The Future is Collective Advancing Collective Social Innovation to Address Societys Biggest Challenges 2025

Given the values that collective social innovators hold and the impacts they create, collective initiatives organize themselves in different configurations than conventional organizations and institutions. Collective social innovation is built upon the five key values identified earlier in this report: bringing together a wide range of stakeholders, a commitment to impact through addressing root causes, maintaining flexibility, restoring agency, and ensuring respectful and balanced relationships. To actualize these values, collective social innovators construct architectures, develop pathways and conduct activities that allow vast constituencies to flexibly contribute in authentic and agentic ways. Collective social innovators construct collective architectures to mobilize vast constituencies While each collective initiative included in this report addresses different social issues and assembles diverse constituencies, there are similarities to how these initiatives are constructed. Each collective has developed a multi-layered framework (also known as a “collective architecture”) designed to enable the representation and participation of hundreds of thousands – and sometimes millions – of people. This architecture ensures that diverse voices are included, and that large-scale learning and collaboration are both possible and effective. Interestingly, this collective architecture may or may not be supported by a traditional legal entity. While the majority of initiatives in this study operate through registered organizations, some – such as MapBiomas, Shikshagraha and vartaLeap Coalition – do not have such entities. Typically, this structure comprises three distinct layers. The action layer consists of grassroots groups that engage directly with constituents to carry out activities on the ground. The network layer serves as the “connective tissue”, linking these groups across different geographies to create cohesion and shared purpose. Finally, the supporting layer provides the administrative backbone, ensuring continuity by managing resources, coordinating efforts and enabling long- term sustainability. Together, these layers form a dynamic and scalable system for collective action. The world is facing tremendous challenges of inequality, conflict and ecological decline. We have seen in our work, young people – as trusted and part of key and significant intergenerational decision-making and dialogue spaces – not only bring alternative perspectives that can help us challenge the status quo, but also new innovations, entrepreneurship, and tremendous social change action by being the change they want to see in the world. Collaborative partnerships are needed for us to work across all sectors, across all countries, to co-create the space with young people for building youth leadership spaces that nourish love, learning, freedom, ownership and social hope. Ashraf Patel, Co-Founder, Pravah ComMutiny - The Youth Collective; Member, vartaLeap Coalition, adapted from the5thspace. (2022). Ashraf Patel, co-founder Pravah, ComMutiny and vartaLeap at World Economic Forum. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=RslHGiMTo6A. Image credit: vartaLeap Coalition, India The Future is Collective: Advancing Collective Social Innovation to Address Society’s Biggest Challenges 24