Lanzarote Forum 2024
November 28, 2024
In October, the Rising Tide Foundation, in partnership with Universidad de las Hesperides, hosted the second Lanzarote Forum in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. At this forum, we invited organizations that run exciting projects related to our Freedom in Practice focus areas and are currently facing obstacles or challenges to receive advice from a selected group of Global experts (collectively known as the “brain trust”). Numerous fascinating discussions occurred during this two-day event, and countless unique solutions were proposed.
Yet, this was not just any co-creation event. Our Lanzarote Forum approach is unique as it embeds core classical liberal principles into the project acceleration: self-organization, emergent order, collaboration, and free exchange.
The highlight of the Lanzarote Forum was learning and hearing from six project owners from across Europe (and even beyond) who came to the event to receive feedback from the brain trust in hopes of finding solutions to the barriers or obstacles they face. These projects included:
“1776 Media” (Romania)
“1776” is a citizen journalism project launched in 2020 to address the lack of representation and isolation of classical-liberal ideas in media and education. By blending investigative journalism with collaboration, it aims to challenge socialist narratives, connect classical-liberal academia with the public, and promote timeless values in today’s shifting cultural landscape.
"Project Athena” (Germany)
Project Athena, an initiative of Prometheus Institute, is an academic one-stop shop which empowers graduate social science students in German-speaking countries to maximize their potential and shape society’s future. Through mentoring, career support, and fostering vibrant, interdisciplinary communities, it lays the foundation for intellectual growth, collaboration, and societal impact.
“Emergency Mercenaries” (Spain)
XRF envisions a private entity modelled after Spain’s Military Emergency Unit but more effective than FEMA, specializing in managing long-term emergencies. By deploying highly trained “emergency mercenaries” and advanced technologies, the project aims to revolutionize crisis management, minimizing losses through rapid, tailored responses and seamless information-sharing.
“Data Veritas Institute” (Spain & Global)
Energy policy is poorly understood, even by specialists in the field. This confusion results in abysmal policy decisions that focus solely on reducing emissions, often at the expense of the poorest in our societies. The Global Energy Institute will combat this problem by developing and expanding high-quality data sets on renewable energy performance worldwide and conveying the resulting arguments to policymakers and investors to encourage energy and climate policy reform.
“Pathway to Freedom” (Global)
A global crisis of political prisoners leaves families of detainees unsupported and uncertain about advocating for their loved ones. To address this, World Liberty Congress created a first-of-its-kind Handbook and an accompaniment program, offering practical guidance to empower families of political prisoners with advocacy tools, tailored support, and strategies for effective action in diverse political and cultural contexts.
“Kuest Media” (Turkey)
Turkey’s youth face a crisis of opportunity, trapped by economic instability, restricted freedoms, and a media dominated by propaganda or polarized narratives. Kuest Media bridges this gap, delivering engaging, classical liberal content on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to empower digitally savvy young Turks with actionable insights and the tools to shape their futures.
Outcomes
Every project owner has said their initiatives will be accelerated thanks to their participation in the Lanzarote Forum. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll collaborate closely to help bring the transformative ideas co-created during this inspiring weekend to life.
Here is what a few of the project owners had to say after attending the Lanzarote Forum:
“It was a really brilliant experience, and I can only recommend it to all those who are in love with [their] objective but open to others’ expertise on how best to get there.”
“The brain trust helped me sharpen so many ideas, clarify so many concepts, and identify points for action. This will lead to great changes in my project — changes that improve my project…”
“The experience was absolutely amazing, seeing that many people willing to help, shooting ideas and questions to you… incredibly useful and super exhausting.”
In addition to project owners, many in the brain trust left with deep insights to take back to their daily work. Here is what a few participants had to say:
“Transformational in many levels. Innovative, creative, open and accepting. The format and structure is constantly evolving. A profoundly rewarding experience that builds community and fosters social impact.”
“It has been an amazing experience in every sense of the word: productive, meaningful, and enjoyable.”
“Amazing and mind-blowing… Genuinely think that this week has been a real game-changer for me…”
We are now in the process of planning for Lanzarote Forum 2025! If you know someone looking for a platform to accelerate a new or existing project, please get in touch with us at events@risingtide.ch, and we will send you an application form. You can learn more about the Lanzarote Forum here: Home | Lanzarote Forum 2024.