In December 2023, 730 people from 77 countries met in Bogotá for the #ShiftThePower Global Summit. Participants represented the range of the civil society and funding …
Burn-out is not an isolated issue but one that affects many across social movement. Collective care involves a commitment to care for each other. It is about making sure that we address the systemic issues of the society, but also attend to keeping the fire burning without burning ourselves out.
If we want the people to be resilient, how can we build a vision of evaluating that based on well-being? How can we measure resilience? How can we measure happiness? How can we measure some of these really extraordinary indicators?
As I edit this draft that was originally started in December shortly after the summit (which I decided to shelve to go for my annual break) I remember the power of rest that resounded throughout the summit. I remember the curiosity on the faces of over 700 people. I remember the tranquility room where I once napped, and I was joined by a participant who was having her prayers. I remember how we both co-existed in that space, her in her prayers, me in my half sleep/siesta and there was a powerful message within that moment that has stayed with me ever since. That we can co-exist, in rest and in care.
Have you heard of imaginal cells? This is what Amaha Selassie asked us as we sat in the jungle-themed hotel lobby. It was the night after the #ShiftThePower Summit in Bogotá, and 5 of us had come together seemingly by accident, talking for hours about the worlds of possibility and complexity that the Summit had unlocked. None of us knew about these cells, so Amaha explained
The decision to develop this strategy came after a period of introspection and a strong demand from our members to prioritize the people. There was a perception that ZimRights had fallen victim to elite capture creating a Secretariat that was in the pocket of the donors with no motivation for shifting the power.
Recognizing that no single person has capacity to take on the whole system, incremental change in multiple different places can be powerful.
This quote represents what the #ShiftThePower Global Summit was to me: a space to hear uncomfortable truths and to collectively reimagine solutions. When Marie-Rose Romain Murphy of …
Funding into communities is important, but what if unlocking local energy is our most powerful resource of all?
When someone asks you to introduce yourself, what’s the first thing you think of? For me it’s “Hi, I’m Yande the Power Shifting Director at Restless Development…” and the rest follows. Who are we without the values that shape us and follow us in our vocational day jobs?
