Posted by student ASHLEY DAVIS – During the past few weeks my classmates have finished classes for the semester, moved out of their houses and apartments and got last minute shots and visas. Meanwhile, I have just finished my fourth week working with the Tällberg Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. It has been an odd experience to watch the end of the semester from afar as my classmates are anticipating their projects and the possibilities that lie ahead, and I am completely engrossed in the middle of my project in Stockholm, Sweden.
I am helping plan the Tällberg Forum, an annual gathering of 450 leaders from around the world from both the public and private sectors. Leaders from NGOs to government officials to social entrepreneurs will gather in the beautiful village of Tällberg, Sweden at the end of June for four days of reflection, conversation and workshops centered on the theme, “How on earth can we live together?”
We are directly in the middle of the planning process for the forum and just returned from spending two days in Tällberg focused completely on setting timelines and tasks for the weeks ahead. There is a lot to do, but the Tällberg Foundation staff is an extremely dedicated team, and I have been constantly inspired by their dedication to the forum and to finding ways to address the converging crises that we, as humankind, are facing in the economic, social and environmental arenas.
As for my personal responsibilities, I am working with two foundation staff members to plan and execute the series of workshops that take place during the forum. We are planning more than 50 workshops to take place during the Saturday and Sunday of the programme and about 10 seminars to set the stage for the converging crises on Friday.
Members of the Tällberg network will be bringing their projects, their current thinking and their questions to put on the table and, most importantly, to talk about from a systems perspective. These conversations spark creativity, partnerships, innovative ideas and often even more questions to take home after the forum. Currently, we have many exciting topics being covered, including discussions on forestry, petro-politics and the road to Copenhagen, just to name a few.
It feels like I have been here much longer than four weeks! I have settled in to my routine and can see the outcome of my work and my colleagues’ work, the Tällberg Forum, quickly approaching. It has been a wonderful experience so far, and I can’t wait to see it all come together at the end of June.
Ashley Davis in the village of Tällberg, Sweden, 3.5 hours north of Stockholm.
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