Activating Ecosystems: Soularize
How does a loose collection of people transform into a tighter, more aligned community? How do we activate an ecosystem? This is one of the central questions that drives our work – No matter the topic, the task almost always calls for a group of people to align even closer around a shared vision, strategy, or goal.
In late 2022, we were invited into a collaboration with Ashoka, CoCreative, and Soularize to catalyze a new ecosystem of “spiritual changemakers” — a mix of people who were trying to innovate within and around faith institutions AND, more generally, people who use spirituality as a source of their changemaking in the world.
Within several months, we convened a design and delivery team, and then facilitated Soularize in May 2023, a 3-day intensive in California that allowed a group of global spiritual changemakers to connect around six common cause areas: 1) Climate & Planet, 2) Empowering Youth as Changemakers, 3) Equity, 4) Future & Faith, 5) Migration, and 6) New Longevity/Social Engagement Across the Lifespan.
By the end, Soularize connected 130 spiritual changemakers from over 20 countries to each other, created conditions for them to build a common agenda, and laid the foundation for individual and collective action and infrastructure to keep the fires burning. The gathering became a story of the power of intentional ecosystems to foster the medicines of connection, reconciliation, and aligned action.
Following the event, participants shared the following insights and reflections:
- “So good to be around people that you know are trying to create a world and shape the world in a way that sees the sacredness of each human being.”
- “I got in touch with the wounds that we all had and de-centered myself so a true reconciliation could occur.”
- “How can we be the change that is needed in the world? How can we lead?”
So, what does it take to activate an ecosystem of leaders? Soularize became a great example of some of the key ingredients which include:
- a willing group of weavers,
- a dedication to designing around both the deep questions and the logistical details, and
- a surrender to the unknown as we welcome the future
Learn more and see a short video about the journey of Soularize participants here. With these seeds of learning, we are excited to continue seeing what sprouts and what else gets planted in the ripples of our collective work. Learn more about the broader movement of Spiritual Changemakers and watch a brief video highlighting the essence of spiritual changemaking here.