50 keynote speakers from around the world are gathering together on one day in one place, to explore key topics around doing good and being good. The ‘Goodstock: Being Good is a State of Mind’ conference will open with a special interview with Shari Arison, the initiator of Good Deeds Day under which the international conference is being held. She leads the Arison Group – a global business and philanthropic group that invests in ventures with added value to people, society, the economy, and the environment.
Shari Arison, the businesswoman and philanthropist who initiated Good Deeds Day, said, “The idea behind Good Deeds Day is to shine a spotlight on doing good deeds that grow the circles of good in the world. This year, it was important for us to also hold a virtual global conference with thousands of participants, sharing their good deeds and expanding the circles of good together, strengthening the idea that it is always possible to do good and be good. Representatives from more than 100 countries will take part in our Goodstock gathering, and it is heartwarming to see the outpour of goodness and the connection everyone feels towards one idea that is uniting us all – being good.”
Also speaking at Goodstock will be Peter Singer, author and Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University; Jason Arison, Chairman of The Ted Arison Family Foundation; David Arison, CEO, The Doing Good Model, and VP Global Relations, Arison Investments; Ahmed Talib Al Shamsi, CEO, Emirates Foundation; Ni’cola Mitchell, Founder of Girls Who Brunch Tour, writer and Forbes Change Maker; Justin Aldrich Rockefeller, Head of Impact, Addepar; Ziv Shilon, Entrepreneur, lecturer and social activist; Gary Dixon, President of Random Acts of Kindness; Nichole Cirillo, Executive Director, International Association for Volunteer Effort; Orly Wahba, Founder, Life Vest Inside; Doron Almog, Founder and Chairman of ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran, and 2016 Israel Prize Laureate; and Owen Fitzpatrick, best-selling author and psychologist.
Leaders from several countries will discuss key themes around goodness and genuine acts of loving kindness, taking place in six main plenary sessions: Leading Change Through Volunteering; Being Good is Good Business; Sustainable Development Goals: 10 Years to Go; Education: The New Generations of Good Doers; What it Means to ‘Be Good’; and Good Cities.
Additional compelling breakout sessions will enable all delegates to get together in smaller groups, to engage in practical workshops and impactful discussions on topics such as improving, creating, and implementing virtual programs, changing the world through sports, how helping others can improve yourself and boost your happiness, providing possibilities for advancing underprivileged children, and doing good for the environment through volunteering.
“Our goal is to discuss, showcase, and delve into key topics, case studies, and stories around doing good and being good,” Hannah Wojno, Director of Good Deeds Day, the curators of this global gathering, told Goodnet.
The event is expected to draw an international audience of thousands of people, driven by the involvement of NGO professionals, volunteers, government officials, and other leaders who strive to better the world.
Several Goodstock sessions will also be streamed in other languages, including in Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic, and French, as well as English, reflecting Goodstock’s global outreach.
Good Deeds Day, an annual global day of doing good, is the pinnacle of doing good year-round. Initiated in 2007 by business woman and philanthropist Shari Arison, Good Deeds Day has grown to 108 countries with millions of participants. Good Deeds Day 2021 is April 11.
