As a global pandemic infiltrated daily life and halted any sense of normalcy, the 2020 Skoll World Forum morphed into an entirely online open-sourced experiment. With the enduring spirit and irrepressible resourcefulness so characteristic of the larger Skoll community, in a span of three weeks, we pivoted to a week of virtual events that reinforced the core value of convenings—connection, provocation, and inspiration.
The Skoll World Forum has always been a ‘connection first’ gathering. It’s packed with thought provoking conversations, uplifting celebration, and dynamic performances. But at the end of the day—or week—people have traveled to Oxford to be with each other, to cultivate that unique sort of fellowship that emerges when potential collaborators share the same physical space. Frankly, we were skeptical about how those dynamics might transition to a virtual setting.
And yet, with resolve and a thirst for togetherness, you showed up in full force. What would have been a gathering of 1,200 delegates in the hallowed halls and cobblestone streets of Oxford became a globally-distributed opportunity for thousands to connect, share, and learn. No business cards were swapped; no dinners or rounds of drinks were purchased.
The serendipity of the Skoll World Forum still happened, but it was through chat boxes and video conversations, virtual Braindates and dance parties. We learned a lot from this joyfully collaborative experiment, but it was messy and frenzied at times. A few web-based trolls did their best to spoil things, but they failed and we persisted.
The Oxford setting comes with barriers of cost, travel, policies, time, and space, but #SkollGoesVirtual saw those barriers vanish. For the first time in our signature annual convening, we were able to tap into the full power of a network of networks. There’s no doubt that resulted in a more diverse set of voices and perspectives. Some of the sessions had attendance exceeding 800 people. Early estimates suggest more than 9,000 participant logins from over 130 countries.
“The conversations were even more timely not just because the subject of Africa’s urban future will be relevant for decades to come, but also because African city dwellers, especially those in slums and informal settlements, are very vulnerable in pandemic situations,” said Emmanuel Adegboye, after leading a session on urban innovation in Africa. “There were calls for urgent action and I’m grateful to everyone who joined remotely who may otherwise not have been able to make it to Oxford for a typical Skoll World Forum.”
“The Imperative of the 21st century is to reimagine and redesign our economic system so that its purpose is to create long-term value for ALL stakeholders.” Check out @tinywindow‘s visual notes from #Imperative21‘s convening on “Allies for Systems Change”. #SkollGoesVirtual pic.twitter.com/MH9dNfEGPS
— Skoll Foundation (@SkollFoundation) April 1, 2020
From the standpoints of proximity, equity, and trust, the virtual Forum week was a breakthrough moment. We saw that if you create a flexible structure and relinquish control, beautiful things can happen. More than 130 events were offered by 100 organizations, spanning social impact work across the globe. The decentralized platform provided equal weight to every event, a shared spotlight for every voice. As the folks who curate and produce the Forum like to say, “We only set the table. The community creates the meal.” Never has that been more true.
“Fantastic to be connected with people across the world,” said Pwint Htun, Founder of Mobilizing Myanmar, told us. “This virtual format is a blessing in disguise. I feel like I’m connecting more in this way.”
I’m having to upgrade my Zoom account! We have over 300 registrants for tomorrow’s session I’m co-hosting at the virtual #SkollWF conference on our new project: 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People. https://t.co/UzFCDj9MtT @SkollFoundation #socent
— Jim Fruchterman (@JimFruchterman) March 30, 2020
In some cases, first-time Forum delegates sprung into action and hosted their own events. Angela Bai, Secretary General of the China Alliance of Social Value Investment (CASVI Shenzhen), would have come to the Forum for the first time. Instead, her team hosted a 180-person event and brought together four social entrepreneurs to share how they’ve responded to COVID-19.
“I’m grateful to the Skoll Forum for the opportunity to share my thoughts on investing in Pakistan and thankful to all that joined our panel,” said Misbah Naqvi, Partner, i2i Ventures. “I’ve learned so much this week! I am also especially grateful for the recordings shared, so I can catch up with the sessions I missed.”
“It’s like having a glass of water, using 5% and saying ‘I’m going to save the rest of of this water for future fires.’ The future fires are because we’re not putting out the current fires.”– @NonprofitAF says, on the social sectors response to COVID-19. https://t.co/zopEaFVG0Y
— Skoll Foundation (@SkollFoundation) April 1, 2020
Amidst it all, we announced five new remarkable organizations as the 2020 Skoll Awardees for Social Entrepreneurship—a group of problem solvers responding to some of the most critical challenges of the day, deep structural problems that our current global pandemic will only worsen. The celebration of that announcement happened not on the stage of the New Theatre on George Street in Oxford, but in the living rooms, kitchens, and home offices of thousands all over the globe. At a time when good news is hard to come by, this moment of celebration reminded us of the Skoll community’s enduring drive to make the world a better place.
WANTED: Leaders AND funders with an understanding of system change. How can we collaborate to get to the root of social issues? Take a look at @tinywindow‘s graphic notes for a recap of “Funding Systems Change: What can Donors and Doers Learn from Each Other?” #SkollGoesVirtual pic.twitter.com/BOq6GKh7su
— Skoll Foundation (@SkollFoundation) April 3, 2020
We selected the theme of the 2020 Skoll World Forum, Collective Strength, six months ago and never imagined how resonant it would feel during a time gripped by this global pandemic. What we saw last week was a microcosm of the shining potential of mutual aid, radical collaboration, and the uncommon power of cohesion over cacophony. We look forward to seeing you again, online and on land.
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