Creating shared purpose and local impact
Notes from the SingularityU London Chapter
After taking the Executive Program at Singularity University in July 2015, I was awakened to some eye-opening truths:
- Accelerating technology is poised to reshape humanity within a few short decades.
- Disruption and change are the new normal.
- The future is waiting to be invented and doesn’t discriminate
However, upon returning home, I found myself struggling to continue these conversations. People around me were generally fearful of change, drawn to stability and preferred the future to be created by someone else.
So after a year of stop-start conversations, it was refreshing to see the launch of the SingularityU Chapters. Chapters are local communities created by Singularity University alumni with the purpose of continuing this education and learning about exponential technologies and the positive impact they can have. There are already more than 60 chapters around the world with each one holding events, talks, and education programs to inspire change.
Purpose, challenges and execution
We started the London Chapter in January 2016 after consulting with three other Chapters. One thing they all encouraged were spirited conversations enabling small, committed groups to form, where the gifts of each person were acknowledged and valued by the community.
In London, we’ve now assembled a core team of volunteers (a mixture of alumni and non-alumni) who self-organise around event creation and help launch community events. The team formed a ‘why’ statement describing the spirit of the local events that they wished to run.
‘Our Why’
We stand for ‘Education, Entrepreneurship and Empowerment’ to create impact in the world. We will measure our success by how we inspire the creation of ‘Impact Organisations’ that can shape the lives of 1 billion people in 10 years time.
Like many volunteer organisations, we are learning how to deal with the multiple challenges of:
- Time — Most core team members have full time jobs and limited time to devote to community building
- Reward — Building community is hard work, and honestly there is often little recognition. How do we attract and retain members who are inspired by service?
- Commitment — How do we deepen the commitment of community members, given the constraints of time and reward?
What we recognize is the need to ensure people are always growing, learning, connecting, and expanding their networks whilst being close to a strong and achievable purpose. Indeed, one of the greatest rewards for volunteering is the depth and intimacy of connections that are created through the events. The SingularityU network of changemakers, investors, entrepreneurs and purposeful leaders is already running into the hundreds of thousands globally and growing every day.
In the next nine months we’ll be holding nine events, six SingularityU dinners, and three salons. We’d love for you to sign up to our newsletter, join the SingularityU London Facebook group or apply to become a speaker or sponsor of our events. In addition we are looking for help from inspired and committed volunteers that are action oriented and service led.
We’d also love to hear your comments on strategies you’ve used to successfully build binding communities. What learnings could you share with us?
