Solutions Exchange Summit 2018: A Recap
On September 21st & 22nd, our inaugural Solutions Exchange Summit saw 48 Resolution Fellows from 22 countries and 60 MIT Solve Challenge Finalists come together in NYC for an incredible exchange of resources, learnings, and partnerships to create effective solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.
Over 100 participants spent the weekend workshopping skills such as elevator pitches and fundraising, presenting and talking through challenges they’ve faced at Solution Sessions, attending panels, receiving one-on-one coaching, and more, and left the event ready to convert their new relationships and knowledge into real impact.
Here are some highlights from the event:
Opening Remarks and Words of Encouragement
“We’re all here for the same reason. We’re trying to do good, we’re trying to find solutions that work, and we’re trying to get those solutions to those who need them.” Resolution CEO and Co-Founder George Tsiatis kicked off the event by encouraging participants to take advantage of the rare opportunity to connect with their peers, make partnerships, learn from each other, and develop new skills.
The Power of Narrative
“We need to be able to create stories that engage people, that shift the way people think.” Uzodinma Iweala, author of the acclaimed novel Beasts of No Nation, spoke on the power of narrative to transform public perception of marginalized groups.
Panel Session: Coastal Communities
“We need to shift our thinking from reacting to acute events to having strategies for the long term.” Jen Schwartz, Senior Features Editor at Scientific American, moderated a panel on Coastal Communities that discussed strategies for mitigating and adapting to our changing climate. As communities continued to struggle with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence at the time of the event, we were provided with another salient reminder of the potential devastation caused by extreme weather events and the need for forward planning and institutional resiliency.
Panel Session: Frontlines of Health
“How do you build partnerships to think about the frontlines of health from an ecosystem standpoint?” Prabhjot Singh, director of the Arnhold Institute for Global Health, participated in a panel on the Frontlines of Health that stressed the need for partnerships between healthcare providers and trained community members so as to ensure accessible and timely patient care.
Beatbox University with Rahzel
“What you put in, it’s going to be transferable, it’s going to help people all around the world. So keep giving, keep loving, keep moving forward.” Iconic musician Rahzel wowed the audience with his beatboxing skills and words of encouragement during a teambuilding activity.
Fellow Showcase
“We’re trying to ensure that every farmer has access to clean energy to increase their production.” Wyckliffe Aluga (Class 8) introduced us to his venture, Enaccess, as part of the Fellow Showcase, at which each Resolution Fellow had the chance to present their venture to their peers, partners, investors, and the press.
Outcomes and Lessons Learned
“Through the Summit I was able to talk with Camila about her water project in Bolivia because I mentor Engineers Without Borders at Harvard, and we have a project doing water distribution that I’d love to collaborate with her about.” As SolEx drew to a close, Andy Chen (Class 8) took to the stage with six other Fellows to share some of the key takeaways and partnerships that had resulted from the conference.
Urgency, Not Haste
“Urgency is different than a rush. A rush is chaotic, it’s panicked, it moves too fast and loses opportunities out of haste. Urgency is about knowing that you want to get something done and moving the ball every day to make it happen at the right time with the right resources and the right people.” At the culmination of an event ten years in the making, Oliver Libby reminded the audience of the need to retain your sense of drive but never to sacrifice the quality of your impact for the sake of impatience.
We were thrilled by the success of our first-ever SolEx and are excited to continue bringing new opportunities for exchange, learning, and partnering, to the members of our community.
