Shaping social innovation in urgent times
The SIX Wayfinder is the global social innovation event that brings together the field’s pioneers to set an agenda for creating a better future and finding our roles within it. When you join the Wayfinder, you are part of the global social innovation movement.
“To wayfind is to orient oneself; seafaring communities have long found their way using the stars, the current and the winds. But by nature, to wayfind is to be finding your way, and therefore to be uncertain, often disconnected and sometimes even dislocated from what matters. How do you find your way when in the present moment you are so disoriented?”
The Wayfinder journey
The first SIX Wayfinder was convened by SIX, hosted by Nesta and supported by the UNDP, Social Innovation Generation (SiG) National, The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI), and the JW McConnell Family Foundation.
In May 2018, the second Wayfinder took place in Istanbul, convened by SIX, hosted by Zorlu Holding, powered by imece, in knowledge partnership with ATÖLYE and S360, and supported by the UNDP Regional Hub Istanbul and the Brookings Doha Centre. We embarked on a shared global learning experience for two days with 350+ people from 30 countries. We also hosted a public meeting with 1000+ additional participants joining virtually.
In 2020, we took the Wayfinder online. Rather than just hosting a ‘normal’ online conference, we devised a metaphorical symphony – four movements that helped us grasp meaning and shape action together in urgent times.
In 2024, SIX partnered with the University of the Free State to host the first global gathering of global social innovation leaders in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The gathering explored the theme of people-powered change – the resilience, strength and collective power of citizens, who best understand their communities, that make places thrive.
This year, we are taking the Wayfinder to Nairobi.