We also projected our collective futures by exploring interconnections between members and staff. Given the challenges of the pandemic, the issue of how we connect with each other is more important than ever, and we examined how the APC network can recreate and reinvent itself. How do we overcome uncertainty and practice possibility? This is one key area where APC can take a leadership role by offering resources to the network to support hybrid models for meaningful connections and meetings. Importantly, even as we look forward, the value of memory is important for continuity and growth.

Collective care grounded all of the plenaries, providing both launching points and closings where we took time to explore what it means to work together as policy change actors, bridge builders, conveners and a diverse and grounded community. Activities like Qi Gong movement, joyful drawing exercises, music and play were the anchors of care that grounded these large assemblies. The importance of laughter was noted by several participants, particularly given the tiring contexts we often find ourselves working in as activists, and fuelled further discussions around pursuing collective care for our health and well-being.

In addition to the plenaries, we also held regional meetings for members in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America and the Caribbean. The numerous sessions organised by APC members and staff – 37 in total! – spanned an impressive diversity of topics, including the strategic use and support of ICTs, environmental sustainability, digital exclusion, facial recognition, community networks, feminist knowledge production, meaningful access, funding and supporting tech projects and more. These were truly precious opportunities to learn from each other, and learn just how strong and engaged our network continues to be!

Complementing the plenaries and sessions, the convening offered several other ways for the network to participate. We held a virtual world café to discuss environmental justice and ICTs. We screened seven films across the week: six from our member EngageMedia’s Tech Tales series on digital rights in Asia-Pacific, and one from the member Digital Empowerment Foundation. We also presented a number of pop-ups where participants could learn about everything from open source editing options to self, collective and organisational care. And we launched APC’s new guide to planning and designing online events, entitled “Guidelines on planning and designing online events”. This important resource is the result of our extensive experience organising online events like the APC member convening, and covers everything from initial planning to going live to winding down an event.