SUNconference: Social Economy for Ukraine

On May 17–24, 2023, we held SUNconference: Social Economy for Ukraine — an innovative online conference where over 40 social entrepreneurs, foundations, policymakers, and activists came together to discuss and collaborate on the social economy in Ukraine. The conference also served as a platform for fundraising scholarships for young leaders engaged in projects supporting Ukrainians with work opportunities, employment, and social economy development.

The conference explored the challenges and opportunities created by the war's impact and mass migration, building upon the research "How to Create Better Labor Market Conditions for Migrant Ukrainians" conducted by the Future of Work team. Social Economy is about thinking beyond profit — measuring success based on People, Planet, and Profit. It's an economic model that prioritizes social and environmental objectives, formed by cooperatives, mutuals, associations, foundations, and social enterprises sharing common values.

Using an open space format, participants co-created the agenda and actively shaped the event. Attendees proposed webinars, workshops, networking sessions, and project showcases. Although unconferences are typically held in person, this event was conducted online via Zoom, connecting participants from across different locations.

Sessions covered social projects and social entrepreneurship, coordination and leadership, AI as a public good, Web3 for the social economy, the future of Ukraine's image in the world, mental health, coaching for business and NGO leaders, international communication for post-victory Ukraine, Ukrainian resistance art, charter cities, and platforms for connecting people with work — among others.

The conference had targeted goals for each stakeholder group. Social entrepreneurs focused on team development, talent attraction, cost optimization, and reputation building. Policy makers aimed to learn about key industry players and ideas for post-war transition. NGOs and foundations sought new partners and grantees, while activists worked on connecting with potential donors and securing funding opportunities.

Key outputs included new network connections between participants — notably a partnership with Social Economy Ukraine to build a database of SE organizations. Communication skills like facilitation, engagement, presentation, and conflict resolution improved among the team and participants. Mental health support was provided for several activists, and a number of social economy projects became ready for incubation.

Participants praised the diversity of topics and people, the unconference format's ability to discuss multiple topics within hours, the drive and energy of the group, and the networking matches between people. It took 2 months and approximately 250 hours total to prepare — not including the conference itself.