The WINGS network is getting ready for the landmark event that the network organizes every four years: the global WINGSForum. After IMAG in Mexico in 1998 and WINGSForum in Sydney in 2002, the third global meeting is scheduled for 16-18 November 2006 in Bangkok, Thailand. It will convene approximately 200 people from organizations in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and Africa.
The choice of location reflects the move of the WINGS Secretariat to the Philippines at the end of 2006. The network made a conscious decision to host WINGSForum in the region where the Secretariat will be based after 2006. The Bangkok meeting will give the region a chance to introduce itself to the whole network and present WINGS to new partners in the region.
WINGSForum will aim to give participants hard skills and knowledge and to create enduring professional links. In Sydney, participants observed that ‘there was constant interaction between participants, facilitated through discussions marked by candour and courage, with no shying away from difficult issues…’ We will aim to generate a similar spirit of exchange in Bangkok.
Of especial interest will be the satellite events of WINGS’ constituent groups on 15 November. WINGS-CF, the group of organizations supporting community foundations, will convene for a day to discuss issues specifically related to their work. A meeting of WINGS’ participants interested in promoting corporate philanthropy will explore some of the hot issues in this field and a longer-term programme within WINGS that will serve the specific needs of this group.
While WINGSForum will be open only to WINGS members (grantmaker associations and support organizations), the network is eager to hear of emerging organizations that we could welcome into the network and invite to Bangkok. More information is available at http://www.wingsweb.org
For more information on the WINGS Forum, visit http://www.wingsweb.org/programmes/forum06.cfm
For more information on WINGS, contact Gaynor Humphreys, Director, at wings@efc.be
WINGS (Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support)
c/o European Foundation Centre
51 rue de la Concorde
Brussels B-1050 Belgium
Tel + 32 2 512 8938
Fax + 32 2 512 3265
Email wings@efc.be
Website http://www.wingsweb.org
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