Goals and aspirations for a new decade

Dear friends,

All the best for 2020 — the dawn of a decade beckons new goals and aspirations.

It may only be the turning of a page on the calendar, but it’s also the start of a new decade — and each decade has its signature meaning, whether it’s the ominous 2000’s defined by 9/11 or our happier playlists defined with music of the 70’s, 80’s and on.

2020 invites all of us to place our signature meanings on the decade through our goals and aspirations for the 2020s. I’d like to share mine.

But first let’s return ten years ago to the eve of the 2010s and what our goals and aspirations were in the DOT network. We had our feet on the ground, and through our programs we were advocating for the leadership and inclusion of youth and young women — our vision was for healthier communities through youth leading responsible social and economic change. We were practicing collaboration and demonstrating the power of partnership across public, private and civil society sectors. We were first in our sector to use digital, not for the thrill of technology, but to animate human potential and amplify meaningful livelihoods. We were embracing innovation and its risks.

Through the decade DOT shifted from program delivery to leadership of a youth-led movement — and DOT enters the next decade committed to systems change fuelled by the oxygen and institutional trust in our signature programs. We witnessed the world adopt the Sustainable Development Goals with their sweeping emphases that include poverty alleviation, quality education, gender equality, economic growth through decent livelihoods, sustainable communities and partnerships — a reassuring echo of DOT’s mantra.

In 2020 we find ourselves at the centre of the agenda that might very well define the actions that are required to protect humanity.

Against a background of political division and international conflicts that defy common sense, I am cheered by the exhortations of responsible minds. The Archbishop of Canterbury calls for a decade of human reconnection to confront the current fragmentations; former UK ambassador Tom Fletcher calls for responsible renewal and foresees women playing a more prominent role within an international appetite for a new style of leadership; the Pew Centre calls for responsible decisions to govern our partnership with technology — an internet of humans and not just things; Kyle Westaway documents the Business Roundtable’s advocacy to its members to invest in their people, to serve with ethics, to support communities and to innovate for long-term value; the world celebrates Greta Thunberg, a young woman leading change. Hear, hear.

And so, on the eve of the 2020s and as our imaginations shift to 2030, I hope you will share my goals, aspirations and priorities to focus on: people connecting and coming together to creatively and collectively face and overcome their challenges; creating the next generation of social leaders with young women at the forefront of responsible change, demonstrating the catalytic effect of leadership; building socially responsible careers and livelihoods and resulting healthy communities; demonstrating technology in the hands of people, not people in the jaws of AI; and creating pathways for purpose-led business to contribute to this systems change.

The 2010’s have led the world down paths that unfortunately defy responsible logic. The 2020s beckon the corrections that can define a 2030 vision of renewal — but only within a spirit of togetherness. We at DOT will continue to play our role.

All the best for 2020 — and beyond,

Janet