscores how Arcada’s sustainability work is not only significant on campus; it also contributes to knowledge development and social change across the country.
Arcada’s social engagement in 2025 demonstrates that taking responsibility is not a one-off effort or a temporary project – it is a long-term commitment. By combining community, knowledge and drive, Arcada continues to translate values into concrete actions and to develop the skills that society needs today and in the future.
*Arene represents and advocates for the interests of universities of applied sciences, and promotes work-related higher education, research, development and innovation activities.