Welcome to our Positive Academia Campaigns. We strongly believe in walking the talk and hope our yearly campaigns inspire many of you to do the same! Join our Positive Academia Collective Transformation and ‘be the change you want to see’!

Little Ideas for Curious Academics – the third Positive Academia Campaign by Christa Sathish, is dedicated to sharing inspiring, small ideas that everyone can try and are yet big enough to create ripple effects in dominant structures to open new ways of seeing and doing academia. Some are reflective and some are practical, encouraging you to reimagine your practices. All our little ideas are grounded in our own curiosity, care, and the belief that small shifts can transform the fabric of our academic lives.

In academia, we often encounter environments shaped by competition, exclusion, and hierarchy that can hinder the flourishing of collaboration and care, inclusion, and networks. It’s time to challenge these norms and reimagine academia as a space that uplifts, nurtures, and empowers. Christa Sathish, a passionate advocate for feminist perspectives in her research and teaching, has created and launched this campaign to drive this transformation.

Through #TheFablesofAcademia  – a complement to the #EveryLittleActionCounts initiative (launched by Christa Sathish) and the #PositiveAcademia initiative (launched by Anne-Wil Harzing) – we enhance the development and nurturing of Positive Academia as a transformative vision for academia. This vision emphasises intersectionality, gender equality, collective action, empowerment and autonomy, and social justice. Feminism teaches us that power is not finite, success is not individual, and the stories of those on the margins hold profound wisdom to help us shaping a better future.

This campaign uses weekly fables to reimagine academia as a zoo – a place where structures, hierarchies, and behaviours can be critiqued and reshaped. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight two of my dear CYGNA sisters, Axèle Giroud and Martyna Śliwa. I had a wonderful discussion with them about the academic zoo and safari during our Cumberland Lodge event in 2024, which inspired me to walk the talk.

Christa Sathish created the #EveryLittleActionCounts campaign as a cornerstone of Positive Academia because I believe that transformative change begins with small, intentional steps. Academia often feels like a place of immense pressure, competition, and isolation, but I see it as an opportunity to foster a more inclusive, supportive, and empowering environment. This campaign is my way of reimagining what academia can be—a space where every voice matters, every action has value, and every individual feels seen and heard.

The idea behind #EveryLittleAction is simple but profound: small actions, when multiplied, create a ripple effect that can change the culture of academia. Whether it’s offering a kind word, sharing resources, mentoring a student, or simply showing gratitude, these acts collectively build a more positive and compassionate academic community.

This matters deeply to me because I’ve experienced firsthand the impact of small gestures—both given and received—that have lifted me during challenging times and inspired me to keep striving for more. I want to pay that forward and encourage others to do the same.