By Richard McKeever
The LinksUK team have today been busy with the launch of the Programme for our new initiatve Chain Reaction.
On the 17th and 18th November we’ll be bringing together social leaders, community activists, policy makers, business leaders and young people from around the globe for an event at London’s Southbank to share learning and to generate new ideas for social change, locally, nationally and globally.
Chain Reaction is based on the simple idea that none of us on our own can change the world, not governments, not businesses, not charities. We succeed when we work together. This event will result in 25 new ideas for social action that participants have committed to take forward together.
We’ve got lots of exciting people taking part. Alongside four Cabinet Ministers, our contributors include boundary crossers like Dr Victoria Hale, founder of the world’s first non-profit pharmaceutical company and Rachel Lomax, one time permanent secretary of two government departments, deputy governor at the Bank of England and former Vice President at the World Bank. America’s Nipun Mehta, the creator of Charity Focus and Comic Relief founder Jane Tewson, now doing ground breaking work in Australia, will challenge and inspire us and angry alchemists like John Bird (Big Issue) and Tim Smit (Eden Project) will be sharing their special brew, reminding us that some things are hard but nothing is impossible. In addition to this stellar line up, venture capital guru Sir Ronald Cohen will be applying his experience to the financing of social change and Mark Thompson Director General of the BBC will tackle the contribution of the media. Sir Richard Branson will be joining us via a video link, and City father Sir David Walker will be with us in the flesh.
Over 20 organisations including Global Entrepreneurship Week, the IDEA World Congress and the VSO Global Exchange Programme will host sessions and grass roots practitioners from nine countries (and rising!) will join us to share their learning on transforming communities. A compelling programme will focus on themes such as the potential of new technologies, the power of sports and arts as tools for transforming communities, and the experiences and contributions of young people (100 places are reserved for under 21s – the leaders of tomorrow – some of whom will come from Community Links projects). Practical workshops will explore issues such as financing, communicating and the ‘scaling up’ of ideas.
A unique feature of Chain Reaction will be the opportunity for participants to self organise, with bookable meeting spaces, and places to connect with others and collaborate in building new projects, new partnerships and new ways of working.
We’re excited about the prospect of bringing together an inspiring group of people to work together on issues that concern us all…
… will you be part of the Chain Reaction?
