Building on the discussions of the first day, breakout sessions on Day 2 will invite delegates to explore the different ways we can think about solidarity. We will provide time and space to reflect together on what we mean by solidarity, where it might already be present in our relationships and how the process of asking questions might help us to strengthen it further.

In this Pecha-Kucha Session (which means ‘chit-chat’ in Japanese), speakers will present their ideas in a concise and visually dynamic format, which will then be unpacked during group discussion.

Moderator: Matt Baillie Smith (Northumbria University)

• Speakers: Christine Frazer (Bensham Grove Community Centre) and Neil Denton (Durham University | Relationships Project)
• Title: "Safety-nets and Trampolines: Weaving the threads of connection and collaboration into a stronger social fabric"

When we are led by care and collaboration, with a degree of liberation from traditional structures, what are the types of roles we create for ourselves? In this presentation, the speakers will tell the story of Teams and Dunston Alive (TADA). A network of citizens that came together to provide mutual aid during covid lockdown, and has continued to grow and evolve. Through building and sustaining relationships, TADA seeks to support social change and build community power. It is a story of solidarity; of hope and the power of imagination, of a community empowered to make their own decisions and change their own lives. The speakers will invite participants to re-imagine conventional concepts of resilience through a relational lens, presenting the evidence that social connection, collaboration and trust is the engine that drives recovery from disaster. Good relationships power a virtuous circle, meaning we are able to cope and recover from disaster, build resilience for future shock, and thrive during the good times. These connections are like muscles, the more you exercise them the stronger they get. This presentation will discuss how resilience and development are two sides of the same relational coin, making individuals ready to cope with adversity, and ready to seize opportunity.

• Speaker: Kieron Smith (Leitrim Volunteer Centre)
• Title: "Irish Global Solidarity in 100 objects"

Irish Global Solidarity in 100 Objects offers a brief and selective introduction to the many campaigns, activities and organisations in Ireland that have focused on issues of justice and human rights in many parts of the world over many decades. The exhibition includes items borrowed from individuals and groups across the country and highlights the role of these objects in education, protest and campaigning. The speaker will discuss how the objects, images, cartoons, graphics and posters in the exhibition have been used to influence public opinion, government and international bodies to shed light on important, challenging and often controversial and contested issues. From the anti-Apartheid movement to more recent environmental campaigns, the exhibition explores the idea of 'activism' or being an active citizen. This presentation will also explore how individual and/or collective action or protest can and has brought about significant change. Taken together, the speaker will explain how the 100 objects are powerful symbols for human rights, environmental and social justice, for change and for what has been achieved so far by engaged activists from Ireland.

• Speaker: Liyun Wendy Choo (Volunteer Service Abroad)
• Title: "From "me, myself and the world" to "we in the world": The value of volunteering for development"

“He aha te mea nui o te ao (What is the most important thing in the world?); He tangata, he tangata, he tangata (It is the people, it is the people, it is the people) - Maori proverb

This presentation will share key findings from a 2023 mixed methods study conducted with 188 volunteers with Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) to illustrate how relationships underpin the development impact of international volunteering for development. Drawing on survey data and semi-structured interviews with former volunteers, the speaker will invite participants to identify and critically explore the multiple kinds of solidarities and connections volunteering mobilises, and how these relationships can support greater equity and social justice.

• Speakers: Arielle Kitio (Cameroon Youth School Tech Incubator)
• Title: "Strengthening a local/regional digital industry that trains and employs women and girls through volunteerism"

The presentation will discuss the ‘TechWomen Factory’ initiative which aims to create a local digital industry that trains and employs young local women in Cameroon in digital creativity for sustainable economic growth (SDG 8, SDG 5, SDG 10). This STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) initiative has enabled the women who benefit from the project to acquire cutting-edge technical skills and then enter the job market once they have completed their training. The speaker will explain how the role of national and international volunteers has been crucial in the implementation of the project. From pedagogical support to monitoring, evaluation and communication activities. A total of six volunteers supported the partner organisation Cameroon Youth School Tech Incubator (CAYSTI) in the implementation of this project, highlighting the role of volunteers in cooperation and between state institutions and civil society organisations.

*Four different modalities of breakout sessions have been designed to amplify diverse voices and promote opportunities for delegates to share their experiences in engaging ways during IVCO 2024.
Click here to find out more about what to expect from each type of breakout session.