Organising the first ever Responsible Futures Student Sustainability Symposium - reflections from student staff

Hridita Afsana and CJ Watson are student staff supporting the coordination of Responsible Futures, a supported change programme and accreditation partnering students with their institution to put sustainability at the heart of all learning.

In the following post, Hridita and CJ reflect on their role organising the first-ever Responsible Futures Student Sustainability Symposium, including what they did, how they felt along the way, and how it all came together in the end.
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Being part of the organising team behind the first-ever Student Sustainability Symposium has been such a rewarding experience for both of us. Hosted by SOS-UK in collaboration with UWE Bristol and UWE Bristol SU, the event brought together passionate students and staff from participating Responsible Futures universities and colleges to celebrate and support student leadership for sustainability. We had the chance to help shape the event from the ground up, supporting everything from comms and outreach to student engagement and content planning and facilitation alongside SOS-UK staff. It’s been a journey filled with learning, collaboration, and some really proud moments.
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From the very beginning, this project was deeply collaborative. Although we each had our own areas of focus, we constantly worked together and supported one another throughout the process. Whether it was planning the symposium agenda, drafting social media content to promote the event, reviewing student project submissions for the student showcase, or planning follow-up resources, we made sure to check in regularly, share feedback, and balance responsibilities depending on our capacity each week.
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We also felt incredibly supported by the wider SOS-UK team and our colleagues at UWE Bristol. There was always a space for us to bring our ideas to the table, ask questions, and learn from others. The experience felt like a true team effort, where everyone contributed their strengths and perspectives to create something meaningful.
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Having each other to bounce ideas off, troubleshoot challenges, and celebrate little wins made the process not only smoother but also so much more enjoyable. It reminded us how impactful and energising student-staff collaboration can be when everyone is valued and heard.
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CJ's experience
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I worked alongside SOS-UK staff to design and deliver practical, accessible session plans. Drawing on my experience in training and facilitation, I focused on creating content that was clear, engaging, and useful. Our sessions included “Students as Change Makers,” “Green Skills and Jobs,” and introductory icebreakers to help participants connect and grow.”
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The planning journey for the symposium was a mix of creativity, challenges, and growth. It began with brainstorming and planning meetings, where ideas started to take shape. From designing the sessions to coordinating partnerships and managing time zones for global engagement. One key challenge for me was making sessions concise—I wanted to include so much brilliant content. It took careful planning to ensure everything fit within the schedule while leaving space for presentations and discussions.

Behind the scenes, I worked to support students and the event, ensuring sessions ran smoothly and content was accessible and engaging. It was exciting to see SOS and UWE’s ideas come to life and hear from such inspiring participants. Along the way, I learned a lot about sustainability topics, facilitation, and the value of clear communication. This experience helped me refine my skills in event planning, collaboration, and leadership. Overall, I felt proud of what we achieved and grateful for the opportunity to connect people globally in sustainability.
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Hridita's experience
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I was focused on initial planning of the event, communications, outreach, evaluation rubric for student project selection and co-leading the post event zine.
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Planning the symposium was such a rewarding experience for me. It all started with brainstorming sessions where we mapped out the event structure, our outreach approach, and how we could get students excited to take part. One thing I really enjoyed was working to create the project evaluation rubric. I wanted to create a well-balanced rubric that would help us select the best presentations while still keeping it accessible and encouraging for everyone. It was important to me that the process felt fair but not overly difficult or intimidating for students and how we could celebrate as many different voices and experiences as possible. Thinking carefully about qualities like leadership, creativity, and real-world impact made me appreciate just how much thought goes into recognising diverse achievements.  

Of course, there were challenges too: balancing all the planning work alongside other commitments and keeping our communications clear and consistent. We also had to navigate time zones and different communication styles, which taught us a lot about flexibility and clear messaging. It was a busy time, but honestly, I loved seeing everything come together. I felt really proud of what we achieved as a team. I’ve definitely grown my skills in communications, collaboration, and event planning through this experience, and it has left me feeling really excited for future projects.
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Final reflections
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The symposium itself turned out to be a huge success and was a real testament to everyone's hard work. We had nearly 200 sign-ups for the event, and around 100 attendees joined us live, which created a vibrant and supportive atmosphere throughout the sessions. The quality of the student presentations was incredible. Each project was thoughtful, creative, and showcased real leadership in embedding sustainability within education.
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One particularly rewarding moment was seeing students confidently share their journeys and innovations, sparking genuine questions and conversations from the audience. It felt like a real community coming together, learning from each other’s experiences.
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As a lasting legacy, we’re excited to continue working on a Student Sustainability Symposium zine, which will capture these insights, quotes, and creative reflections. We can’t wait to gather more contributions and celebrate the brilliant work that emerged through this event.
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Being part of the first-ever Student Sustainability Symposium has been an incredibly rewarding experience for us. We’re deeply grateful to the SOS-UK team, UWE Bristol, and UWE Bristol SU for their support, and to the student presenters and attendees for bringing such energy and passion to the event.
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This symposium was a testament to the power of collaboration and the inspiring potential of student-led sustainability work. We’re excited about the conversations it sparked and hopeful about what’s next. As we look ahead, we can’t wait to see future symposiums continue to grow, connect more changemakers, and celebrate the incredible impact of students in shaping a sustainable future.

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