Here at PledgeMe, we’ve been thinking a lot about how to make an impact outside the confines of what we do every day to help people fund the things they care about. We see a need to help grow and strengthen a network of people working in and with social enterprises across Aotearoa. We believe bringing together 100 people for a weekend unconference is a great way to grow those seeds of collaboration and build a stronger future together.
What will the weekend look like? Most of that is up to the attendees. We will all convene in the late afternoon on Friday 15 February 2019 and make our way to Matau Marae in Levin to be formally welcomed. On Sunday afternoon, we’ll gather again to close and thank the marae for their hospitality. What happens in between is up to you.
After dinner on Friday evening, we’ll start building our agenda. Everyone can pitch ideas for discussions they’d like to have or topics they’d like to cover. Those with similar topics will be paired up to co-facilitate their sessions. Nothing is off the table – anything from measuring meaningful impact to building a strong team to mental health to identifying local plants to what you’re reading lately to working with the nonprofit and community sector.
From there, we’ll assemble all the proposed sessions into a schedule for the weekend – then it’s up to each attendee to shape their own experience. The beauty of an unconference is you can bring your whole self, not just your business self. We’ll wear pyjamas and stay up late scheming, and share our fears and failures alongside our successes. What’s said in the room stays in the room.
Sessions run all day Saturday and through lunch on Sunday, with plenty of transition time, tea breaks, snacks, and meals in between to give you time to digest and continue the conversations. The tamariki attending will have a weekend full of activities, and parents are welcome to pop in and out to visit.
Unlike traditional conferences, unconferences set a collaborative tone from the outset by not having featured speakers, presentations, or set agendas. We believe everyone has something to teach and something to learn, no matter who we are or how long we’ve been working in the social enterprise space. Sessions run concurrently to give everyone space to bond and share in smaller groups. You’re free to come and go as you please, so if you’re not getting what you expected out of a session, curious about another, or just need a break, take one. If you’re torn between two sessions, try the one you know the least about. We leave a few sessions empty in the latter half of the schedule so there’s space to explore new topics that come up.
The Social Enterprise Unconference is an opportunity for us to share, learn, collaborate, think, dream, and grow together. We want everyone to leave full of new ideas, friends, and connections to help us build a fairer and more equitable Aotearoa, together.
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More information on The Social Enterprise Unconference 2019
To express your interest in attending, please click here. We might have a few spots opening up in the new year and we’d love to have you there!
Accessibility plan | Code of Conduct
