vivo and UNESCO’s Capture the Future Programme Expands With ZEISS Photographer-Led Workshops Across Asia and Europe

vivo and UNESCO’s Capture the Future Programme Expands With ZEISS Photographer-Led Workshops Across Asia and Europe

(IN BRIEF) ZEISS photographers are supporting vivo and UNESCO’s global Capture the Future initiative, a youth-focused visual storytelling programme created in partnership with the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. The initiative uses UNESCO’s academic and environmental networks to host workshops at universities and biosphere reserves, combining environmental education, vivo mobile imaging technology and practical photography training from ZEISS photographers, ambassadors and other experts. Recent events took place at the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve in Malaysia, the University of Milan in Italy and the UNESCO MAB Global Youth Forum at the Delta del Po Biosphere Reserve. Participants learned mobile photography techniques, storytelling skills and ways to document biodiversity, sustainability and the coexistence of people and nature. ZEISS ambassadors and photographers including Urasha Jakkachaphol, Francesco Gola and Solmaz Kanani Bahri helped guide young creators in using smartphones to capture meaningful visual narratives. The initiative strengthens the vivo ZEISS partnership while supporting UNESCO’s goal of engaging young audiences in sustainability through accessible, creative and impactful storytelling.

(PRESS RELEASE) OBERKOCHEN, 28-May-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — ZEISS photographers are supporting vivo and UNESCO’s global Capture the Future initiative, helping young creators around the world use mobile photography and visual storytelling to document the relationship between people, nature and sustainable living.

The initiative, launched this year by vivo and the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme, uses UNESCO’s academic network to organise workshops and events at universities and biosphere reserves worldwide. The programme combines introductions to UNESCO’s environmental work, vivo’s mobile imaging technology and practical photography training led by professional photographers, ZEISS ambassadors and Key Opinion Leaders.

Through events across Asia and Europe, Capture the Future is encouraging young participants to explore biodiversity, sustainability and human interaction with nature through mobile storytelling. The workshops are designed to help youth creators develop visual narratives that are both technically strong and emotionally meaningful.

Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve
Malaysia (April 25–26, 2026)
Over 250 youth participants explored biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods through mobile storytelling. ZEISS ambassador Urasha Jakkachaphol guided participants with her expertise in mobile imaging, alongside vivo specialists. “Youthful creativity brings the stories of our human experience to life”, said Urasha. “We used the vivo V70 to empower the next generation to capture with intention, revealing the profound beauty and subtle details of nature and everyday life.”

At the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve in Malaysia, held from 25 to 26 April 2026, more than 250 young participants took part in activities focused on biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods. ZEISS ambassador Urasha Jakkachaphol guided participants in mobile photography techniques and storytelling, working alongside vivo specialists. She said youthful creativity can bring human stories to life and noted that the vivo V70 helped participants capture nature and everyday life with intention, detail and sensitivity.

A further event took place at the University of Milan in Italy on 30 April 2026. The half-day campus seminar brought together 30 local university students and featured ZEISS ambassador Francesco Gola, who shared his personal experience of reconnecting with nature through photography. He encouraged participants to see visual storytelling as a practice based less on equipment and more on observation, emotion and awareness. Gola also demonstrated practical techniques showing how smartphones can be used to produce professional-quality visual results.

At the UNESCO MAB Global Youth Forum in the Delta del Po Biosphere Reserve in Italy on 18 May 2026, more than 300 youth delegates joined a workshop led by ZEISS photographer Solmaz Kanani Bahri, also referred to as Solli Kanani. The session focused on mobile photography and visual storytelling using vivo smartphones, giving participants tools to create impactful narratives around sustainability, nature and human experience.

The partnership between vivo and UNESCO positions mobile storytelling as a way to broaden the reach of sustainability messages, especially among young audiences. By equipping young creators with imaging tools and storytelling skills, the initiative supports UNESCO’s efforts to communicate environmental topics in a more accessible and engaging way.

For vivo, the programme aligns with its global corporate social responsibility strategy and reinforces the role of its smartphones as tools for meaningful visual communication. The initiative also reflects the continuing strength of the vivo ZEISS partnership, which focuses on advancing mobile imaging and helping users create compelling stories through smartphone photography.

By combining vivo’s smartphone technology with ZEISS’s expertise in optics and imaging, the collaboration supports creators worldwide in exploring new forms of visual expression. The programme highlights how mobile photography can serve not only as a creative medium, but also as a tool for environmental awareness, youth engagement and sustainable development.

ZEISS photographers will continue supporting vivo and UNESCO activities as the Capture the Future initiative progresses, including further updates from the Global Youth Forum and additional storytelling events around the world.

About ZEISS

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the fields of optics and optoelectronics. In the previous fiscal year, the ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling almost 12 billion euros in its four segments Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, and Consumer Markets (September 30, 2025).

For its customers, ZEISS develops, produces, and distributes highly innovative solutions for industrial metrology and quality assurance, microscopy solutions for the life sciences and materials research, and medical technology solutions for diagnostics and treatment in ophthalmology and microsurgery. The name ZEISS is also synonymous with the world’s leading lithography optics, which are used by the chip industry to manufacture semiconductor components. There is global demand for trendsetting ZEISS brand products such as eyeglass lenses, camera lenses, and binoculars.

With a portfolio aligned with future growth areas like digitalization, healthcare, and Smart Production and a strong brand, ZEISS is shaping the future of technology and constantly advancing the world of optics and related fields with its solutions. The company’s significant, sustainable investments in research and development lay the foundation for the success and continued expansion of ZEISS’ technology and market leadership. ZEISS invests 15 percent of its revenue in research and development – this high level of expenditure has a long tradition at ZEISS and is also an investment in the future.

With over 46,600 employees, ZEISS is active globally in around 50 countries with more than 60 sales and service locations, around 40 research and development facilities, and 30 production facilities worldwide (September 30, 2025). Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. The Carl Zeiss Foundation, one of the largest foundations in Germany committed to the promotion of science, is the sole owner of the holding company, Carl Zeiss AG.

Further information at www.zeiss.com

About Photonics & Optics

ZEISS, a leading provider of optical and optoelectronic technologies, brings together business units outside of its segments in the strategic business urea of Photonics & Optics, based in Oberkochen and Jena. This area offers customers worldwide a wide range of optical and photonic technologies in highly specialized markets: Mobile Imaging, Hunting & Nature, Cinematography, Microoptics, Spectroscopy, Planetarium, and Simulation Projection Solutions. By bringing these various business areas together under one roof, ZEISS creates a home for these highly specialized businesses, allowing them to focus entirely on their technology and market development and the success of their customers.

Media Contact:

Joachim Kuss
ZEISS Photonics & Optics
Tel: +49 7364 20 439 28
joachim.kuss@zeiss.com

SOURCE: ZEISS