Let’s name what many of us feel:

We are doing deep, meaningful work:

• Building trust

• Shifting narratives

• Weaving communities.

But still… it often feels like we’re building change in a vacuum.

In times of unrest, conflict & wicked problems, there seems to a constant pressure to:

• Scale faster — while our capacity thins.

• Explain our work — with language that doesn’t quite fit.

• Compete for funding — instead of sharing what sustains us.

• Be the hero — instead of learning from others doing similar work.

At the same time, you know our challenges are systemic — they don’t stop at your communities’ edge.

So why should our strategies?

Why Cross-Network Collaboration Matters

Right now, countless impact networks & communities around the world are:

• Facing similar challenges

• Exploring systemic strategies.

• Holding knowledge that others urgently need

But we’re scattered.

There are few places where weavers, facilitators, funders, and movement leaders can meet each other — not just to chat, but to build, align, and learn together.

That’s what is needed:

Spaces to connect the dots between our efforts.

And, to sharpen our tools, evolve our strategies, and grow our impact — together.

This is what the Networks Festival is for.

If you’ve ever thought:

• “I don’t want to do this alone anymore.”

• “I’m stuck at the edge of what I know. I need new input.”

• “There must be others like me — I just don’t know where they are.”

Then the networks festival was made for you.

Because systems don’t change through brilliance alone.

They change when networks learn how to collaborate, fund, and organize.

The festival a six-week global space — online, accessible, and co-created — for those of us working inside impact networks, movements, and ecosystem spaces to:

• Make strategic connections.

• Address practical challenges.

• Gain new skills & frameworks.

• Learn from peers across sectors.

Whether you’re building infrastructure, facilitating change, telling your network’s story, or funding ecosystem work — you’ll find real tactics and real people to help you evolve your practice.

This isn’t just another conference.

It’s a global gathering - hosted by Greaterthan & the Fito Network - designed to energize you & others doing the work.

And, you are invited!

What You’ll Find Inside

Over 6 weeks (May 12 – June 22), join hands-on sessions, tactical workshops, storytelling circles, and co-creative experiments.

You’ll walk away with:

• Peer collaborators who understand what you do

• Language to describe the value of networked work

• Insights from movement-builders and funders worldwide

• Space to share what you know — and shape the field together

• Tools you can use tomorrow (on collaboration, facilitation, resourcing, equity)

Some of the topics we’ll explore (There is a lot - 30+ sessions!):

• Organizing for collective action

• Storytelling for networked impact

• Weaving leadership & facilitation skills

• Equity, trauma healing, and inner change

• Resourcing models that work for networks

• Building shared infrastructure across difference

Plus: A Global Map of Weavers

You’ll also get access to the Global Weavers Map — a living tool to:

• Match needs and offers.

• Stay connected well beyond the Festival.

• Find collaborators based on your topic or region.

Created in partnership with the Weaving Lab, it’s your portal into a wider ecosystem of people who get it. (To add yourself, make sure to indicate your interest during the registration!)

You are Invited! Join & Bring your Friends

Come as a facilitator, a funder, a strategist, a dreamer.

Leave with real tools, deep relationships, and a renewed sense of direction.

✅ It’s open to anyone doing systems-change work

✅ It’s free to attend, unless you have the means to support

✅ It’s designed to meet you where you are — and move you forward

And, if you know someone who’s doing beautiful work at the edges — invite them.

Let’s build the web stronger than ever before.

👉 Register for the Festival Here & Add yourself to the Global Weavers Map

With care and collaboration,

Adrian & the Networks Festival Team

More to Explore This Week

About the Systemic Shift Newsletter

This weekly newsletter is dedicated to exploring practices, mindsets, and strategies that make networks effective in driving systemic change. Each issue offers practical tools, real-world lessons, and curated opportunities to help you build impactful, collaborative networks & communities.

Stay tuned next Tuesday for more!