“Never waste a good crisis” – Melton Day 2020
86 guests, discussions on the societal and economical global implications of COVID19, and looking back at the progress of the Melton Foundation with our founder, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Bill Melton - We commemorated a Melton Day (an annual occurrence to celebrate the spirit of Global Citizenship and intercultural collaboration) like no other on 3rd May 2020! Read on for quick insights, impressions, and the full recording!
Global citizenship is about working together, across divides, to turn great ideas into tangible solutions that benefit local communities across the world. And when the entire world recuperates from the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, Melton Fellows, partners, and community members joined hands to celebrate what unites us all – Global Citizenship.
A classic Virtual TownHall meeting to discuss the economic and societal implications of COVID19, panelists and attendees discussed new economic models that might emerge out of the crisis and with a look at the societal implications of the enduring lock-down and the upcoming recession.
- Jason Liu: Current state of the economic and financial markets
- Bill Melton: Current reality and alternate economic systems
- Gunar Hering: Green deals, circular economies and a sustainable way forward
- Julian Klauke: Long-term effects of Covid-19 on the social sector and peace work
- Stephanie Woodard: Current state of Human Rights and what implications may be on the horizon
The meeting garnered several interesting perspectives. New Melton Fellow Tryphine Clara shared,
“This COVID-19 period has made some of us realize that we can survive without certain things or should I say following the same trajectory of doing things. For instance, a fraction of employees can actually work from home, we can actually survive by utilizing e-commerce sites thus proving a cashless system can survive.”
Senior Melton Fellow Jaikar Mohan added,
“What amazes me in this whole situation is how the economies shrink so dramatically as soon as people shift to spending on the essentials. It makes me think about the whole concept of what is really essential. My question would be: Do you think that people’s expenditure patterns are going to fundamentally change post-COVID-19 and if this is going to redefine what we call economic growth?”
From our founder, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Bill Melton’s address, we gathered three riveting takeaways:
- Our current school of ideas may be a mental prison – It is vital to be open to new perspectives, ideas and constantly changing global and local systems.
- We need to Redefine values, and the systems currently in place considering both community and self-leadership, instead of focusing on economic trends alone.
- Never waste a good crisis! – Our responsibility is to be inquisitive, find opportunities to create a sustainable impact in our areas of influence.
