We at TSIC recently celebrated our 15-year anniversary with a party at The House of St Barnabas, joined by many past and present clients and partners. We had visual artist Gianpietro Pucciariello there on the night to capture discussions as we asked those in the room to reflect on the future – what worries you, what excites you, what is emerging and what is on the decline. Here’s Gianpietro’s blog and co-created drawings capturing our guests’ thoughts.
The drawing harvesting exercise at the TSIC 15th Anniversary event was a huge success. Guests were asked to share their reflections on the next 15 years through discussions, doodles, words and colours. It started with four distinct areas of reflection, each represented with initial drawings using the metaphor of a young girl exploring the world.
1) What worries you, visualised by the girl holding in her hand a storm-shaped balloon, she walks alone on a desolate street that leads to big thoughts
2) What excites you, visualised by the girl firmly holding a match that it used to start fireworks
3) What is emerging, visualised by the girl mysteriously observing floating objects coming out from a wide crater
4) What is on the decline, visualised by the girl on the top of an ancient ruined acropolis, holding in her hand a flower that is losing its petals in the wind.
While I was speaking with one of the guests, we felt a particular metaphor strongly coming out: TSIC being a ship riding across the sea. This vision led me to the final, post-event harvesting picture.
Imagine that the social impact and investing ecosystem is a wide and ever-changing sea. There are different islands, each one representing the various subjects that people reflected on during the TSIC workshop. Each of these islands is unique, with its own concerns, opportunities, and challenges.
TSIC is like a ship navigating this sea. The crew is made of dedicated sailors who are committed, with skills and personality, to tracing a line through these deep waters that lead to a better world. TSIC is like a ship navigating this sea. The crew is made of dedicated sailors who are committed, with skills and personality, to tracing a line through these deep waters that lead to a better world. As they set sail, they must navigate the shifting tides and currents, and learn to work with the winds to reach their destination. They are aware they need to work together, and that to work together they need to be human, work hard, rest harder, build a community and create space for others. At times, the journey may be challenging, facing the turbulent waters constantly crashing over the jagged cliffs of the island of worries. The sailors may encounter storms and rough seas, disconnection, community violence, and rising inequality. They may feel overwhelmed by the scale of the challenges they face as sailors lost at sea but aware to remain together.
A haiku captures the overall feel at each of the four islands. For what worries us, it is:
Inequalities
Gap widens, hope diminishes
Social unrest looms
As TSIC journey through this social investing ecosystem, the sailors must also pay attention to the island that is on the decline.
Our guests saw negatives, such as the loss of beauty around us and the health of the earth, but also positivity, in the lessening of gender stereotypes and endless unsustainable growth.
Hardships do abound
But in every struggle lies chance
for growth and learning
But even as they navigate challenges, the sailors also find hope and inspiration in the warm paradise of the shore of excitement island, and the rising potential of the emerging archipelago. Our guests were excited by newly diverse ecosystems, more young energy and an engaged community, soaked with the spirit of possibility, feminism, equality and social justice. Here things can grow through partnership, finding connections across sectors that normally don’t work together.
New ideas brewing Entrepreneurial spirit economy thrives when sailors approach the emerging archipelago, led by the strong wind of change and fresh waves of connection, they first see the bridge that connects the clean alliance of social and environmental justice. It sits in front of the new horizon, made of hope and excitement, fostering cooperation and understanding. Our guests see the potential for positive change and sustainable improvements, with young people at the heart, engaging with the future in a time of transition and transformation.
Amid turmoil’s tide
Shifting sands of destiny
New world takes its form
Throughout the 15 years of riding waves, TSIC remains determined and steadfast, navigating the social impact and investing ecosystem. They visit these islands, every time aware of what they did in the past, but always with fresh eyes – gaining more comprehension of the deep and interconnected world they are impacting. They move forward with the understanding that they are working towards a more sustainable and impactful future for all.
15 years on waves
Social impact, we rise high
A better world dawn
Table of the reflections
