We are thrilled to have hosted the very first Digital Policy Leadership Summit, which took place 15-16 February, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium!
The Summit was a two-day community event focused on supporting emerging policy leaders. The event brought together experienced policy practitioners with those seeking to deepen and improve their skills and knowledge.
The focus was on peer knowledge sharing, relationship building and skills development, as we celebrated and amplified new voices and visions to broaden and deepen the community of practitioners working on digital policy issues in the European context.
The Summit explored a range of policy and leadership-relevant skills, strategies and topics, including:
- Crafting a positive vision for what the future of the policy ecosystem and policy leaders could and should look like;
- How each person present interprets and expresses "leadership", and how intersectional perspectives such as feminism, social and racial justice analyses challenge the idea of the “typical” Brussels technocrat;
- Building strategies to increase the impact of our collective efforts for human rights, racial and social justice, equity and inclusion;
- Exchanging best practices and learnings for sustainability and wellness, growth and career development;
- Exploring essential practices, including building and refining narrative, relationship management, understanding and tracking legislative processes, power analysis and mapping, and negotiation.
A Co-Created Agenda
The agenda was a diverse collection of discussions and interactive sessions developed in collaboration with participants. We employed Aspiration's interactive and participatory approach to convenings, and worked to specifically address the outcomes highlighted as most useful and relevant to those in attendance.
We invited everyone participating to bring their stories, ideas, questions, and knowledge to share.