FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                      FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tuesday, June 10, 2008                    Kimberly@thepeacecompany.com

 

The Power of Teams and Global Action Networks
A Report from Bonn, Germany

Last week, I had the opportunity to travel to Bonn and participate in my 2nd round of meetings with Leaders and Communication Directors from Global Action Networks around the world. I am writing to share a few highlights from this forum as relates to Sophia Circles, the Sophia Conference, and the journey to Bulgaria and beyond.

Overview: The Global Action Network is an esteemed community of leaders, researchers, funders and other stakeholders who are committed to developing networks and systems that serve the public good. GAN participants also collaborate to advance the collective influence of action networks to improve social, economic, and environmental outcomes worldwide. Examples of Global Action Networks which are part of this coalition include:

• The Global Compact
• Global Health Initiative
  
• Global Education Initiative
  
• Global Aids Initiative
  
• Global Water Partnership
  
• Global Climate Initiative
  
• Global Reporting Initiative
  
• World Economic Forum
  
• Global Youth Action Network
  
• MicroCredit Summit Campaign
  
• Indigenous Peoples International
  
• World Conservation Union
  
• CARE International
  
• ...and more

Twenty-eight representatives converged in Bonn; from Brazil, Costa Rica, South Africa, Europe, North America and Asia.The purpose of our meeting was to:

A. Share overviews of our strategic marketing plans.

B. Discuss challenges and best practices of going from local to global.

C. Explore opportunities to collaborate on behalf of a better world.

Sophia Circles, which is an Interfaith Global Action Network, is among the newest and youngest members of the GAN community. (I was invited to consult with the network in June 2007. In Nov 2007, Sophia Circles was invited to the first Geneva Summit.) Our goal as new members is to leverage key learnings from the more established organizations and to form strategic alliances across geographies and across global issues.

As part of this meeting and ongoing consulting, I focused my presentations on three primary themes:

I. How to host and sustain a global dialogue:
"Collaborative Conversations that Can Change Our World ©"

II. The Power of Global Teams:
"How The Women's World Media Alliance Combines Communication and Collaboration to Co-Create a Win-Win World"

III. "The Feminine Factor: Women and Girls as the Strategic Lens for Assessing,
Addressing and Transforming ALL Global Issues"

(Note: as requested, White Papers, and other publications on these topics will be available for distribution soon.)

Our primary mission is to amplify awareness of the unique needs, challenges and contributions of women and girls worldwide, and to catalyze a deeper commitment throughout the entire Global Action Network. A number of GANs have already expressed an interest to cooperate with Sophia Circles and Sophia 2010 in the areas of Global Communication; film, radio and video content and broadcasting; local and global conversation cafes; International Partnerships, and more.

In summary, I'd like to share a few universal observations and confirmations from these meetings:

1. ALL Networks, regardless of size and budget, are still learning how to use Web 2.0 tools and technologies (such as content and data mgmt systems, blogs, web- conferencing, etc.) consistently and effectively across their organizations.
   
   
2. ALL Networks face similar challenges in the areas of multi-language translation, inconsistency of access to communications systems in developed versus developing countries, rural versus urban areas, and all must use a multi-faceted approach to content creation and communication.
   
   
3. ALL Networks face daily challenges to ensure broad inclusion of all voices and true democratic participation; and all face similar challenges to ours re: understanding and meeting the needs of diverse, multi-stakeholder constituencies.
   
   
4. ALL Networks report that internal communication is equally a challenge, sometimes more so than external communication. Most stated off record that internal politics and related issues are the norm, even among the most conscious and advanced orgs. Most sited a lack of authentic listening, leadership's unwillingness to allow in or embrace those with differing perspectives and the network's inability to work through disagreements in a transparent and mutually responsible way as one of the most serious "communication issues" affecting the success of key initiatives.
   
   
5. All networks plan to use advanced multimedia and networking technologies more extensively over the next twelve months.
   
   
6. Most face budget challenges, especially in the area of communication and marketing.
   
   
7. Most voice a degree of legal and ethical trepidation regarding list-sharing and admit to "competitive issues" even within the Global Action space. Nevertheless, most are willing to search for common ground and find joint-projects on which to collaborate.

Our next GAN meeting is on "Strategy, Structure and Governance" and will be held at The Hague in August 2008.

Kimberly King
CoFounder - Sophia Circles Global Action Network
CoChair - Global Communication and Media Circle

Sophia (Action) Circles - strategic overview
www.sophia2010.org/circles.html

Sophia Communication - Strategic overview
www.sophia2010.org/communications.html

Sophia Circles (sister site - under development)
www.sophiacircles.org 

Kimberly King