Today I’m speaking at Images and Voices of Hope, a gathering at Peace Village in the Catskills. The mountains are breathtaking but so is the ambition of the conference.

It’s true we live in challenging times. There are so many concurrent global crises, governments around the world riddled with debt and philanthropies are so stretched. But it is also a time of great transition and possibility. As their website explains, IVOH is a global dialogue dedicated to strengthening the role of media as agents of world benefit. Speakers include Asi Burak, Co-President, Games for Change; Larry Kopald, brand architect behind social and environmental campaigns for major corporations; David Mathison, Author, Be the Media; Michaal Skoler, Vice President, Interactive Media, Public Radio International; Eric Whitacre , Composer, conductor and lecturer, and B.K. Mohini Panjabi, Spiritual leader, among others.

What so excites me is the rising awareness that technology is enabling social change in ways never imaginable before. What’s more, in a celebration of the power of collaboration, professionals from different creative fields are getting together to cross-pollinate ideas and drive thinking forward. The internet has democratized information and now social media is democratizing marketing. As such, the creative class and people from all walks of life can exercise greater control over the change they want to see in the world.

The talks are being webcast at: http://brahmamkumaris.acrobat.com/pv/

In the meantime, here are the key points I will be discussing:

• An interdependent global community needs an expanded definition of self-interest.
• The future of profit is purpose.
• Consumers want a better world, not just better widgets.
• Technology is teaching us to be human again.
• Brands must become architects of community.
• The evolution of revolution is contribution.
• (ROC) Return on contribution – HR, CSR, PR, IP, Social Currency
• Brands cannot succeed in societies that fail.
• Prosperity is not the wealth of a few, but the well being of many.

While there is much cause for concern in our world, there is also an enormous amount to be excited about. We have barely scratched the surface of the transformative potential of the web. Hopelessness and powerlessness are being replaced by responsibility and opportunity. Working together, there is little we can’t achieve.