Written by Naomi Zuk-Fisher 

It’s been a little over a month since I virtually attended StriveTogether’s 2023 Convening: Aligning Around a North Star, and I’m still thinking about the many things I heard and learned from afar. Having registered for the digital-access version of the convening, I still blocked off the entire two days in late September to make space to actively participate. In addition to live-streaming into all four plenary sessions (see Generation Next’s recap of those here), I participated in three self-paced and interactive workshops via StriveTogether’s enhanced Training Hub.

Highlights and take-aways from the virtual version of StriveTogether’s convening:

1. Watching the plenary sessions live kept me feeling a part of the team’s experience at the convening. It’s great to have access to plenary and panel session recordings after the fact, but being able to see and hear the speakers in real time kept me on my toes and actively listening to the sessions even though I was doing it from the comfort of my cloffice (closet/office). 
2. I’m excited about StriveTogether’s new Training Hub as a resource for learning concrete skills and exploring proven approaches to working across sectors, changing systems and achieving equitable outcomes. The digital access experience gave me a real taste for this new platform—it’s not just a recorded Zoom webinar—and it promises to offer a variety of interactive workshops and trainings that are relevant to so much of our shared work. I encourage folks to check out this resource over the coming months. In particular, on December 13th they will be hosting a catalog preview of the sessions that will be offered starting in the new year.

Not everyone on a team can physically participate in a conference for obvious reasons, but the digital version of the StriveTogether conference provided folks back at home the opportunity to have shared experiences with peers who were physically at the conference, which magnifies the value of the convening. Additionally, the conference modules on the Training Hub offered a great entry-point to the Cradle to Career network and approach for members who may be newer to their organization, partnership, or role. 

Participating in a conference virtually can’t replace being there in person—I heard the networking, breakout sessions, food and dance were amazing this year— but I encourage Generation Next partners and stakeholders, and others interested in learning more from the StriveTogether network, to consider making participation in the digital access version of the conference available to more members. And don’t forget to check out their Training Hub offerings!