TheSidebar

If you're heading to Oxford for Skoll Week, come join us for a fun Sidebar event we’re hosting alongside Kula Project and The Andean Alliance for Sustainable Development! As we sip on freshly brewed coffee from the 2024/25 harvest season, we’ll hear inspiring stories of impact, resilience, and innovation from those working directly with coffee farmers around the world. Huge thanks to Seth Cochran for bringing Sidebar into the social impact world — we’re so excited for this! ?? Sign up here: https://lu.ma/z7ydqwcv

The Skoll World Forum is just around the corner, and I’m reflecting on how we can make the most of this rare & precious moment — so many brilliant people, ideas, and networks converging in one place, at a time when the world feels especially fractured. ??????????? ?????? ?????? ???????????? ???? ?????????? ? — the hope, the joy, the quiet acts of courage and connection that sustain us? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????????????? ???? ????????????? And how might we weave our networks together — not just swapping business cards, but actively building the relational fabric that holds bold ideas, deep trust, and the kind of unexpected collaborations that could change everything? ??’?? ???????????????????? ?????????????? ??????????: ?? How might we map and see the invisible networks already connecting us? ?? What relational practices help cultivate networks that are both resilient and imaginative? ?? What it might look like to sensemake together — in real time — across sectors, geographies, and lived experiences? If you’re heading to Skoll — or simply curious about weaving stronger networks for change — I’d love to hear from you. ???????? ???? ?????? ????????????????:? 1?? Can’t be in Oxford? No problem! Plenaries & select sessions will be streaming for free online, with replays available after the Forum wraps. Register by April 4 to get access: https://shorturl.at/pGSyx 2?? Join Free In-Person Workshops at the Marmalade Festival —a vibrant space for action-driven conversations. Explore the program here: https://shorturl.at/pyCA8 3?? Big thank you to Seth Cochran and Sidebar, an open-source community initiative that democratizes voices and fosters spontaneous connections and solution-oriented conversations. ??Explore the lineup and don't forget to add your name to the people map: https://www.theside.bar/ 4?? Read "The Journey to Transformation" 2-Part Series in the Stanford Social Innovation Review https://shorturl.at/N78K9 P.S. I'll share the specifics around workshops, events & opportunities to convene in the coming weeks. #SkollWorldForum #TamarackInstitute #NetworkWeaving #RelationalLeadership #Sensemaking #SystemsChange #WasanNetwork #Skoll2025

Preparing for #SkollWeek can be quite daunting, especially if it's your first time! When I first attended in 2019, I remember feeling totally intimidated and unsure of how navigate the intensity of the week. It's for this reason, that I'm so happy to share that we'll be hosting a webinar to help you find your footing and get the most out of your time in Oxford. This webinar will be hosted by #TheSidebar, and #SkollWeek rockstars like Natalie Rekstad, Brian Walusimbi, Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter, and Seth Cochran. This session will be filled to the brim with tips and tricks for how to make impactful connections, navigate the MANY events, and stay sane during the intensity of it all. So, don't miss out! Register for our webinar - 'Making the Most of Skoll Week in Oxford: A First-Timer’s Guide' - here: https://lnkd.in/eTP2SVdB. Looking forward to seeing you there and helping make your #SkollWorldForum, #Sidebar, and #Marmalade experience as enriching as possible. Let's go!!

I'm excited to announce that?Free Free will be joining Skoll Week in Oxford University for the First time invited by Sidebar Seth Cochran to do an in incredible workshop for 50 leaders. Join us at?3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2nd, at?50 Market Street?for our session called?"Building a New Paradigm: Unleashing Feminine Consciousness." This?90-minute immersive experience?will explore how balancing feminine consciousness—within individuals and organisations—can drive?creativity, innovation, and transformative solutions.?Participants discover new perspectives on leadership, empowerment and profit for good. It’s an interactive session for up to 50 people where you will be able to: ?Discover?Free Free's proven methodology?– This?blends neuroscience, mindfulness practices, social justice principles, the Women, Peace and Security UN framework and fashion, art, sound, and creativity. Our methodology is non-therapeutic and educational. ?Participate in?guided exercises?to access your creativity ?Connect with?like-minded changemakers ?Walk away with?practical tools?to apply in your personal & professional life. Spots are?limited?so if you can join us, be sure to sign up via the link below ASAP. We can't wait to see you there! https://lnkd.in/dPFi7Acj Thank you for having us Seth Cochran. We are really looking forward to it. #SkollWeek #FeminineConsciousness #Innovation #Leadership #Creativity #FreeFree

Want to attend a great event during Skoll Week? The Sidebar is the place for you. Over the next weeks, we will be posting events on our Luma events calendar. These are community-sourced events coming from all corners of the impact space. Events for you, and by you. Kevin L. Brown is leading our first scheduled event. If you're an impact professional using LinkedIn, you know Kevin and MIGHTY ALLY. His content is helpful, insightful, and unique. He shares reflections on the function (and disfunction) of our space and also helps people understand how to make their missions more visible and fundable. He is launching his new book at The Sidebar on April 2. In a time where overseas development assistance is rapidly disappearing, we all need help mobilizing resources. This is why this book launch is so timely. The book is called, "Fundable & Findable:?The Brand-New Way to Fix Your Nonprofit Fundraising." Sign up now for a free copy of this awesome book. The first 100 people to arrive at the book launch will receive a free limited edition copy of Fundable & Findable, courtesy of Dovetail Impact Foundation. Register now to add this event to your calendar and show up early on Apr 2 to make sure you get a place (and a book). Sign up for the session and subscribe to The Sidebar events calendar here: https://lu.ma/sidebar We will be posting new events to this calendar every day for the next three weeks. Hope to see you all there!

Are you coming to Oxford for Skoll Week? We know there are many people coming to Oxford for the first time for Skoll Week. We also know that some people may have come before, but could benefit from some extra preparation and support before the week. Would a webinar be helpful? We are assembling some amazing people to share their expertise and experiences on how to navigate Skoll week. These topics include everything from relationship-building and communications, to how to have a meaningful conversation and what to wear. Let me know in the comments if you want this and we will set up some dates.

We're expanding The Sidebar Oxford for 2025. We incorporated what we learned last year and synthesized input from the ecosystem. We're ready to help foster impactful relationship-building and to facilitate sharing of insights on navigating this chaotic world! You can find us in two places this year: ?? The Community Hub – A welcoming, informal space designed for networking, spontaneous conversations, and idea exchange. Think of it as a public living room where changemakers connect over crowd-sourced topics and build real relationships beyond panels and presentations. ?? The Future Hub –A space for interactive programming at the intersections of climate, development, and systemic change. Here, we introduce new voices, foster cross-sector collaborations, and create opportunities for skill-building. Together, we will explore diverse approaches to tackling global challenges in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world. Both hubs embody openness, inclusion, and action-oriented dialogue. Come connect, contribute, and collaborate! Join us by adding yourself to the People Map, where you can highlight your expertise and help shape the agenda! Join here: https://lnkd.in/e9gz4z_n See the map here: https://www.theside.bar/

The Sidebar People Map is live! We built this map to help people find people. To make the community of change makers visible. To help accelerate serendipity. See who is in Oxford for for Skoll Week (March 31-April 2). Click a country to find people working in a country. Click an SDG to find people working on an SDG. Click a name to learn more about an amazing person who will be in town with you. You can't break it, so try everything! If you're not on the map, add yourself now! Add yourself to the map here: https://lnkd.in/e9gz4z_n Play with the map here: https://www.theside.bar/

My wonderful colleague Susi Neher and I were recently chatting about how difficult we've found the last few weeks - specifically the seemingly relentless barrage of bad news. With the recent USAID stop work orders and funding freeze, the global landscape of humanitarian aid and?international development has been fundamentally disrupted. We talked about how starkly inadequate our usual ways of communicating and connecting at work seem... Standard email openers like: "I hope this email finds you well" feel like they not only miss the mark, but come off as insensitive. In an attempt to lift spirits, Susi joked about switching to: "I hope you haven't given up entirely and retreated off-grid to escape the chaos." In times like these, the need for strong, supportive communities and innovative problem-solving is urgent. That’s the spirit that drives #TheSidebar. It's not just an event; it’s a gathering of advocates, champions, and activists - a place where we come together to confront global challenges with collective wisdom and creativity. #TheSidebar is returning to Oxford from March 31 to April 4, 2025, and we are inviting the social impact and global development community to join us. We will face the current uncertainty and disruption together, and unite in shared efforts to generate thoughtful, sustainable, collaborative solutions. ?? Do you want to be part of making The Sidebar happen? Here are three ways you can take part and make an impact: ?? Sidebar Hosts – Be the face of #TheSidebar! Help our attendees navigate the HQ, engage in meaningful dialogues, and spark connections that could lead to the next big idea. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eMpFNkVd ?? Facilitators – Lead engaging discussions that ensure every voice is heard, facilitating an inclusive and dynamic exchange of ideas in these challenging times. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eTHNT46R ?? Student Volunteers – If you're a student in #Oxford, we need your enthusiasm and skills to help manage the logistics and keep The Sidebar experience smooth and impactful. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/enjxxpYC At times like this it’s more important than ever to come together to creatively tackle the challenges ahead of us. Sidebar 2025 isn’t just an event, it’s a community — one that is working towards building a more collaborative and hopeful future. Join us in #Oxford if you can, and help us nurture our global community to transform conversations into collective impact.?

The Sidebar is coming back to Oxford for Skoll Week 2025! Our first step is to create a People Map that makes everyone who will be in town visible. This map helps make 1) people aware that you are in town and 2) facilitate new partnerships. The map also sets the agenda for our community led discussion groups - your chance to lead a session at Skoll. The Sidebar is open to everyone! We are a highly inclusive convening. YOU are invited to Oxford for this incredible week (March 31 to April 4). We would love to have you at The Sidebar, whether you are participating as a delegate in the Skoll World Forum, or in town for the magic that is Skoll Week. Add yourself to the map! https://lnkd.in/e9gz4z_n Once we have enough people on the map, we will publish it. And if you've always wanted to come to Skoll, but never made it, please msg me. We especially want you to join us!!