THE WELLBEING PROJECT AT THE SKOLL WORLD FORUM 2023
In January 2023, the Skoll Foundation invited us to co-design a Wellbeing Track for the Skoll World Forum 2023 in Oxford.
The Skoll World Forum is one of the key events in the social entrepreneurship and innovation sector: every year it gathers the innovators who drive social progress worldwide.
The Wellbeing Track came through in three different ways: conference curation, practices and arts experiences.
Nurturing resilience: health and wellbeing for changemakers
CONFERENCE CURATION
Elena Crescia, conference content curator of The Wellbeing Summit Global Edition, curated a 2-hour long panel discussion on nurturing resilience with the participation of Celina De Sola , co-founder and president of Glasswing International, based in El Salvador; Dixon Chibanda, founder and CEO of The Friendship Bench, based in Zimbabwe; and Kumi Naidoo, human rights activist and founding chair of Africans Rising, a pan-African movement of people and organisations.
Morning activities
PRACTICES
Nancy Mortifee, dean of Inner Work Programs at The Wellbeing Project, and Hope Azeda, theatre director and activist based in Rwanda, hosted two morning practices for the early risers. Beautifully interweaving movement, singing and meditation, Nancy and Hope guided the participants into a deep and intimate practice which created meaningful connections with oneself and fellow attendees.
Candlelit Evensong
ART EXPERIENCES
Following The Wellbeing Project commitment to promote the contribution of the arts to the reflection about wellbeing and its enhancement, we designed an immersive art experience, deeply rooted in the local tradition of Oxford.
Together with the Oxford Bach Soloists, we hosted a candlelit choral evensong in Keble Chapel, a beautiful neo-gothic chapel on the premises of Keble College.
Choral Evensong is a British tradition established more than 470 years ago. It is a peace-inspiring service in which the song of voices sounding together in harmony is heard at the even point between the active day and restful night, allowing listeners time for contemplation. This tradition is a community-binding ritual connecting present with past, tapping into something much greater than ourselves.
