For this week's episode, Mareen and Q invited two guests of our partner initiative SABF (South American Business Forum). Homero is the head of the media and communications department, Lucía is leading the speakers department of SABF. The SABF team organizes a physical conference, which takes place yearly in Buenos Aires and brings together top speakers and students from over 62 different countries.

First, our guests give us a little insight working at SABF, while clarifying the differences in student life at a South American university compared to student life elsewhere in the world.

They put special emphasis on how joining and working within a volunteer organization in Argentina might be different from joining one anywhere else in the world.

Shortly after we get to the core of our talk in discussing the implications the ongoing pandemic has for student organizations in general and the SABF in particular. We focus on talking about how SABF adapted to the new situation and what changes they had to undergo in their organization in order to do so. We also debate which role physical conferences will still play in the future and if online versions can cope with the lack of physical contact. However, within these times of uncertainty, we come to the conclusion that the target of the WBD and SAB, to connect people around the world and give them a chance to interact, ist not depending on the format. If a platform, where communication happens and people have the opportunity to inspire each other, is provided, change will happen.

Or to put it in other words: “If you want to connect with people, you will connect with people”.