Festival Highlights in Numbers
25 Events
from trauma-informed healing to decolonizing philanthropy, collaborative leadership to network mapping, and much more.
By 105 Co-Hosts & Storytellers
aka “speakers” – but in festival spirit, we don’t call them that anymore!
With 600+ Attendees
representing networks and countries from across the globe
Sharing 120 offers, 130 passions & 110 needs
in the dynamic offers and needs marketplace
Celebrating Our Festival Stars 🌟🎉
Each year, the symphony of creativity at the Networks Festival happens thanks to the dedication of many wonderful people. 🎶🌟
We’d be remiss if we didn’t personally thank these fantastic folks for their time, passion, and dedication to curating a rich and dynamic festival.
So, without further ado, thank you to:
The Festival Composers, for offering your delicious recipes in the kitchen of creativity 🥗✨
Amanda, Arohi, Brian, Carla, Carol, Devon, Euan, Fabienne, Heather, Isma, Lauren, Michel
The Festival Cheerleaders, for helping craft the invites and bringing new friends to the party 🎉💌
Abi, Craig, Curtis, Eva, Eva, Fabian, Harun, Ila, Isis, Kavita, Lucy, Mandy, Mandy, Marie, Maricela, Pete, Ross, Sofia
The Fito Learning Architects and Fito Facilitators, for setting the stage and composing the background music 🎵🎤
Alícia, Dan, Dominic, Fash, Harun, Jannik, Kavya, Kennedy, Melissa, Michelle, Mubarak, Nono, Tiago
Festival Event Co-hosts and Storytellers, for your melodies of wisdom and for being the first to dance! 🗣️💃🏾
You know who you are, too many to mention!
The Fito Coordination and Weaving Team, for being the masterful party planners, ensuring the celebration flows seamlessly 🥂🎈
Beverly, Adrian, Carolina, Naka, Edna, Brendon
And, to YOU: for bringing your genuine selves, your joyful smiles, your pets, kids, baggage – and your unshakable belief that we can create a brighter tomorrow together 💖
What is the Networks Festival?
Across a whole month, thousands of people from around the world came together both online and offline to deepen our understanding of how we leverage relationships to transform our world – and practice doing it together.
The networks festival is a mixture of exhibitions, interactive workshops, local field trips, and collaborative games all about how we amplify social change through networks.
With network leaders, funders, governments, and changemakers, we shared cutting-edge strategies and tools, amplified stories demonstrating network's extraordinary power to achieve social change, and fostered new connections to nourish longer-term exchange and collaboration.
Why a Networks Festival?
1
1000's of networks around the globe are driving deep, systemic change
Every day, we experience their impacts across governments, companies, civil society, and academia.
2
There is an incredible wealth of experience on how networks can (and do) change our world
The impact networks field has made great strides – and there are a plethora of tools and approaches to support this work.
3
But the vast majority of networks are underfunded, disconnected & misunderstood
Stories remain untold. Tools and techniques are not commonly known. And funding remains scarce.
The networks festival leverages our deep trove of knowledge and experience to strengthen practice, increase much-needed funding and support, foster new cross-network collaborations for systemic change.
Who is the Festival For?
Anyone curious about how we can amplify collaborative innovation through movements, cooperatives, networks, and community-action groups, including:
Leaders & Coordinators
of movements, networks & cooperatives looking to mature their change strategies
Funders & Governments
seeking to spark and scale systemic change change around the globe
Curious Changemakers
eager to leverage relationships for deep social change
Changemaking through Play
In our experience, some of the most meaningful social change happens when people have fun together.
By centering "play", the Networks Festival:
→ Sparks imagination around new ways of living and working
→ Connects us across diverse cultures and contexts
→ Breaks down barriers around power and equity
→ Brings joy, celebration, and fun!
Playful Formats at the Festival
hands-on learning network skills and techniques
Workshops
Zone
movements, networks & funders discover what is possible together
Obstacle Courses
collaborative spaces to shift more funding to networks
Pitch
Tent
intimate sharing of perspectives and ideas
Bonfire
Circles
interactive displays of relational-based technologies
Tech
Corner
pauses for individual and collective care