Catalyst 2030 Chapters made a huge impression at CCW2023. Country and Regional chapters hosted a range inspiring sessions and meet-ups. Many were organised as a collaboration between Chapter members from all around the world.
Regional Chapters Coordinator Susana, Del Mar Ramirez provided a round-up of Chapter activities at Catalysing Change Week.
During the week there were 20 chapter launch events, including the launch of nine new Country Chapters: Bolivia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Botswana, Palestine, Tunisia, Croatia and Indonesia. Some of the recently formed chapters also held launch events, including Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Gabon, Uganda, Rwanda, Yemen, Egypt, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong.
You can watch videos of the Chapter launches here.
Around the world with the local Chapters at CCW2023
Nine in-person and hybrid events were held in nine countries, organised by the local Catalyst 2030 Chapters. These were Yemen, Liberia, Zambia, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Slovenia, Hong Kong, India and Indonesia.
In the spirit of collaboration and the creation of bridges between our members from around the globe. Great cross-countries sessions were held for Ibero-America, building connections between our members in Latin America and Spain and Portugal, a networking session with Chapter members in South Asia and two joint session in North America between the Canada and the US Chapters.
At the regional level, the Africa Forward campaign had a daiy session dedicated to one of the strategic pillars: narrative shift, ecosystem development, funding, job creation and career counselling and training and capacity development. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region hosted seven sessions on collaborative initiatives taking place in the region. All the other regions such as LATAM, Europe, ASEAN and Australasia hosted impactful sessions with their members; making this week truly global.
Croatia Chapter launch
Sharing his thoughts on the Croatia Chapter launch, Europe Chapters Coordinator, Mykyta Pobiehun reflected, “Creating a better future starts with education. Anet Režek Jambrak is a true leader in this space. As the founder of the Laboratory for Sustainable Development in Croatia and the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award winner, she has been committed to improving systems and promoting shared knowledge. It was her vision that led to the creation of the Croatia Chapter. The contribution of Danijel Baturina and Ecija Blašković Vondraček, another academic and force for good, has made this vision a reality.”
Hong Kong Chapter Launch
On 5 May, the Hong Kong Chapter held a session at the CCW to prepare for its upcoming chapter launch in 2023. The hybrid session was attended by 17 participants (four in person and 12 online).
Attendees at the session discussed the Chapter’s plans, goals and membership activities. Collaboration and community building are key and the Hong Kong Chapter hopes it will attract like-minded members to generate more cross-border collaborations. A couple of existing ones have already been initiated with social change players in Indonesia and Singapore. A peer-to-peer support group and enriching impact story-telling are two Chapter initiatives aimed at building a thriving social change community.
The Hong Kong Chapter intends to form committee or working group to steer the upcoming goals and initiatives. Stay tuned with the Hong Kong Chapter for SDG pursuit, too.