The WellBeing Summit 2022: A Crossroads

Aart Bos

Global Leadership, MasterPeace

Recently we had the honor of being invited by our friends, the Community Arts Network and Porticus to be part of the Wellbeing Summit in Bilbao. This global event, the first of its kind, brought together social change, governmental, arts and business leaders working at the intersection of social change and inner wellbeing. It was remarkable to meet so many passionate people, take part in intense talks and to be able to enjoy awesome plenary speeches on the various aspects of wellbeing.

As changemakers we are frequently challenged by our own passion for change; by peer pressure to choose a “proper”, better paid job, while also facing the risk of accusations and threats based on the work we are committed to. This reality was recently echoed through The Possibilists survey of almost 1000 global changemakers, which we helped carry out with our partners.

As changemakers we are, perhaps more than anyone, aware of the local and global challenges to building a more peaceful and sustainable world. As MasterPeace we now exist for over 10 years, with a network of 58 MP Clubs, running 400 projects in 40+ countries. How to grow our impact is a strategic level question that we are committed to addressing. During the Summit I met many leaders of like minded organizations facing the same scaling dilemma. The urgency to contribute to a sustainable future is at an alltime high. NOW is the time to ACT. We need a next wave in our collective strategy, structure and processes. This urgency calls on us to create campaigns, concepts and funding together. Our ambition is to significantly strengthen our networks, through co-creation based on shared values, purpose and impact results. We need to ride the next wave!

The Wellbeing Summit once again showed me the power of Arts for social change. So many artists took the podium with grace and power using music, storytelling, meditation and dance. ( I was even invited to join the legendary Songs of Solomon Gospel Choir, from Harlem, NYC!)
The arts open our hearts and minds, nudging us to use what talent we have while empowering us to re-imagine the future and our role in society. As MasterPeace we use art to engage the unengaged, especially young people who feel that they do not matter, that their voices will not be heard, or are overwhelmed by corruption, lack of (job-) opportunities and wider perspective.
We are in Crisis Mode. The word crisis is derived from the Greek term for making a decision or “crossroads”. Our options are to choose fear or trust. As MasterPeace one of our core values is positivity and a deep belief that we have 7 billion talents in this world who can address the overwhelming challenges.
It is based on trust that we ACT; NOW! Learning by doing, realizing small steps that will get us to the bigger goal.