The Story
Hello, we’re inviting you to the SUN UNconference (SUNconference) that would happen online Apr - May, 2023, and would gather 100+ participants from the public and private sectors in order to
- Advance the state of intelligence, connections and other resources between teams working on the leadership in employment, youth empowerment, and Ukraine war relief (SDG 8)
- Fundraise scholarships for the young leaders doing projects supporting Ukraine and Ukrainians with work opportunities, employment and social economy.
We are Support Ukraine Now (SUN) – a community of Ukrainian and international activists. Our mission is to engage the network of leaders in supporting Ukraine. We work on providing the most effective help to Ukraine, in immediate response and rebuilding, by enabling foreigners (individuals and organizations) to help.
Since the start of the war we’ve united many initiatives, among them:
- Future of Work – initiative since 2020 researching the trends affecting work ~inclusivity, migration, mental health and mobile economy
- SUN Leaders Program – is a community program that unleashes leadership via fellowship and scholarship to local activists working on the crisis relief and SDG goals in Ukraine.
SUNconference Experience
Topic: Social Economy for Ukraine
Last year the “Future of Work” team prepared research on the key challenges and opportunities created by the war impact and mass migration. It was based on interviews with Ukrainian women, business initiatives, desk research and participation in conferences (like forums in Davos). Now after a year of the war, we’d like to review the best practices for dissemination as well as the gaps that still require attention.
What is an UNconference?
Unconference is a non-traditional event that has an open agenda and allows participants to co-create its format. The agenda is created by the attendees at the beginning of the program. Anyone who wants to initiate a discussion on a topic or any activity can claim a time and a space.
While Unconferences are usually real-life gatherings, our Unconference will take place in several sessions over Zoom. Nearest event – is our warm up and introduction meetup on Apr 4, 2-4 pm CET, 2023. Feel free to propose your ideas for the agenda (in our registration form) or ask questions in our WhatsApp group (link to be sent after the registration).
What are the goals?
For businesses
- Retain, support and develop current teams
- Get more great applicants to positions
- Optimize costs and time
- Develop strategic intelligence in the space
- Develop reputation / employer brand
- Talk to UA gov. officials directly
For governments
- Get to know key players in the industry
- Learn ideas for better policymaking during the post-war transition
- Meet future policymakers
- Get UA and foreign organizations familiar with your current and future policies
For NGOs and foundations
- Meet potential partners and grantees
- Brush up on frameworks and approaches
- Get insights on Ukraine
- Extend your ecosystem and systems thinking
For activists
- Elevate understanding of donors’ approaches to your topic of interest
- Get introduced to potential donors
- Cooperate with other leaders for your projects
- Obtain work and funding opportunities for your communities
- Let the government officials know about social issues and weak spots
What is the format
- Webinars and workshops – propose a session and activity you’d like to organize through the form
- Networking – we’ll have some mixers and activities to boost connections
- Project Showcase – pitch your project and get feedback
- Don’t limit your imagination! You can host games or any fun activities that you think could lead to reaching the goals of this program
How to contribute?
✅ Engage as you like – there would be a bunch of different events and opportunities with recaps and reminders for your comfort
🎁 Give first – let’s practice gift economy, propose the agenda, coach and support your peers
👩🏽🏫 Be open – there’s an abundance of good ideas if you’re ready to take or give
🙏 Praise - Acknowledge all kinds of contributions to this program and our community
💭 Provide your thoughts – we are open to feedback and suggestions