All hands on deck..together. Reflections on SWF
Standing between Project Dandelion Foundesr, Pat Mitchell and Ronda Carneige. Embracing the moment with fierce determination and playfulness
It feels a little like the ground is shifting. This may be because, for three days at the Skoll World Forum in Oxford, I was surrounded by the change makers and dreamers, artists and activists, who are committed to tackling climate change and the inequities of our world, and, increasingly, are recognizing the need to do this together. As former Irish president, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and now chair of The Elders, Mary Robinson said,, “it’s not enough to be doing it alone any more, and thinking, ‘I’m making my contribution’. No, we’ve got to connect. And we’ve got to know our power. And then we've got to shift the money.” Mary Robinson is a co-founder of Project Dandelion, which, if you have been following my posts here, you will know I am an active supporter of. Project Dandelion is inspired by the beautiful, resilient, undaunted weed whose seeds our children tell the time on. Project Dandelion is woman led and a call for women across the world, no matter where you are and who you are, to raise your voices for immediate and meaningful climate action. We know how counterproductive dispersed efforts are in tackling climate change. We need to see collaboration, cross pollination, and a climate movement that extends beyond the climate community.
At Skoll, the Dandelions were out, and their message was clear: The time for radical collaboration is now. This call to action was echoed throughout the forum and it was heartening to see. I am a long-time advocate for a collaborative approach. I was an early partner of Co-Impact, a global philanthropic collaborative focused on health, education and livelihood and gender equity, and recently joined the +1 Global Fund, a collaborative platform initiated by the Roddenberry Foundation, which seeks out and strengthens change makers in oft overlooked communities in the global south, and funds them.
The philanthropic community is finally waking up to the critical role indigenous communities play, in fighting climate change, and this was reflected in the programming at Skoll this year. Indigenous communities were front and center, and their philosophy was given the platform they deserve, for they hold the wisdom we must all learn from and support in any way we can. Indigenous communities are the stewards of our world. Eighty-two percent of the world’s biodiversity is protected by just 5% of the world’s population, and they are under attack like never before. It was sobering to hear their accounts of activists murdered, maimed and terrorized, all because they are fighting to protect our shared planet’s most important ecosystems - for us.
None of this is new. We have known for a long time that we need to collaborate in order to address the challenges we face. We know too, that those who are on the ground, literally on the frontlines of the climate crisis, have the local knowledge that is invaluable in times like this. We need to stop talking and start acting. This is a pivotal moment for our planet. The urgency is clear and obvious. It is inherent on those of us who can, to do what we can to ensure that those on the frontlines have what they need to right this world. This is no time for egos. This is the time for collective and radical collaboration.
This is the time for all hands on deck. Together.
