The pivot to virtual events

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed the Institute’s face-to-face gatherings for Fellows and program staff. To deepen social connection and learning, we offered Global Zoom Calls to the whole community and launched a new webinar series to turn imaginations toward something (k)new – where we remember, reflect and shape what our local and global futures might look like post COVID-19.

GLOBAL ZOOM CALLS

From Mar. 23 to May 12, the Institute held a total of 19 Global Zoom Calls for the Atlantic community, including all Fellows and program staff. They provided the space to talk about the challenges of the pandemic, and to foster hope and reflect on the shifts that had occurred in our personal and professional lives. Some 110 members of the community took part, with several participants joining them on a regular basis. This period of reflection inspired some of the themes explored in the Atlantic Institute’s webinar series, “Post COVID-19: A (K)new World Reimagined”.

POST COVID-19: A (K)NEW WORLD REIMAGINED

The Atlantic Institute, as part of a fellowship or fellowships’ series that included Rhodes Scholars, Obama Fellows and Schmidt Science Fellows, held webinars that brought together diverse perspectives and ideologies, amplifying the voices of artists, activists, academics, practitioners, researchers, scientists and scholars. The first webinar, “A (K)new World Post COVID-19: Universal Health Care and the Care Economy”, was launched on May 6. It was followed by others examining the nature of leadership, displacement, mental health services and the racialization of COVID-19.

The series aimed to catalyze imaginations to explore what (k)new futures after COVID-19 might look like. The webinars were also designed to connect the global community for greater impact and solidarity. Through encouraging discussion about equity and justice, they set out to increase understanding and advance thinking toward collaborative action and impact in shifting narrative, shaping policy and creating new solutions.

The open Zoom calls and breakout room discussions gave participants an active role, mirroring the critical, inclusive approach of the face-to-face convenings. At each of the webinars, “graphic weavers” from Dpict, a graphic services firm, visualized the topics discussed, helping center the conversations while also providing an inspiring record of the learnings.