Navigating Change Together: Systems Approaches & Funding in a Time of Polycrisis
- Date
- 2025-04-02
- Location
- at The Sidebar Community Hub in the Tidmarsh Room, Oxford, England, United Kingdom
- Host
- The Sidebar
About this event
Change is no longer something happening at the edges of our work. It is shaping funding decisions, organisational strategy, community needs, and the way people across the sector relate to uncertainty. Navigating Change Together: Systems Approaches & Funding in a Time of Polycrisis is an in-person conversation for people who want to respond with more clarity, better questions, and stronger connections. This event creates space to think seriously about what it means to work in a time of overlapping pressures, while staying practical about what comes next. If you are trying to make sense of complexity without losing sight of action, this is the room to be in. About the Event This gathering is designed around a simple idea: the challenges many organisations and communities are facing are deeply interconnected, so our responses need to be as well. Rather than treating funding, resilience, systems change, and collaboration as separate conversations, this event brings them together in one focused in-person session. Expect a thoughtful, grounded discussion that looks at how people are adapting in the face of ongoing instability. The emphasis is not on abstract theory for its own sake, but on using systems approaches to better understand the wider conditions shaping decision-making, resources, partnerships, and impact. The format is built for exchange as much as reflection. This is not just about listening passively; it is about learning alongside others who are also working through uncertainty, trade-offs, and real constraints in their organisations, networks, and communities. Because the event is hosted as part of a community-oriented setting, there is also a strong relational element. The conversation will make room for both strategic thinking and honest peer connection, helping attendees situate their own work within a broader picture. What to Expect You can expect an afternoon that balances structured discussion with space to meet others and test ideas. The theme of polycrisis gives the conversation urgency, but the goal is to leave people better equipped, not overwhelmed. Likely areas of focus include: How systems thinking can help make sense of complex and fast-moving conditions What current funding pressures mean for organisations, initiatives, and longer-term planning How resilience and adaptability show up in practice, not just in strategy documents Where collaboration matters most when no single organisation can address the full picture alone What it takes to respond well when community needs, financial realities, and institutional expectations are all shifting at once The session will also create opportunities for conversation across roles and perspectives. That means you may hear from people approaching the same challenge from different angles: community work, organisational leadership, partnership building, sector development, or funder-facing strategy. Just as importantly, there will be room to ask sharper questions. What assumptions are no longer serving us? Where are people being forced into reactive patterns? What becomes possible when we step back and look at the system, not just the symptom? That kind of inquiry can open up more useful and more realistic next steps. Why Attend If your work is affected by uncertainty, constrained resources, or rising complexity, this event offers a chance to pause and think with others who understand the stakes. You do not need to arrive with answers. In many ways, the value of the event comes from being in a room where people are willing to examine the tensions honestly. You will come away with a stronger frame for understanding how multiple crises interact rather than treating them as isolated problems. That wider perspective can help with prioritisation, communication, partnership decisions, and the difficult work of balancing immediate pressures with longer-term purpose. There is also real value in being around peers who are asking similar questions. Whether you are grappling with funding uncertainty, trying to build organisational resilience, or rethinking how your work connects to wider systems, these conversations can help you feel less alone and more strategically grounded. Reasons people may find this event especially useful include: You want practical insight, not vague optimism, about operating in complex conditions You are looking for peers and collaborators who are also thinking beyond silos You need language and frameworks that help explain complexity to colleagues, partners, or stakeholders You want to connect funding conversations with broader questions of systems change and community response You value in-person discussion that allows for nuance, trust, and more candid exchange Practical Details This event takes place in person at The Sidebar Community Hub, in the Tidmarsh Room, Oxford, United Kingdom. The setting supports the event’s conversational, community-minded approach and offers a more engaged experience than an online session can provide. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2 at 4:00 PM GMT+1. An afternoon start makes it well suited to people who want to step out of the day-to-day, reflect with others, and stay for conversation without the pressure of a full-day commitment. Because this is an in-person gathering, it is worth arriving with enough time to settle in, meet other attendees, and make the most of the networking aspect of the event. The themes of community, future of sector thinking, and adaptability are best explored through real conversation, and the room itself is part of what makes that possible. If your work touches funding, systems change, resilience, or the future of how communities and organisations respond to pressure, this event offers a timely and well-placed opportunity to engage. Come ready to listen closely, contribute thoughtfully, and leave with a clearer sense of how to navigate change together.
Who should attend
This is for people who are trying to make thoughtful decisions in complex conditions and want better ways to connect strategy, funding, and systems thinking. - You work in the social, civic, cultural, community, or nonprofit sector and are feeling the pressure of overlapping challenges rather than single-issue problems. - You are a leader, strategist, programme lead, community builder, or practitioner who needs to think beyond short-term fixes and understand the wider system shaping your work. - You are involved in fundraising, resourcing, or organisational planning and want to explore how funding realities connect to resilience, adaptation, and long-term direction. - You care about collaboration and want to meet others in Oxford who are also thinking seriously about the future of the sector and how to respond well to uncertainty. - You are drawn to honest, grounded conversation rather than polished talking points, and you value being in a room where people can test ideas openly. - You do not need to be a systems expert to belong here. If you are curious, reflective, and looking for practical insight and strong peer exchange, you are likely to get a lot from this event.