Developing ideas and growing impact with Pacific women entrepreneurs in Brisbane

Our largest cohort to participate at a Brisbane-based Dialogue will come together on Sunday 16 to Tuesday 18 February to take part in the first Pacific Connect Dialogue for 2020, run by the International Centre for Democratic Partnerships (ICDP) with support from the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

This Dialogue will be the fourth chapter in the Pacific Women Entrepreneurs series and 27 participants from Australia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands come together across three days to discuss opportunities for Pacific entrepreneurs in social enterprise, under the theme of ‘Australia-Pacific connections for the digital future.’ The co-facilitators of the Dialogue – Catherine Fritz-Kalish, Director, ICDP and Managing Director Global Access Partners (GAP), Wilmaraia Vocor, General Manager – HR, Air Vanuatu; and Kim Graham-Nye, Co-founder of gDiapers, will guide the participants through creating impact business ideas for application across the Pacific.

After having the opportunity to meet and network on Sunday evening, the newest members of the Pacific Connect Community will come together on Monday to collaborate on overcoming challenges and seizing social entrepreneurship opportunities for Pacific entrepreneurs and startups. A storytelling workshop, connecting individuals linked to their causes with potential partners, will be facilitated by Wilmaraia Vocor. In line with Pacific Connect’s objective of forming long-term relationships between Australians and Pacific Islanders, delegates will work on social impact initiatives and build ideas to support their Pacific island businesses. To continue with the theme of female entrepreneurship, participants will have the chance to hear from Australian entrepreneurs: Kim Graham-Nye and Kylie Ellwood, Founder of Insight Collective Group and a Pacific Connect Community member. Following the day’s proceedings, Emma Koster, Founder – Hello Cass, will present the Keynote Address to the wider Community and Pacific network at the Dialogue Welcome Dinner.

The final day of the event will see participants take part in co-working space and social enterprise visits, in cooperation with the Queensland Social Enterprise Council and Fishburners This will provide our Pacific Islander and Australian community members with the opportunity to engage with local social enterprises before taking the knowledge gained and connections back to their local communities.

ICDP will be providing live updates from all session on its Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram channels. To take part in the conversation and share your own experiences of the event, don’t forget to use the hashtags #PacificConnect and #DigitalPacific. Don’t forget to sign up to the newsletter, website and our new YouTube channel for the latest updates on projects and videos from this Dialogue!