“CITIZEN CAPITAL: solutions from within”
“CITIZEN CAPITAL: solutions from within”
International web-conference
12.06.25, 12:00–14:00 UTC
перейти на Українську версію
International web-conference
12.06.25, 12:00–14:00 UTC
перейти на Українську версію
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE.
This event continues the public discussion on innovative solutions for local communities using the "Citizen Token System" (CTS) models, which began in 2023 at the web conference "Using (Crypto) Tokens in War and Its Consequences: Advantages and Proven Benefits for Local Communities" (recording available).
This time, the conference will focus on the implementation of the CTS model "Community Resilience Foundation" (CRF). This model is based on the collaboration between residents and entrepreneurs and enables the launch of "self-sustaining cycles" — mechanisms whose functioning and benefits do not rely on external aid or public funding.
Representatives from about 200 (!) Ukrainian communities submitted applications to participate in the conference. Based on the content of these applications, 52 communities have been invited to participate directly. The remaining applicants will receive a recording of the conference, ensuring both a higher quality discussion during the event and broad information dissemination afterward.
20+ registered and interested foreign participants will also join the conference. They include specialists with diverse competencies and experience, including practitioners from the public sector, representatives of donor organizations, academic institutions, government bodies, and businesses from five continents (see the list in the section below).
The conference is organized by the Foundation "Moloda Gromada" with the support of the Global Fund for Community Foundations.
(The program may be updated before the event)
12:00 (UTC) – Conference Opening - Inna Starchikova, Executive Director of the Foundation "Moloda Gromada".
12:05 (UTC) - Welcome Remarks:
Jenny Hogdson, Executive Director of the Global Fund for Community Foundations
Svitlana Vinnitska, Seretary of the Rudky City Council
12:10 (UTC) - Main Session - presentation by Vadym Georgienko, developer of the Citizen Token System (CTS), and presentation of the implementation case of the Community Resilience Fund (CRF) model of the CTS in the Rudky community (Lviv region) and the Dubechne community (Volyn region) by local teams..
13:00 - Second Session (held in two parallel groups)::
Group 1: "Expanding the Partnership between the Foundation "Moloda Gromada" and local communities of Ukraine"
Facilitated by Inna Starchikova, Executive Director of the Moloda Gromada Foundation. For a selected group of invited Ukrainian participants only.
Group 2 "Open Dialogue Session" Facilitated by Vadym Georgienko, developer of the CTS, together with local teams from the pilot communities, international participants, and the remaining Ukrainian participants, in the following sequence:
Q&A Session: Clarifying questions from participants regarding the presented case studies.
Open Discussion: A space for dialogue with invited participants to explore related issues and future development directions — including broader civic initiatives and access to new opportunities and pathways, both within and beyond Ukraine.
David Jacobstein, Independent (ex-USAID)
Wendy Richardson, Global Fund for Community Foundations
Mxolisi Dlamini , Elangeni Foundation
Ese Emerhi, Global Fund for Community Foundations
Musa Konneh , Movement For Education And Advocacy Network Salone
Michael Layton , Johnson Center for Philanthropy GVSU
David McIntyre, South West Community Foundation
Micaiah Abakah-Cicafo, Seek And Save Mission Ministries
Baroness Alison Suttie, House of Lords
Florencia Guerzovich, Accountability lab
Liza Prendergast, Democracy International (US)
Max Henning, South Africa
Irena Cerovic, UNDP
Maija Paasiaro, John Smith Trust
Alex Scales, Westminster Foundation for Democracy
Maria Cagay, Center for Disaster Preparedness Foundation
Olena Ursu, UNDP
Else Giesbers, WUR
Lindsay Alexander, CARE International UK
Alina Rocha Menocal, Thinking and Working Politically Community of Practice
Tanya Bandula-Irwin, International Development Research Centre
Vadym Georgienko (LinkedIn), CTS developer:
"Traditional corporate responsibility models, such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Socially Responsible Business (SRB), are based on businesses taking responsibility for their impact on society. These models emphasize ethical practices, environmental sustainability, and community support.
However, the CRF model introduces an opposite yet complementary approach: instead of businesses being solely responsible for supporting society, society itself actively takes responsibility for fostering and sustaining responsible businesses. This shift creates what we define as a Business-Responsible Society (BRS)——a system where community support for businesses creates self-sustaining cycles, ensuring both social and economic benefits." (full text).
Seth Godin (personal website) - video speech, in which he emphasizes:
Citizen is not a status, but a position: someone who cares and does something.
Change starts with small groups: 2 → 4 → 8 → 12 → 100.
Culture is the repetitive behavior of a community that restrains selfish interests.
Counteraction to passivity and the illusion of a “savior”: we are taught to wait for external solutions, but they will not appear.
Unity and perseverance are needed: a new normal emerges when people act and show up day after day.
“This is our business”: we should not wait for a leader - everyone is responsible for change.
Michel Bauwens (P2P) invites participants to a discussion in the context of Localism, Translocalism, Cosmo-localism as emerging developmental strategies in an age of transition and destabilization"
Localism is an approach that focuses on the development of local communities, local economies, and cultures.
Translocalism is the interconnection between several local environments through the exchange of experience, resources, and ideas.
Cosmolocalism is a concept in which global knowledge and technology are combined with local production and implementation (e.g., open technologies accessible to local communities).
Age of transition and destabilization — a time of transition and instability or a transitional and unstable period.
Geoff Mulgan, Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College London (personal website, LinkedIn) asks the participants the following question:"How are the options changing - can we imagine the possibilities for 10-20 years time?" and adds the following context:
"I've been interested in parallel currencies for several decades - in roles within governments, running foundations, and creating social innovation organisations. I'm keen to see how these can evolve, both to support local communities and economies and in the context of ageing and other challenges. Money is a social invention - and can be reinvented to better serve us."
Sahil Patni (LinkedIn) suggests delving deeper into CRF by considering the following questions:
1) Is the role of initial capital (TC) eliminated or minimized as the system progresses with each cycle? The objective of the question: there is dependency on larger capital systems (donors, asset owners/allocators etc.) to fund and fuel such a system; is there a world in which this dependency is curtailed or completed removed?
2) Regarding the base assumption of the system, are people generally aligned on the ""public goods"" that are addressed with smart contracts at the start? I'm curious if people's individual motivations (for engaging with the system, for earning tokens etc.) are in alignment with that of the community / governing body.
Barbara Luria Leopold, Associate Director · Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, The Graduate Center, New York (LinkedIn) propose:
"We all bring a great deal of knowledge to the conference table (or Zoom screen). How do we best capture and share community practices more widely, and ensure that multiple voices and experiences are heard and known? Will achieving this require mental or technological shifts for CSOs or researchers? And will addressing (and overcoming) language differences in this work require us to change our ways of working to incorporate and embrace AI into our work?"