What role do communities themselves play in shaping the change that affects their lives?
There is a familiar story about how cities lift their most vulnerable: design better services, bring in more resources, scale what works, and outcomes improve. Yet beneath the question of better service delivery lies a more fundamental one: what role do communities themselves play in shaping the change that affects their lives?
Drawing on The Bridgespan Group’s work on Community-Driven Change (CDC) across Asia and Africa, this session will explore what becomes possible when communities move from being recipients of support, to partners, and ultimately owners of their development journeys - helping set priorities, shape decisions, and define what success looks like.
Together, participants will examine what this shift could mean in the context of Asia’s rapidly changing cities, and what funders, nonprofits, and other social-impact actors may need to do differently to strengthen community power and enable more lasting and equitable change.
