Inequity in global leadership

Together, these leaders catalyze meaningful change around the world

130 Fellows, 7 global Atlantic programs

130 Fellows from all seven global Atlantic programs participated. Over four days in July 2019, 130 Fellows from all seven global Atlantic programs participated in the inaugural annual Convening of Atlantic Fellows in Oxford. The event focused on catalytic conversations in leadership and equity with the overarching goal of Fellows making meaningful connections across their diverse cultures, languages and disciplines.

The Spark

Atlantic Fellows are united in their pursuit of equity, yet each holds different views and visions on how to change the world. They are profoundly diverse.

It is a level of diversity that resides on the cusp between complexity and chaos. This cusp is the space where, by shifting diversity to inclusion and belonging, the impossible is made possible – that is where the magic happens in forging a committed community of changemakers.

"One of the most profound things that I heard this week so far has been ‘define or be defined.’ I think what we have at Atlantic is an opportunity to redefine ourselves, our community, what it is we stand for and what it is we hope to accomplish collectively."

Toyese Oyeyemi, Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity US + Global

Call to Action

This was the first time that the Fellows, each of whom had graduated one of the seven programs, had come together to connect, learn from and with each other to ultimately begin the process of working collaboratively for greater impact in the world. This heralded the initial steps in building the community that will, through collaboration and over time, create fairer, healthier and more equitable societies.

"I think the biggest thing is the value of relationships. There would never be an opportunity to meet with changemakers of this calibre from all over the world. You just couldn’t create this. We are having this feast of ideas and connections and relationships that have fueled my spirit and I think will continue to do that for a long time to come."

Michael Smith, Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity

The Initiatives

The keynote speakers were suggested by attending Fellows and were intentionally reflective of the community’s diversity and for the community to be challenged by leading thinkers:

Professor Gurminder Bhambra (University of Sussex) – History Matters: Inequalities, Reparation and Redistribution
Professor Brian Lawlor (GBHI) – Dementia: Changing the Narrative from Tragedy to Hope
Dr Kumi Naidoo (Amnesty International) – Creative Maladjustment: Affluenza and Converging Crisis
The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi (MIT, United States) – Artificial Intelligence and Ethics

Afterwards, these thought-provoking speakers also took part in conversations with a panel of Fellows to expand their thinking and offer new paradigms through dialogue.

The Initiatives

The keynote speakers were suggested by attending Fellows and were intentionally reflective of the community’s diversity and for the community to be challenged by leading thinkers:

Professor Gurminder Bhambra (University of Sussex) – History Matters: Inequalities, Reparation and Redistribution
Professor Brian Lawlor (GBHI) – Dementia: Changing the Narrative from Tragedy to Hope
Dr Kumi Naidoo (Amnesty International) – Creative Maladjustment: Affluenza and Converging Crisis
The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi (MIT, United States) – Artificial Intelligence and Ethics

Afterwards, these thought-provoking speakers also took part in conversations with a panel of Fellows to expand their thinking and offer new paradigms through dialogue.

The Scale

The strength of the connections made and friendships forged over the four days resulted in the birth of several Affinity Groups, in which like-minded Fellows from all continents joined forces to address a burning issue. They were naturally drawn to work together by a common desire and conviction to bring equity to their chosen challenge, be it Criminal Justice, Displacement of Migrants and Refugee Populations, or Sleep and Cognition.

The Global Convening of Fellows marked a significant milestone in the building and growth of the Atlantic Fellows community, providing a catalyst towards realising the goal of fairer, healthier, more inclusive societies. And the affinity groups continued to expand both at a local and global level.

The Future

The inaugural Global Fellows Convening provided the foundation for the growth and evolution of the global Atlantic community. Against the backdrop of shared values and a commitment to equity, connections were forged, leading to relationships which over time will realize the mission and vision of this community and shape the future.

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe and in-person convenings became impossible, the lessons learnt and rituals established in 2019 were repurposed for a successful virtual convening in 2020, and has laid the framework for further community building in the upcoming July 2021 convening.