2/ Pathways for Progress

As societies are assimilating into globally diverse societies, we need to move towards a new kind of international citizenship. The task is to overcome the idea that people belong to a particular land and that this land belongs to this group. Change the idea of people being fixed to a location they were born in, as this affects people’s value as a person, autonomy and rights as an individual.

Migration plays a significant role in shaping the size and the structure of future societies and has implications for the fabric, cohesion and identity of places. Today, one in five companies in Germany are built by migrants.  Value migrants as a bridge between cultures, to local economies, and to further socioeconomic integration in the future.

People of the Global Majority (PGM) is a collective term for ethnic groups which constitute approximately 85 per cent of the global population. It is a collective term that refers to people who are Black, Asian, dual-heritage, and indigenous to the global south. These groups represent approximately 80% of the world’s population. It flips on its head the feeling of being labelled ‘the other’.

Recognizing the interconnectedness of humanity and the importance of diversity in creating a stable and thriving society is crucial. We need to shift towards a culture of collaboration based on the idea that what is good for you is good for me and, ultimately, is good for us all.

Why this matters

Focus on eliminating disadvantages in society, be a force for change and flip the narrative for a better future.

General Wealth is The Key/ Patta Academy

Patta Academy offers young adults aged 16 to 25, with entrepreneurial talent the opportunity to expand their horizons and perspectives. See more here

The Naked Don't Fear the Water/ Matthieu Atkins

Matthieu Aikins, a journalist living in Kabul, decides to follow his friend Omar, an Afghan refugee. To do so, he must leave his passport and identity behind. Read more here

The world reimagined/ Gabs Ubakanma

An art project where artists have globes as their canvas. Gabs Ubakanma worked with artist Hannaa Hamdache from The Mighty Creatives; her focus was to tell stories of African and UK ancestors who have overcome slavery through art. Read more here

Women play a vital role in leading global change. They fight for their rights and freedom and refuse to conform to traditional norms. Globally there is a decline in traditional family structures, but women face resistance from those who wish to maintain traditional gender roles.

Despite modest progress, women, especially women of colour,  are still underrepresented in business and institution leadership roles. In many parts of the world, women achieve higher levels of education than men and which will lead to women’s economic and political empowerment. Today, women play multiple roles and are also the primary providers of social cohesion through their caregiving and relationships. The value of care in society should be elevated to increase the representation of men in healthcare, education, and domestic roles.

All women and those who identify as a woman have different bodies, sizes and lifestyles. The stereotypical woman does not exist. Wrongful gender stereotyping is a frequent cause of discrimination. Everyone should be valued equally, despite their differences, race, gender, sexuality, background, and mental and physical abilities.

Led by Gen Z, there is more openness and understanding about issues that affect a female’s life, like the menstrual cycle and talking about menopause. Companies are now allowing people who have a hard time because of their menstrual cycle to take days off. We see more fluid non-gender specified designs but at the same time also growing attention for specific female issues and needs.

Why this matters

Female roles have expanded, support women with their lives.

All Female Mariachi Band/ Flor de Toloache

Founded in 2008, Flor de Toloache has a distinct and beautiful sound, fusing R&B, hip-hop, jazz, salsa, and soul influences with a traditionally Mexican format not usually known for including women. See more here

While the lives of women have changed, the lives of many men have remained the same or worsened. The profound economic and social changes of recent decades have made many men lose ground in the classroom and the workplace because of automation and free trade in the family and health. This especially concerns black boys and men. Men that have a difficult time tend to long to go back to a time with more traditional roles and family structures.

We are in a loneliness epidemic, and men are less likely to reach out for help and struggle internally. This results in a much higher rate of suicide compared to women. The problems of men need to be taken seriously, and men’s welfare is everyone’s concern. A culture of support is needed from older men to younger men who are lost and broken. While women have their challenges, men are struggling too. It is not either/or; we can be passionate about women’s rights and compassionate toward vulnerable boys and men at the same time.

The definition of masculinity has always been fluid across history and has now become harder to define. Shifting gender roles and what was traditionally understood as power has changed. Generally, there is not a strong consensus on what it means to be a man. There is a need for healthier masculine role models in society; man need the space to perform masculinity healthily without attributing it to a level of success or power.

Why this matters

There is a growing yearning for a new kind of masculinity. Apply the human lens at every level en consider the well-being and emotional needs of men.

Term enrollment estimates 2010-2020/National Student Clearinghouse Research Center

National Enrollment rates over the past decade are declining, a change that men almost entirely drive. Women are now much more likely to enrol in college than men, widening the gender gap in education.. Read more here

What does he need?/ Fiona Whelan, Brokentalkers and Rialto Youth Project

A long-term project that is a critical inquiry into the formation of masculinity, exploring how men and boys are shaped by and influence the world. See more here

Tola and TJ/ Geoffery Matautia 

The image of two friends represents the creative brown kids who don’t fit into their respective cultures’ masculine stereotypes but have created their own space to comfortably navigate what that looks like for them without any boundaries. See more here

Autonomy is an important driver of human motivation, performance and satisfaction. Autonomy is the ability of individuals to make choices about their lives freely and with knowledge, allowing them to fulfil their personal goals and desires within the boundaries of their possibilities. Differences in life chances lead to deficits in the degree of autonomy between people.

Physical autonomy is the basis for gender equality, and above all, it is a fundamental right, but about half of all women worldwide are denied physical autonomy. Only 55 per cent of women are fully empowered to make choices about health care, birth control, and the ability to say yes or no to sex. Bodily autonomy is the right to control our bodies and the power to make choices about our bodies without coercion or violence.

Taking up your space in the world is a birthright and something we naturally know how to do. Circumstances can make people invisible and think that they are not worth the space they occupy or that they should minimize their presence. Creating a space to ground in a local context is something to strive for. When we take up space in the world, we occupy and fill a physical and psychological territory, and our presence is felt. Taking up space and being seen are essential to our well-being.

Gender is not determined by the sum of our body parts; it is determined by the sum of our souls and spirit. Being at home in your body is important to get the feeling of being in your body, to inhabit it. Whether this body is male, female or non-binary, big or small, young or old, healthy or sick.

Why this matters

Bodily autonomy is a human right.

Rights/ Lisa Anne Auerbach

A short animated video of a knitted artwork proclaiming the word “rights.” Over the course of just a few seconds, the textile unravels, its message eventually disintegrating into complete illegibility, echoing the loss of women’s rights in the U.S. Read more here

The Fight for Privacy/ Danielle Citron

Danielle Citron investigates the price we pay as technology migrates deeper into every aspect of our lives: entering our bedrooms and our bathrooms and our midnight texts; our relationships with friends, family, lovers, and kids; and even our relationship with ourselves. The solution is to fight for intimate privacy as a civil right. Read more here

Green Hands/ Sylvia Palacios Whitman 

Palacios Whitman walked onto the stage wearing giant green paper hands. The enormous hands increase her bodily presence in a room. The performance can be seen as a feminist act of taking up space and making oneself bigger. Read more here

The Last White Men/ Mohsin Hamid

The fiction novel of Moshin Hamid tells the story of a man who wakes up one morning to find himself transformed. Overnight, his skin has turned dark, and the reflection in the mirror seems a stranger to him. Soon, reports of similar events begin to surface, and across the land, people are awakening in new incarnations. Some see the transformations as the long-dreaded overturning of the established order. The Last White Man forces us to examine the way that race conditions influence our reaction to others and our conception of ourselves.

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When Women Lead/ Julia Boorstin

Julia Boorsstin describes that women who thrive in leadership positions share key commonalities that make them uniquely equipped to lead, grow businesses, and navigate crises. By utilizing those strengths, they invented new business models, disrupted industries, and made massive profits along the way. It is a radical blueprint for the future of business and our world at large.

Of Boys and Men/ Richard V. Reeves

Boys and men are struggling. Profound economic and social changes of recent decades have many losing ground in the classroom, the workplace, and the family.  Richard Reeves is the father of three sons, and his book tackles the complex and urgent crisis of boyhood and manhood

The Myth of Normal/ Gabor Maté with Daniel Maté

Dr Gabor Maté connects the dots between our personal suffering and the pressures of modern-day living, with a disease as a natural reflection of a life spent growing further and further apart from our true selves. True health is possible if we are willing to reconnect with each other and our authentic selves.

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