What if everyone had access to the social connections they need to thrive?
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This International Women’s Day, and Women’s History Month, the RSA US team has invited female-identifying Fellows to explore how social capital, social connections, and building community, intersect with their work. Throughout the month of March we will feature a series of blogs exploring how social capital – the network of relationships and support systems that help people succeed—can make a world of difference, particularly for women. From journalists to coaches to network architects, these female-identifying Fellows are building bridges, and creating the connective tissue that holds communities together.
Throughout my career, one of the questions I’ve been driven by is: how do we create spaces where people – especially those with differing perspectives – can come together to think, reflect, and act for a better future? From global health to international development and democracy, my work has always been about fostering collaboration. I’ve led global initiatives, partnered with governments and organizations like WHO and the World Bank, and designed dialogues that drive policy and change. At its core, my work is about human connection. That’s why I launched Democracy Dinners and Lunch for Democracy (for young people) in 2024—to bring people together over shared meals to have deep, meaningful conversations about democracy, trust, and the future we want to shape. In a world increasingly divided, these spaces disrupt polarization and help build bridges. Democracy starts with dialogue. Whether in boardrooms, classrooms, or around the dinner table, our collective voices matter. Our ability to listen, challenge, and lead with empathy is transformative – and change starts when we dare to engage.
To me, social capital is the currency of trust, relationships, and collaboration and is built in the spaces where people connect, share ideas, and take collective action. Throughout my career, social capital has been both a foundation and a driving energy. Whether convening high-level dialogues with Wilton Park, leading multi-sector collaborations as CEO at GBCHealth, or designing the Democracy Dinners and Lunch for Democracy, I have seen firsthand how networks of trust create impact.
One of the most powerful examples of social capital in my work was in Ethiopia, where I co-founded the HEAT (Health Education and Training) program alongside Dr. Tedros (then Minister of Health). By bringing together government, academic institutions, and community health leaders, over 35,000 Health Extension Workers were trained, strengthening healthcare systems at the grassroots level. Similarly, in digital health, my work with WHO and the World Bank focused on capacity-building for digital health leaders across Low and Middle Income Countries.
The Democracy Dinners and Lunches are building social capital by fostering face-to-face conversations across ideological divides. Together with colleagues in the UK, the USA and Africa, we are working with our connections to empower, uplift, and create change. In an era of increasing polarization, it is more critical than ever to build and nurture networks of trust.
To me, social capital is the currency of trust, relationships, and collaboration and is built in the spaces where people connect, share ideas, and take collective action.
I see growing momentum in the shift from transactional giving to trust-based philanthropy – philanthropists are increasingly investing in networks of trust, and putting decision-making power in the hands of those closest to the issues. In the current mash-up of geopolitical crises – wars, democratic backsliding, economic instability – global leaders will have to rely more than ever on cross-sector collaboration to navigate uncertainty. The multilateral system is clearly under strain, and social capital can be a powerful lever to bring individuals and organizations together to find ways to act where formal diplomacy stalls.
Across the United States (and elsewhere), I’m seeing citizen engagement initiatives and grassroots democracy movements responding to increasing political polarization, declining trust in institutions, and growing concerns about democratic backsliding. Deliberative democracy initiatives like Braver Angels and Living Room Conversations, are bringing together Americans from different political perspectives to reduce polarization through structured, respectful dialogue. These and other efforts recognize that democracy is not just about elections but about building relationships across ideological divides and that it is a practice, built on everyday conversations, local action, and the power of citizens to shape their own governance.
Social capital has been one of the defining forces in my career—opening doors, sparking collaboration, and helping to drive transformative impact. The relationships I have built over time have created opportunities and led to initiatives that would not have been possible working on my own. For example, I’ve been co-facilitating events at Wilton Park in the U.K. for almost 15 years and have seen the conversations at these residential meetings lead to new partnerships, unlock funding and create meaningful impact in fields such as health, technology and peace & security. The relationships I’ve built over the years at these events and similar international gatherings have allowed me to work at the intersection of policy, innovation, and impact—bridging gaps between decision-makers and the communities they serve.
In 2024, I co-founded Wonderfuture, an organization dedicated to creating experiences and insights for thinkers, futurists, and leaders. The Democracy Dinners was our first initiative and is very much about fostering new collaborations as well as strengthening democratic engagement. Looking ahead, the Lunch for Democracy events in schools in the UK, USA and Africa will – we hope – serve to bring young people together, both in person and virtually, across countries, to learn from each other and foster greater understanding and friendships globally.
I have been incredibly fortunate. My background, education, and professional experiences have granted me access to opportunities, individuals, and organizations that many never get. Because of this, I don’t feel that I have personally “lost out” due to a lack of social capital.
What I have seen, however, through my work in global health, democracy initiatives, and leadership development, is how profoundly the absence of social capital impacts others. Many talented, driven individuals lack the networks, mentorship, or access that could enable them to contribute fully to their communities or careers.
This awareness has shaped my work. Whether mentoring emerging leaders, advocating for inclusive decision-making in global health, or creating spaces like Democracy Dinners and Lunch for Democracy, I aim to help bridge these gaps—to ensure that access to networks, ideas, and influence is not limited by privilege, but extended to those with vision and purpose. So I guess, for me, the real question is not what I have lost, but how I can use the social capital I’ve been given to create opportunities for others.
Right now, at a global level, the U.S. administration’s aid freeze and its handling of conflicts, including Ukraine, are testing international trust and collaboration. The delay in funding for development and humanitarian efforts weakens vital global networks of cooperation—social capital at the highest level.
Strengthening diplomacy, restoring funding for key initiatives, and reaffirming U.S. leadership in multilateral forums are essential. In both the U.S. and the UK, access to power and opportunity is still largely determined by who you know. Expanding social capital in the U.S. is going to be critical to rebuilding trust, strengthening democracy, and ensuring that opportunity is not reserved for the privileged few. We need to be thinking about (and making) intentional efforts to create bridges—across political divides, economic disparities, and geographic boundaries—so that networks of trust and opportunity become more accessible to all. Many organizations are already doing this and are now ramping up their efforts. Yet there’s much more to be done, and I would argue that there should be more investment in civic education and engagement programs, particularly in schools and colleges so that young people — regardless of background or where they live — can develop the networks and skills to participate fully in civic life.
Lesley-Anne Long is Chief Strategist at Wonderfuture and a leader in global health initiatives across the U.S., Europe and Africa. You can learn more about Lesley-Anne and connect with her on LinkedIn.
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Our social connections work will oversee a step-change in encouraging approaches and practices that value and commit to stewarding social capital.
