How We are Approach Safety, Security and Challenges for the Global Gathering
The rebuilding challenges that we are facing demand us to have a long-term vision.
When we first announced our 2023 Global Gathering (GG), we shared the challenges we were facing, especially as this is the first in-person event we are hosting post-pandemic.
Currently, the GG in Portugal is less than three months away and we are glad to be working on making it a meaningful, inclusive and safe space, despite the circumstances that we face.
However, this is not just a one-time event: we also have a long-term vision, and in order to keep our community informed and involved, we think it's important to recap all those challenges and how we are responding to them.
Please take time to read and don’t skim this blog post that has valuable information below!
The venue has beautiful outdoor space, located in a quaint town near the ocean… which means coming together will be safer and more healing!
Our “alpha” event, the Global Gathering 2023, will be in Portugal, from September 15 to 17.
Our 3-Year Vision:
Alpha, Beta & Beyond
We are approaching the 2023 event as an “alpha” phase where we will be collectively brainstorming what future iterations will look like with participants. For this reason and security/safety, we have reduced the size of the event by more than half (500 total) and are designing a format that will result in people being staggered throughout the day. This is part of a three-year vision to grow the event in a more sustainable and safe way to its pre-pandemic size. This also means that 2024 will serve as a “beta” phase.
Since 2020, TCU leadership has been in agreement that if the available resources do not allow us to provide a basic level of support and care, we will have to shut down the project. Obviously, we don’t want that, but we also have no control over the current socio-economic landscape. Things are much more expensive, and funding is still unstable for many of us.
Even for 2023, we are working with a lower capacity than we deem ideal, given that we can no longer rely on volunteers for critical pieces as a result of the overall exhaustion people are experiencing. In addition, there is a larger list of challenges and issues we need to address as a result of the pandemic, while at the same time settling in a new venue and city. It's a lot, folks.
While there will be bumps in the road, what we can promise is that staff are doing (and have always done) everything in their power to offer the support participants need, and create solid structures for the future. For example, one of our high priority goals is to develop strong relationships locally so that we don’t serve as a “drive-by conference” without giving back to the country we are based in, but also so that we can be strong advocates for our people going through the visa process. In other words, our values and principles have not changed, but the landscape has just gotten a lot more difficult.
Travel is more expensive than ever and border crossing and visa processes have become more difficult.
Safety and security threats have increased significantly post-pandemic in all regions. We encourage you to review our COVID policy here.
Current Challenges
Travel is more expensive than ever, and the travel industry is still facing an enormous number of challenges resulting in cancellation of flights, delay, shortage of staff, and others.
Safety and security threats have increased significantly post-pandemic in all regions. This means that it's more dangerous and requires more planning, especially for those from the most at-risk communities.
Border crossings and visa processes have become more difficult. Even the actual physical process of crossing borders is more dehumanizing and invasive, being worse for the most vulnerable groups/people.
Funding in the digital rights space is still not stabilized, with many digital rights organizations going through a host of challenges related both to finances and internal health. TCU is no exception to these trends.
People are exhausted, and it's impossible (and harmful right now) to rely on volunteers like we have done in the past. This even includes employees working at partner organizations that may have overlap in remit or goals.
People get overwhelmed super easily in physical spaces, because we have forgotten how to “human.” In addition, old event designs don’t really work anymore. Going to hundreds of sessions and workshops is not as impactful (or wanted) as it used to be.
We have a new home in a new city and country, and find ourselves launching our first in-person event post-pandemic. It's almost starting from an “alpha” stage again. This means we need time to smooth out bumps, cultivate local relationships, and even figure out what the event design will look like for future instances. We also need to identify and train new local staff, and navigate new cross-cultural roads.
The cost of everything has increased - from food, to labor, to rentals. In fact, prices in Valencia, our previous events location, skyrocketed following the pandemic because, among other forces, it experienced mass migration during the pandemic, not unlike other cities.
The availability of funds for our 2023 Equity Fund are extremely limited because of the high costs and new expenses related to the challenges mentioned above. We calculate that we will need to fundraise almost double what we did in the past, just to have the same impact - around 200k a year.
We also have to limit the support and consultancy we provide satellite events for 2023, given that we are not a large team and our priority this year is building up needed structures.
The Global Gathering’s new location is Estoril in Portugal. The country hosts digital workers around the world and has a track record in passing progressive laws and supporting human rights.
What We are Doing in Response
a) Portugal: Progressive Laws, More Promising Collaborations
We have a new home in Portugal, which has an incredible track record in passing progressive laws and supporting human rights. In addition, it has a well established hospitality industry that is used to hosting international audiences from all corners of the world. While racism, sexism and discrimination exists in all corners of the world, we also have found the recent explosion of diversity in Portugal, thanks to their recent efforts to attract digital workers, to be quite amazing. Be prepared to meet people from all over the world that are now calling Portugal home themselves.
The local Portuguese community has been incredibly welcoming. In a very short time, we have received more support and interest than in the past 11 years. There is so much more promise for collaborations, and in-kind resources for our digital rights community. However, cultivating relationships takes time - it is not automatic, and we need time to build these relations.
b) Estoril: Cheaper, Green and More Relaxing
Estoril is an incredibly intimate and relaxing village, with so much beautiful, accessible nature, including quick access to the sea. Our venue is 99% outdoors, and it's filled with huge, towering trees, and only a 10-minute walk to the beach. In many ways, the venue feels like a magical forest or Renaissance Fair. By having such ample outdoor space, this will greatly reduce transmission of COVID and other illnesses.
Currently Estoril is significantly cheaper than the cost of Valencia, which you can verify using per diem guides like this one. In future instances, we will try to move the event to more ‘off season’ weeks to help reduce costs even more, for example the last week in September or first week in October.
Notably, those of you interested in hosting satellite events in 2024 should reach out to us earlier than usual, so we can collectively address these options - we honestly cannot do it without support and collaboration from partners.
In addition, the venue is located directly across the street from a conference center that has won multiple sustainability awards, and there is a magnificent castle on the water that is also available to be rented for events. If in the future we choose to expand the annual events, finances and demand permitting, these spaces could be used.
c) Limited Number of Participants
Our new location offers an ample outdoor space, which will greatly reduce transmission of COVID and other illnesses.
We have significantly limited the number of participants - 500 in total - and are trying to stagger crowds throughout the day. This number is not even close to half of the size that the venue can accommodate, meaning people will not be stacked like sardines.
d) Good COVID Policy and Approach
We have a COVID policy that we encourage everyone to follow, please review it here. Currently, if you wish to test shortly after your arrival in Lisbon, you can take a test at the Lisbon Airport - click here for more information - or visit a pharmacy throughout Lisbon to schedule a test or pick up an at-home test kit. Pending funding, Team CommUNITY would offer one or more days of test kits at registration for participants of the Global Gathering, as well as face masks for those desiring additional protection. We will update this information as soon as possible, and encourage folks to check back frequently, as we will revise the policies to be in-line with changing local regulations.
e) More Refreshing and Manageable Event Design
We will not be hosting hundreds of sessions or panels. We are focusing on facilitating exercises that amplify connecting and networking in more humane ways. This is especially important given that people are easily overwhelmed in large crowds. The event design will be focused on encouraging and intensifying more organic networking.
F) Very Few Volunteers
We have hired local staff that specialize in event production that we can complement with training to ensure that they understand how to serve our community. This year we have not asked for volunteers, except for very specific areas / tasks, for example, the project showcase. This approach may change in the future, but even if it does, requests will be much more laser-focused.
Due to the limited of funds in the 2023 Equity Fund, we are working with folks helping them secure funding from alternative sources. If you can financially support someone, please reach out!
G) Helping Folks with Alternative Funding, Trying to Build the 2024 Equity Fund
We have been working with folks helping them secure funding from alternative sources, due to the limited availability of funds in the 2023 Equity Fund. We are doing our best to prepare for 2024, and are actively brainstorming and exploring creative approaches for the future. However, we have also been telling organizations that this responsibility has to be shared.
H) Visa, Security and Safety Support
We continue to provide participants with the same level of visa support as we have in the past. This includes providing the most at-risk with preparations for border crossings. We continue investing in security and safety and plan to do so, given our new venue.
In addition, we are rebuilding our Code of Conduct (COC), working incredibly hard on securing outside experts, such as an incredible Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant, but also including community members that have a higher level of privilege that can help carry out the emotional labor. In other words, we are moving towards having a more professionalized COC not so heavily dependent on volunteers.
The challenges we face are critical and we are trying to do our best to respond to them! Just remember, this is part of a three-year vision to grow the event in a more sustainable and safe way to its pre-pandemic size. We hope you are as excited as we are for the 2023 Global Gathering! Until then, plan your trip, reach out to us if you need help, and we’ll see you in-person again soon!