Redefining Love in Social Impact Work
Insights from Global Change-Makers at #SkollWF
Explore additional insights from our comprehensive conference coverage of the 2024 Skoll World Forum.
This session at the 2024 Skoll World Forum explored the role of love as a guiding principle and strategic approach in social impact work. The speakers challenged the misconception that love is passive or avoids accountability, instead defining it as an action-oriented approach to social change that encompasses service, compassion, and a strong desire to alleviate suffering. By sharing their experiences and insights, they demonstrated how love can serve as both a guiding value and a source of energy for social impact work.
Moderated by Tulaine Montgomery, CEO of New Profit, the session featured three remarkable speakers: Brianna Fruean, activist and leader of the Pacific Climate Warriors; Christine Schuler Deschryver, DR Congo Director of V-DAY & Director, Co-Founder of City of Joy; and Fernando Travesí, Executive Director of the International Center for Transitional Justice.
Key Takeaways
Operationalizing Love Within Organizations
Operationalizing love within organizations involves centering humanity, accommodating staff needs, and embedding love into strategic planning. The speakers emphasized that allowing ample timelines for evaluation, community input, and clarity on success definitions can help hold people accountable with love and can lead to more resilient and sustainable models for systemic change.
Modeling and Spreading Love
Another crucial insight was the power of modeling and spreading love. Brianna Fruean shared how she uses her privilege to advocate for the equitable distribution of love and resources in her Samoan community. By creating a culture of belonging and breaking down love into actionable components, social impact leaders can inspire others to embrace love as a transformative force.
Love as a Catalyst for Healing and Empowerment
Christine Schuler Deschryver’s work at City of Joy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo provided a poignant example of the challenges and rewards of leading with love. Despite the trauma endured by the women she serves, Christine emphasized the importance of seeing the good in every person and uplifting them with love. Her story serves as a reminder that even in the most difficult circumstances, love can be a catalyst for healing and empowerment.
Self-Reflection and Addressing Privileged “Savior Complexes”
Fernando Travesí, drawing from his experience at the International Center for Transitional Justice, highlighted the significance of self-reflection and addressing privileged “savior complexes” in human rights work. By embodying love and compassion, social impact leaders can create more authentic and effective partnerships with the communities they serve.
Embodying Love to Reimagine Just and Sustainable Systems
Perhaps the most important message from the session was the idea that embodying love is necessary to reimagine and create more just, peaceful, and sustainable systems. Tulaine Montgomery pointed to neuroscience research suggesting that humans are wired for connection and social behavior, underscoring the importance of love in social change.
Call to Action
By incorporating love and compassion into our core values and strategies, we can support organizations that prioritize staff well-being, community input, and equitable resource distribution. Moreover, by embracing love as a guiding principle, we can contribute to building a world that is more resilient, just, and sustainable.
Featured Speakers
- Brianna Fruean, Activist, Pacific Climate Warriors
- Christine Schuler Deschryver, DR Congo Director of V-DAY & Director, Co-Founder of City of Joy
- Fernando Travesí, Executive Director, International Center for Transitional Justice
- Tulaine Montgomery (Moderator) CEO, New Profit, Inc.
Learn More
Watch this session in its entirety and explore additional #SkollWF 2024 sessions on the organization’s YouTube channel.
Our StartingUpGood team believes that events and conferences are great places to learn, share ideas, and innovate. We are committed to using our innovative tech tools to share key insights and learnings from top conferences. This article uses Otter.ai to create transcripts and various LLMs to generate content summaries. All work is hand-checked for quality.
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