The Network Gathers for Inspiration

The SMC network, together with partner organisations, met for the annual Member Days. First up was the digital event SMC Inspirational Day on 4 February, aimed at all members and partners.

The keynote speaker of the day was Rick James, an organisational change expert from INTRACT. His presentation combined a current situational analysis with moments for participant reflection. With the question How do we find hope and motivation? running as a common thread throughout the session, he offered participants fresh inspiration and encouragement.

Despite the challenging situation SMC is currently facing, a number of meeting spaces and courses will be offered during the spring. Charlotta Norrby, Secretary General, presented upcoming events and gave a brief update on recent developments within SMC. She also emphasised that the conversations to be held at Member Day — SMC 2.0, on 6 February in Stockholm, would be of great importance for the future of the network.

Melanie Rideout, AI Specialist, led the second extended session of the day. Her lecture highlighted current trends and risks related to AI.

Melanie Rideout will return during the spring as part of SMC’s capacity development initiatives. Digital webinars on AI for Development and Financial Professionals will be available through the learning platform SMC LEARN on Fabo.

Dr Iyad Abu Moghli (UNEP Faith for Earth), Mary Ghitiomi (Kenya 4 Resilience), and Ramesh Babu (EFICOR) participated in a panel discussion moderated by Petter Jakobsson on the theme “Building Strong Networks for Advocacy as Faith-Based Organisations.” It was a fruitful discussion that, among other things, highlighted the differences in understanding of religious literacy between the Global South and the Global North.