San Francisco Hosts Women's Global Summit

Winnie McCroy READ TIME: 4 MIN.

From November 16-18 at the San Francisco Women's Building, the Global Summit, a social economic and environmental forum held every two years will hold its Global Summit IV: Women, Power, Money & Politics. The two-day summit unites diverse people, organizations and businesses working towards a healthier, culturally rich and sustainable future.

This edition of the Summit boasts the tagline, "Through collaboration, change is possible!" Keynote sessions will explore how women's rise to power impacts politics, business, culture, and the economy, helping to guide worldwide evolution toward a thriving, socially just future.

"The single most important step needed to drive sustainability in my view is for women -- and the voice of the feminine -- to more fully enter positions of power in business, government, and politics," said Bill Shireman, CEO of Future500 and 2014 Co-Host.

The Celebration ignites Sunday, Nov. 16 at 5:30 p.m. with an immersive global harvest of live music, dance and world cuisine featuring Alessandra Belloni; Rudra Deep Theatre, Tbird Tall Flame Luv, Sara Tone, Yacine Badian Kouyate; Hart Sawyer & Love Project, Samantha Sweetwater with a Dancing Freedom Interactive, and Republic of Light Transmedia.

Each morning will open with thought leaders engaging in conversation of new worldviews and leading a discussion that will lead to potential for mass collaboration among attendees beyond the summit. The rest of each day will consist of two sequential breakout sessions for four Intersections (tracks) to share skills, tools, stories to advance collective impact using the 7 Stages to Sustainability (7SS) social innovation framework.

Tuesday evening will conclude by bringing all attendees together for Abundance of Collaborative Leadership: 6 Sector Partners in Empowerment Showcase, Intersections Harvest, Moving Forward: Pathway 2016, Vision 2020, Closing Concerts and a Celebration.

Through the lens of Women, Power, Money & Politics, four concurrent Intersections (four sessions each in two days) bring delegates together around cross-cutting topics including:

� FEMINOMICS: Currency, High Impact Investment & Leadership
� LIVING WELL: Evolving Food, Health & Lifestyles
� BUILDING PEACE: Water, Conflict, Climate & People of Place
� BEYOND POLITICS: Governance 2.0 for the 21st Century

Interactive sessions will follow an open, collaborative format, with attendees exploring recent social evolution and co-creating solutions to local and global problems. Several attendees have been designated Featured Delegates for their ongoing role in related fields.

Interactive session co-chairs and Featured Delegates are recognized for their impact in related fields such as Joan Blades, co-founder of MoveOn.org; Jim Garrison, founder of the State of the World Forum; Bre DiGiammarino, head of cause at Indiegogo.com; Courtney Ruby, elected Oakland City Auditor/Candidate for Mayor; Zo� Muntaner, Chief Compassion Officer for the 2014 Compassion Games; Esperanza Garcia, founder, Philippine Youth Climate Movement/Philippene delegate to UN; Betsy Hall McKinney, founder, the New Founding Family; Michael Ellsberg Author/ Journalist, Forbes.com and his mom, Patricia Ellsberg, meditation teacher and truth activist who helped release the Pentagon Papers to the press; and Giovanna Masci, vice president, Global Partnerships at KIVA.org.

Created to advance collaboration throughout the year, The Global Summit also announced a partnership with Rallyteam.com, an enterprise collaboration platform, providing a custom interface for delegates to track impact on commitments made at the 2014 Summit. The platform will be previewed at The Global Summit as part of the follow up plan, Impact 365 closing session.

"Participating was transformational for me in that I finally saw myself as a visionary too," added delegate Angela Karegeannes, owner of Feeding You Organic Catering.

This year's invitation-only summit is limited to 200 delegates, who are being invited from diverse partner organization to include social entrepreneurs, impact investors, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, art activists and media representatives seeking more meaningful collaboration for tangible social, environmental and economic change.

The Global Summit was launched in 2008 in San Francisco by hundreds of social innovators, leaders of sustainable businesses, and leaders of visionary organizations. Together, they laid the groundwork for a new system of collaboration with the potential to change history. The San Francisco 2014 event will be the fourth edition. The fifth edition will be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, coinciding with the Olympic Games.

The Global Summit will be held from Nov. 16-18 at the San Francisco Women's Building at 3543 18th St #8, San Francisco, CA 94110.


by Winnie McCroy , EDGE Editor

Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women's news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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