How do we create real societal change? This question is the starting point for Forandringskraft’s programme at this year’s GRASP Festival. As a national platform and community for people and organisations working to create positive societal change, Forandringskraft invites audiences to conversations about democracy, welfare and business as drivers of change.
At this year’s festival, Forandringskraft explores how different actors and sectors can contribute to addressing some of the biggest challenges we face – and which new collaborations, perspectives and decisions can move us forward. From grassroots movements finding their way into the Danish Parliament to young people’s own stories about welfare and businesses rethinking their role in the green transition, the programme focuses on how societal change happens in practice.
Can a grassroots movement create change in the Danish Parliament? The question is particularly relevant after Jordskred went from being a new movement to having three activists elected to Parliament in just a few months. In a panel discussion with elected representatives from Jordskredsalliancen, Political Leader of the Alternative Franciska Rosenkilde, a democracy adviser and a researcher, we explore how organising shapes political culture and visions – and what creates meaningful participation and trust in today’s democracy.
Taking Fabian Holt’s book Organize or Burn as its starting point, the conversation explores what it takes to bridge the gap between grassroots movements and parliamentary work – and how new forms of organising can strengthen democratic participation and create lasting societal change.
How can young people’s experiences contribute to shaping the future of welfare? In the Future of Welfare workshop, participants will work with personal diary entries written by young festivalgoers at Roskilde Festival. The entries offer a rare insight into young people’s own thoughts on well-being, community, everyday life and their hopes for the future.
Drawing on these young people’s stories, participants are invited to engage in dialogue and collective reflection on what the welfare society of the future should be built on. The workshop explores what perspectives young people’s experiences can bring to municipalities, civil society and decision-makers – and how their voices can inspire new ways of thinking about welfare.
What role should businesses play in addressing society’s biggest challenges? In The Transformative Power of Business, business leaders and experts come together for a conversation about courage, innovation and decisive action at a time when climate change and sustainability demand action.
Inspired by Marcus Feldthus and Oscar Haumann’s book Smådriftsfordele, they explore how businesses of different sizes, ownership structures and ambitions can help drive the green transition – and why bigger is not necessarily better.
Forandringskraft is part of a wide-ranging festival programme where artists, researchers, activists, businesses and decision-makers come together to explore new pathways to societal change.
Among those you can experience are author and social commentator Emma Holten, who challenges our understanding of care and economics; French economist Timothée Parrique, who questions economic growth as society’s measure of success; and British communications strategist Thomas Coombes, who demonstrates how hopeful narratives can inspire action rather than powerlessness.
The programme also brings international perspectives through the Coalition for the Future and the European Commission’s work on intergenerational fairness, as well as a talk by Vasna Ramasar from Lund University, who explores how hope, care and communities can provide the foundation for new ways of creating societal change.
You can also experience Bisse & Dreamers' Circus in concert, bringing together new Nordic folk music and poetic everyday surrealism, and døtre, who invite audiences into an immersive concert experience where sound, space and technology become part of the work itself.
And this is just a small selection of the full programme, which will continue to grow in the lead-up to the festival. GRASP Festival takes place from 1–3 October at Musicon in Roskilde.
See the full programme and sign up for the festival here.
