Weaving Impactful Communities for a Thriving Future
Published in ATÖLYE Insights · 4 min read · November 8, 2024
4 Key Insights from our Impact Leaders Roundtable Event Series
In today's fast-evolving world, communities hold an untapped potential to drive meaningful transformation, spark innovation, and create lasting impact. At our recent Impact Leaders Roundtable in Amsterdam, we brought together visionary speakers - Harald Dunnink, founder of Momkai and The School for Moral Ambition, and Fabian Pfortmüller, co-founder of the Together Institute - alongside community expert Leen Sadder, who guided a rich dialogue on the power and purpose of community-building. Here are four key insights from that inspiring conversation, which offer a roadmap for harnessing the power of communities to shape a better future.
1. Community and Impact Are Rooted in Relationships
The discussion opened with Harald and Fabian reflecting on early experiences of belonging, setting the stage for or a more profound exploration into what community really means today. Leen posed a thought-provoking question:"What do words like 'community' and 'impact' mean to us, and how do we ensure they're grounded in real, tangible connections?"Harald and Fabian shared their visions - seeing community as a network of mutual care and impact as meaningful contributions to society. Fabian asked,
"What is the quality of these relationships? For me, a strong community is all about care."
2. Practical Frameworks Are Essential for Building Strong Communities
Each speaker shared practical tools for building communities. Leen highlighted lessons from ATÖLYE's Community Playbook, which encourages asking the right questions when designing with a community-first approach. Fabian introduced the concept of "community weaving," emphasizing the importance of organic relationship-building. Harald described "memberful" design, a fresh approach that focuses on collective action rather than individual users. As Harald explained,"We've been doing a research project on community-powered initiatives, which are really about groups with a shared purpose that together can make something possible."
3. Community-Powered Approaches Can Transform Business and Society
The discussion highlighted the potential for community-centric approaches to make substantial contributions beyond traditional norms. From non-profit initiatives to corporate environments, each speaker acknowledged the challenges and possibilities of integrating community into business models and public policies. They pointed out the crucial role of community leaders - or 'fire starters' - who champion these ideas within their organizations. Harald and Fabian both agreed that systemic change often starts with empowered individuals who understand the intrinsic value of relationships and community. Fabian also issued a crucial call to address burnout and lack of appreciation for community weavers, stressing that state funding for community-led initiatives could be a future path to explore."I dream of a world where... relationships are one of the greatest forces of transformation for good," Fabian noted, emphasizing the need for broader societal investment in community building.
4. Connected Communities Are Key to a Shared Future
In a time of unprecedented change, the insights from our roundtable reveal a powerful path forward: we should harness the power of communities, woven together through meaningful relationships, to make an impact. This means rethinking our systems to prioritize these connections, celebrating the diversity of contributors, and recognizing that meaningful change takes time.The dialogue closed with a reflection on simple yet profound wisdom: "People need people," as Leen reminded us.
Are you also working to transform your organization through communities? At ATÖLYE, we have not only grown our own communities of practice in Dubai and Amsterdam, and joined forces with the kyu collective, a group of 20+ inspiring design organizations with over 2500 individuals - we have:
- Curated, engaged and activated communities with the leaders at BMW Foundation,
- Formed new ones with Creative Leaders at Neol
- Designed lasting social innovation platforms such as imece
- Supported startups like Toyi, fostered large networks such as Teachers Network (Öğretmen Ağı)
- Kick-started government communities with programs like Design Gov with entities such as the Dubai Future Foundation.
- Designed a production-oriented and inclusive creative cluster, Al Najadah, and worked on MIZA, a neighborhood connecting people to place.
- Mobilized communities of impact around environmental and social crises such as Covid-19 or the recent earthquake that shook Türkiye and Syria,
- and more...