This year, the Ashoka Changemaker Summit is not just an event but a three-month journey starting online and culminating in December in the Italian city of Turin.
5 Reasons to Join the Ashoka Changemaker Summit 2021
This year, the Ashoka Changemaker Summit is not just an event but a three-month journey starting online and culminating in December in the Italian city of Turin.
It’s the global milestone for a community that believes in the power of changemaking to drive social impact.
Join to work together towards a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient world.
1. The summit unlocks our changemaking potential. Hear what past year’s attendees had to say.
"I should have skipped all conferences I went to in 2019 and only gone to ACMS. The impact, the leads, the opportunities that came out of it were incredible. It concentrated a huge network of amazing people. So efficient." - Arnoud Raskin, Ashoka Fellow and social entrepreneur. Founder of Mobile School.
Last year, 75% of attendees agreed that participating in the Ashoka Changemaker Summit made them more aware of their power as changemakers.
77% agreed that the success of their organisation depends on more people identifying and acting as changemakers.
We learned from leading social entrepreneurs like Helena in dealing with polarisation:
"... a key tactic when you facilitate any kind of dialogue is that if it is polarised, if it has two poles, you need to find a third pole. You complicate the narrative; you need to make things more complicated, and by making them more complicated, that is what actors in the grey space can do." - Helena Puig, Ashoka Fellow, Spain. Founder of Build Up.
Or from Emilia’s view on intersectionality:
"Intersectionality, said very clearly, is about fighting discrimination within discrimination, tackling inequalities within inequalities, and empowering minorities within minorities. So what it tells is to leave no one behind..." - Emilia Roig, Ashoka Fellow, Germany. Founder of Center for International Justice.
Discover this year’s speakers at the Ashoka Changemaker Summit 2021.
2. Hybrid event: the best of both worlds.
After a challenging year shadowed by the Covid pandemic, the 2021 Summit will be hybrid, both in-person and online. This will allow us to combine the best of both worlds. You’ll have the opportunity to access the in-person event in Turin, Italy (only for local residents), or, if it works better for you, have complete access to the full event and networking opportunities online as well.
In addition, you have access to a series of pre-Summit gatherings every Thursday, starting September 30th until November 25th.
See full agenda here.
We have learned about the power of technology to keep the network connected, with 81% of last year's attendees stating that they had a good experience with the Summit’s technology. Rest assured that we will have all safety measures in place to make the in-person event a memorable, comfortable, and safe experience for all attendees.
Read more about how we are protecting and providing the best experience for all changemakers here.
3. Nine global challenges we’ll be addressing collectively.
This year we’re changing things up a bit. We’ll be taking you through a three-month journey, exploring nine core defining themes: Young Changemaking, Planet & Climate, Tech & Humanity, New Longevity, Gender Equity, Health, Migrations, Equity, and Changemaker Companies.
Read more about this year’s themes here!
4. All online content will be free and open.
We’re working to build a resilient, inclusive, and equitable world. This year the Ashoka Changemaker Summit is free online for anyone who would like to attend. Streaming to the online sessions will be open to everyone, while only the wider Ashoka community is invited to attend "behind the scenes" and engage with other attendees.
You’ll meet Ashoka Fellows, business leaders from all industries, young social innovators, Ashoka Support Network members, Ashoka staff, and other leading changemakers.
5. Learn from leading social entrepreneurs.
Who is attending and what can you expect?
- 9 weekly online sessions of inspiration and interaction with other community members from September to November 2021. Details about the sessions available here.
- 300+ social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, business leaders and young changemakers participating online and offline. Roundtables, group chats, interactive networking sessions, and one-on-one conversations.
- 1 day in Turin, Italy of full in-depth, engaging content surrounding this year's 9 Themes. Opportunity to reconnect and work with 300 other members of the Ashoka Italy community.