Between 8th and 10^th of June 2016, over 40 people from the field of philanthropy across Central and Eastern Europe, gathered in Bucharest to attend the INSPIRE Conference organized by the Association for Community Relations in Romania. With a mix of site visits, outdoor experiences, peer to peer sharing, gamification elements, visual harvesting and individual experiences, the conference offered an interactive platform where professionals from the field were able to address important questions, to reflect on the role of philanthropy in the present context and to strengthen connections between philanthropic practice in the region.

“The recent INSPIRE Philanthropy – Roads to Social Change conference was one of the most fun, innovative, and participatory learning and sharing experiences that I have ever been a part of. By joining the Environment and Urban Planning track, I met with organizations promoting eco-education in Romanian schools, the reuse of industrial space in Bucharest to support a vibrant community of makers and entrepreneurs, and innovative approaches to mobilize public engagement to address urban development challenges. I deeply appreciated the opportunity to learn from the experiences of an incredible group of practitioners engaged in strategic philanthropy for social change in Central and Eastern Europe and more about vibrant social movements in the region.”  (Christen Dobson, former Program Director of Research and Policy, International Human Rights Funders Group)