A Bureaucracy of Action: Community, Scale, Movement

This session will be streamed live. Register here to watch on 15 June.

In this programme we will examine how community, scale, and movement can work as a call to action to create collaborative networks and promote innovative public policies. Our speakers will share their experiences of community-focused work and demonstrate how it can bring significant change to the functioning of employment, the environment, and the relationship between public servants, governments and wider society. This session promises to be an opportunity to explore real-life stories of how community-led initiatives can create transformative impacts. Through their experiences, our speakers will showcase the power of collective action and how it can be harnessed to create meaningful change. Join us for a panel of international trailblazers who have brought inspiring change to their societies.

Talk 1: From Local Action to Global Networks: Catalysing Collective Change

How do you catalyse action on today’s most complex problems? In this presentation, you’ll hear how Ayni – an initiative advancing collaborative systems innovation in 120+ cities across Latin America and Africa – has created a new organizational model for change where everyone has a role to play.

Ayni is a joint initiative of four organizations (RIL – Local Innovation Network, Ashoka, Vía educación, and Colab). Named after the Quechua word, ayni, which means reciprocity, the initiative seeks to unlock transformational change by convening and supporting city collaboratives via a new organizational model. Convinced that public challenges are not the exclusive responsibility of any single sector, Ayni builds change networks in cities, bringing together local governments, social entrepreneurs, citizens, and other actors to design collective strategies with long-term impact.

In this presentation, hear how Ayni’s groundbreaking approach supports local change actors to solve pressing challenges in their cities – to date, more than 600 social entrepreneurs and local government leaders in 30 countries.

Speakers: Candelaria Yanzi, Linda Peia

Talk 2: #FreetownTheTreeTown: A Community-Driven Tree-Planting Revolution

In this presentation, senior advisor to the Mayor of Freetown Eric Hubbard will share the community-driven tree-planting revolution taking place in Sierra Leone’s capital.

Against the backdrop of population expansion and rapid urbanization, the Freetown City Council co-designed with climate vulnerable communities across the city the #FreetownTheTreeTown campaign to plant, digitally track and grow 1 million trees by 2023—an effort that would increase the city’s vegetation cover by 50%.

Having hit this goal, the city now has its sights set on scaling its ecosystem-based climate adaptation approach with a new target: an additional 5 to 10 million trees!

By using blended sources of finance and digital innovation, Freetown has developed a sustainable financing model for urban nature-based solutions that can be replicated in other under-resourced cities. Hubbard shares advice for peers in other cities to increase canopy cover, green infrastructure, and community-led climate action.

Speaker: Eric Hubbard

Talk 3: Power to the People: 53,000 Public Servants Transformed in Brazil

In the context of a political environment characterised by polarisation and low trust in government institutions, LA-BORA! gov, a learning and innovation lab within the Brazilian government, aims to leverage the principles of behavioural science to enhance the public servant experience.

By fostering a new approach to public service, the lab strives to strengthen the connection between civil servants and redefine the relationship between government and employees, resulting in public value for society. Their reach since launching in 2020? 53,000 public servants – and counting.

Utilising techniques such as experimentation, human-centred design, and capacity building, the team at LA-BORA! gov works to build trust, promote positive emotions, and encourage collaboration in the workplace, ultimately leading to improved performance and accountability.

Join us in supporting public servants as they become a driving force for a more responsive and inclusive government.

Speaker: Luana Faria

Talk 4: One Million Jobs (and Counting!): South Africa’s Social Employment Story

This presentation explores the success of South Africa’s Presidential Employment Stimulus, which has reached one million South Africans. This initiative is a crucial step towards tackling unemployment and poverty in the country – where the unemployment rate among unskilled youth currently stands at a staggering 55%.

Through social employment, the government is providing opportunities for those who have been historically excluded from the labour market. By creating job opportunities in sectors such as education, health, and social services, the Presidential Employment Stimulus is addressing critical social needs while simultaneously providing employment and training opportunities.

Despite the success of the programme, it is not yet a priority for many. In this presentation, learn why this is the case, how such barriers could be removed, and the powerful of social employment in creating meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities for marginalized communities.

Speaker: Kate Philip

This is a Mainstage event, where guests can attend keynote speeches, lectures, and project presentations.