In April, Anouk and I travelled to Cape Town, South Africa – Frances’ home – for our first in-person team meet-up. Though we’ve been working together remotely for between 18 months and 2.5 years, speaking most days, none of us had ever actually met face-to-face. With a small budget, team travel has often felt like a luxury we couldn’t prioritise. But at the start of this year, we all felt remote work was taking its toll and it was time to meet in person.
Remote work has offered us many gifts – freedom, flexibility, and the ability to collaborate across continents, building a truly global team. But it also comes with limitations. There are some things a screen just can’t replicate: spontaneous ideas discussed on a walk or over a coffee, a shared meal, or a conversation that goes off-track in all the best ways. We considered three locations for our meet-up: Anouk’s Cambodia, London where I’m from, or Frances’s Cape Town. At just the right moment earlier this year, Frances received an invitation to attend the Be The Earth South Africa Festival, a gathering focused on trust-based philanthropy and flow-funding, an approach deeply aligned with our values at The Iris Project. It was the perfect opportunity to anchor our team meet-up in something meaningful.
Be The Earth welcomed us wholeheartedly, giving us the nudge we needed to book our flights and bring our virtual team together. It’s a strange sensation to meet people you know so well, yet not at all. We’d gone from knowing each other in two dimensional form to having a whole week to connect in three. The festival was the perfect place to start. Held on the beautiful Boschendal Farm, it brought together project leaders, community organisers, philanthropists, and activists for two days of learning and reflection. We heard about Be The Earth’s flow funding approach, ecocentric economies, impact investing, and community-led grantmaking, interwoven with painting, sunrise trail running and live music. It was a privilege to learn from such inspiring people and to witness the energy and innovation of South African changemakers committed to transformational work in their communities.
After the festival, we made our way to Cape Town, nestled between Table Mountain and the Atlantic, to spend time deepening our connection as a team. We were guided by Rosie Wildgoose, who facilitated two brilliant coaching sessions. The first helped us reflect on who we want to be in our working lives and the impact we want to have. In the second, we explored Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats framework, mapping which styles of thinking we each gravitate towards, which we avoid, and how we can stretch ourselves into new perspectives.
In between structured sessions, we watched penguins waddle out of the sea, ate together, walked for hours, and talked about everything, from big ambitions to the small things. This experience was invaluable. It refilled our cups, strengthened our bond, and reenergised us as we dive into our next chapter – creating the Iris Prize shortlist and preparing to welcome our fourth cohort of brilliant youth-led projects.
Remote work has allowed The Iris Project to be global from day one. But last week proved the value for real-life connections. It deepens trust, creates space for new ideas, and makes the work feel even more real. We’ve returned home with a stronger sense of what we want for the future of The Iris Project.
By Millie Edwards
