SUMMIT AGENDA AT A GLANCE
Summit Opening Day
Friday, September 18 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. UTC
Small Group Meetings
Week of September 21st 90-minute small group meeting (exact date and time dependent on group participant availability)
Summit Sessions
Friday, October 2 12 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. UTC
Saturday, October 3 12 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. UTC
*All times listed in Coordinated Universal Time with 12:00 p.m. UTC start time. For additional assistance, please use this time zone converter tool.
PRE-SUMMIT VIRTUAL POSTCARD ACTIVITY
Prior to the Summit, each attendee will be matched with another attendee and provided with instructions on exchanging virtual postcards. Before the Opening Plenary, you will be invited to meet with your postcard partner to get to know each other and share insights on the theme.
DETAILED SUMMIT AGENDA
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
Opening Plenary Session
30 minutes
Welcome to the Meridian 180 Summit! Northwestern Buffett Institute Executive Director and Meridian 180 Founder, Annelise Riles, will set the virtual stage for the Summit’s activities and participants will share their reflections on and images of this time of dramatic global change.
Small Group Meeting 1
45 minutes
Attendees will join together in small groups, which will gather four times throughout the Summit. A group leader will facilitate introductions among attendees, and attendees will offer reflection on their experiences of the current moment of change from their own positioning in the world.
Closing Remarks
5 minutes
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 21
Small Group Meeting 2 – Time Capsule
90 minutes
Each small group will convene the week of September 21 for a 90 minute meeting, in which they will collectively produce a “time capsule” that reflects the complexities of this current time of dramatic global change. The group will collectively write a note to their future selves, beginning with the phrase, “The change in September 2020 could be described_____________.” The timing of each small group’s meeting will be determined based on attendees’ availability.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2
Time Capsule Plenary
30 minutes
Host Kim Eric Möric will welcome the full group back together, reflecting on an earlier iteration of “time capsule” creation at the 2017 Meridian 180 Summit in Brussels. A representative from each small group will share their time capsule creation with all Summit participants.
Small Group Meeting 3
80 minutes
Small groups will gather to discuss the theme of “What Change, Whose Change?” through the lens of their group’s chosen keyword. Group leaders will invite attendees to articulate a desire for change or resistance to change. Collectively, the group will work together to create a virtual banner representing the group’s outlook.
Closing Remarks
5 minutes
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
Plenary Session
50 minutes
In part one of the closing plenary session, host Veronica Taylor will share the results of the small group banner exercise. A representative from each small group will share insights and ideas that emerged from the experience of creating the banner. Attendees will also vote on the banner issues to prioritize for future Meridian 180 forum discussions.
In part two, host Annelise Riles will lead the full group through a discussion on options for the future of Meridian 180 and invite the small groups to reconvene.
Small Group Meeting 4
35 minutes
Small group leaders will invite attendees to collectively discuss and reflect on the future of Meridian 180: How the Meridian 180 community could change or grow in this environment of change.
Closing Plenary Session
35 minutes
A representative from each small group will share ideas about the future of Meridian 180 that emerge from their discussions. Host Veronica Taylor will also invite final reflections on the Summit and the environment of change on which it has focused.