News | RESHAPE presented at the Harvard conference on Belonging

Senior Lecturer Tiina Wikström (PhD) from the RESHAPE partner UAS Laurea, Finland, attended the Harvard conference on Belonging (Multisensory Space Supporting Spirituality and Fearless Belonging in Higher Education | Program for the Evolution of Spirituality) in September 2026 and presented both the RESHAPE project and the Multisensory Space method that is applied by RESHAPE partner universities in Indonesia and Bangladesh.

As mentioned by Md. Asaduzzaman from Islamic University Bangladesh (BD):

“As a new concept in the Higher Education Institutions in Bangladesh, multisensory spaces could offer valuable opportunities for Bangladeshi higher education institutions to promote spirituality, planetary wellbeing, peace, and a stronger sense of belonging. By combining natural elements, light, sound, visual materials, digital technology, and culturally meaningful objects, these spaces could create calm and inclusive environments for reflection, dialogue, creativity, and emotional wellbeing. They could also encourage students and faculties to recognize the connection between personal wellbeing, social harmony, and care for the environment and support intercultural and interfaith understanding, reduce stress and isolation, strengthen student participation, and build closer relationships among students, teachers, and surrounding communities. The concept should be locally adapted, inclusive, voluntary, and developed with active engagement of students and communities.“

Wikström, Tiina. 2026. “Multisensory Space Supporting Spirituality and Fearless Belonging in Higher Education.” in Belonging: Practices of Inclusion in Spiritual Communities, the Academy, and Society. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA: Harvard Divinity School: Program for the Evolution of Spirituality.