Welcome to Storybranch®
We are building an interdisciplinary organization that brings together science, education, systems thinking, storytelling and creativity to help individuals and organizations navigate environmental challenges, develop competencies for sustainable futures and turn knowledge into meaningful action.
Storybranch was founded on the belief that sustainable futures begin early. Children emotionally connected with nature can carry that awareness into their future choices, professions and communities.
As we are all part of wider systems, our work also engages educators, families, researchers, professionals and organizations.
From books and workshops to scientific communication, consultancy, research and immersive experiences, everything we create grows from the same roots:
curiosity, evidence, creativity, connection and stewardship.
We invite educators, researchers, schools, museums, organizations, families and communities to explore, learn and grow with us.
What guides Storybranch®
Our mission, vision, purpose and identity provide a shared direction for everything we create and every collaboration we develope.
Our Mission
To help individuals and organizations navigate environmental challenges, develop competencies for sustainable futures and turn knowledge into meaningful action through science, systems thinking and storytelling.
Our Vision
A future in which people recognize that they belong to the living world and have the knowledge, competence, imagination and confidence to make decisions that allow both people and nature to flourish together.
Purpose
To translate verified scientific knowledge into meaningful experiences that help people (from early age) understand, connect with and care for the living world.
Identity
A living ecosystem of ideas, people, projects and partnerships.
Rooted in science.
Guided by values.
Inspired by nature.
Shaped through creativity.
Growing through collaboration.
The Philosophies behind our work
Storybranch’s philosophies explain how we understand our purpose, how we design learning and how scientific integrity guides everything we create
Storybranch Philosophy
Our worldview and organizational perspective: people belong to the living world, and meaningful change grows through connection, knowledge, creativity and stewardship.
Educational Philosophy
Our approach to learning: combining knowledge with meaningful experiences to cultivate understanding, belonging, competence and action.
Scientific Philosophy
Our commitment to verified knowledge, intellectual honesty, responsible communication and evidence.
The Beginning...
From one book, a whole world began to grow...
The Magic Within a Tree is the foundational creative work from which Storybranch began. Created by Ivón Hassel, including the story, narrative, design, illustrations and production.
Through science, storytelling and a bit of fantasy, the book reveals the extraordinary systems hidden within a tree and invites readers to explore nature with curiosity, wonder and care.
Its characters, scientific layers and interconnected world shaped Storybranch’s wider approach: making complex knowledge visible, meaningful and memorable.
That approach is beginning to extend into educational experiences, workshops, consultancy, research, games, technology, immersive environments and collaborative projects.
How we grow
The Living Architecture of Storybranch
Storybranch is designed as a living system. Its mission, values and philosophies form the roots. A shared framework connects its people, knowledge, projects and partnerships. From this foundation, six interconnected branches translate Storybranch’s purpose into action.
Inspire
Stories, books, illustration and creative communication that make scientific knowledge memorable, accessible and emotionally meaningful.
Learn
Workshops, educational programmes, curricula and learning resources that build environmental understanding, systems thinking and future competencies.
Explore
Games, digital tools, augmented reality, playgrounds and immersive experiences that invite discovery, interaction and curiosity.
Connect
Citizen science, community programes and partnerships that bring people, disciplines and knowledge together.
Transform
Sustainability, circularity, systems thinking and organizational support that help turn knowledge into practical change. meaningful.
Advance
Research, innovation, scientific communication and societal-impact collaboration that expand knowledge and make it accessible.
What guides our work
Our values shape how Storybranch communicates science, creates experiences, builds relationships and considers long-term impact.
Scientific Integrity
Evidence, honesty and responsible communication
Meaningful Connection
To strengthen belonging, collaboration and care for the living world across cultures
Curiosity
We ask questions, explore deeply and keep learning
Purposeful Creativity
To make knowledge meaningful without losing accuracy
Stewardship
We consider the long-term effects of what we create
Hope Through Action
Building competence for sustainable futures
What we believe
Our belief is that sustainable futures begin in childhood, grow through learning and relationships across generations and depend on adults, institutions and organizations taking responsibility for the systems they create.
It is a declaration of belonging, scientific curiosity, meaningful participation, stewardship and hope grounded in action.
I am Ivón Hassel, a researcher, building engineer, project leader, science communicator and founder of Storybranch.
I have always been curious about how things connect: materials and structures, people and places, scientific knowledge and lived experience, and the visible world and the systems hidden within it.
Originally from Argentina, my journey has taken me through different countries, cultures and landscapes. These experiences deepened my interest in nature, cultural heritage and the knowledge that communities develop through long relationships with their environments.
I completed my master’s and doctoral studies at Kyoto University’s Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere in Japan and later worked at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Uppsala University in Sweden.
My research has included timber structures, material development, mechanical testing, digital image correlation and finite element analysis. I have worked with building systems rooted in ancestral knowledge and developed methods for studying cultural-heritage materials using minimal samples and accessible equipment. This work contributed to research connected to the conservation of the Vasa ship in Stockholm.
Becoming a mother strengthened my conviction that children should have opportunities to develop a meaningful relationship with nature from an early age.
I founded Storybranch to bring these parts of my life together: science, engineering, education, storytelling, creativity and a belief in our shared responsibility for the future.
Storybranch begins with children because early experiences can shape lifelong choices. But it also works with educators, researchers, professionals and organizations because children grow within systems shaped by adults and institutions.
My aim is to create experiences, tools and collaborations that help knowledge become curiosity, connection, competence and meaningful action.
Dr Arbo is a curious and enthusiastic arborist, a tree doctor.
There are many like her living inside the trees. They are the guardians of the forest, and help the trees stay healthy and happy.
She and her friends use an amazing underground fungal system, called the mycorrhizal network, to navigate the world and reach all forests, from boreal to tropical.
They communicate with each other, and with all the creatures living in and on the trees, the soil and under it.
They can also communicate with children and whoever still keeps the magic inside their hearts…
So pay attention next time you are in a forest, or near a tree…listen carefully, you might hear Dr Arbo.
Bring a magnifier, you might also see her and her friends!
We are currently seeking passionate individuals to join our mission.
As the founder, I invite writers, scientists, educators, game developers, and others to collaborate in creating meaningful change.
Together, we can build a diverse team dedicated to science, sustainability, education and innovation.
Ivón Hassel
Founder / Building Engineer and Researcher
This can be you!
Educator
Game Developer
Scientist
Journalist
Seller
Economy Magician
Blogger
Social Worker
Computer Geek
Gisela Cunha
Expert in Biomaterials, Product Innovation, and Creative Ideation.
Serdar Temiz
Advisor in Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Business Strategy.
Associate Professor at Uppsala University, Sweden.
Open Innovation, Blockchain, Open Data, Entrepreneurship, Business Models, New Product Development, AI, Additive Manufacturing.
