frank, the gathering for people who change the world, is back in person and online in 2023.
This year at frank, we invite you to take a deep breath and settle in for the long view. Whether we’re looking back over our shoulder or out over the horizon, taking a long view can offer us perspective, humility and hope. It can inspire us to do better work and work to be better versions of ourselves. Throughout history, successful change agents have taken the long view–making choices that lead to a better future, following all the steps, and working collectively toward what’s best for humanity rather than individual, short-term gain.
Taking the long view means that we don’t always see the result or experience the benefits of our work. It also means that others’ choices brought us to where we are.
Together, we’ll examine the long view–as a form of self-care, as a call to building a better world, and as a strategic imperative. We’ll look at movements that have succeeded by taking the long view, and how short-term thinking can be harmful. We’ll also look at the long view from cultural and social perspectives.
Help us shape the gathering:
frank interactives are one-hour sessions during the gathering where you and your fellow franksters can go deep on a topic. Have you worked on or led a project where you took a long-term approach? Would you like to lead an interactive session? Share your ideas here:
frank speakers 2023
These are some of the folks you’ll see on the frank mainstage this year…
Hub Brown
Francesca Tripodi
Rick Serdiuk (Ярослав Сердюк)
Tafadzwa Tivaringe
Kate Davies
Magdalena Saldaña
Kamau Sadiki
Fatma ElRefaei
Faylita Hicks
Lia Kelinsky-Jones
Micah Gilmer
Amahra Spence
Bennett Callaghan
Trina Stout
Mark M. Chambers
Nell McShane Wulfhart
Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay
Yasmin Elhady
Teresa Irene Gonzales
Rianna Walcott
Michael Huang
Banafsheh Madaninejad
Brandi Collins-Dexter
Falisha Hola
Tanya Watkins
Hari Pulapaka
Shanelle Matthews
Rachel Weidinger
Dessa
Nicole Bronzan
Mikka Kei Macdonald
Jennifer Jacquet
Ashwath Narayanan
Lizz Winstead
Host
Mia Birdsong
Rodrigo Dorfman
Nima Shirazi
We’re adding new speakers each day. Stay tuned for further updates. Read the bios
There’s two ways to join the gathering. Here’s what to expect:
- Access to seating in the main theater for all talks
- Welcome Rally featuring cocktails and hors d’oeuvres – Tuesday
- Lunch – Wednesday and Thursday
- Dinner – Wednesday and Thursday
- Activities on Wednesday and Thursday night
- Farewell after-party lunch on Friday
- Coffee bucks and drink tickets
- New friends and instant community
- A good excuse to visit Florida in February
- Access to all frank social sessions
- Access to all recess and interactive sessions
- Access to frank lounge
- Discount at area hotels.
- An interactive video stream of all main theater programming for all frank talks
- Activities specifically designed for participation from where you are
- Access to recess and interactive sessions designed for your fellow online attendees
- New friends and community
- Not having to travel
- A special box of frank gathering goodies mailed to your address of choice (if registered by Dec. 15, 2022)
Lodging for frank – special rates and booking links
Hyatt Place Gainesville Downtown frank HQ
212 SE 1st St – directly across from the Hipp
From $189/night
Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown
101 SE 1st Ave – two blocks from the Hipp
From $189/night
AC Hotel Gainesville Downtown
151 NW 14th St – 1.2 miles from the Hipp
From $171/night
The frank gathering takes the safety and wellbeing of our community very seriously. We are activating a safety protocol informed by guidance from multiple sources including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state and local public health departments and in consultation with event and public health experts. We are implementing strategies within allowances regulated by Florida state law.
Participants are encouraged to practice hand hygiene, physical distancing and wear face
coverings to reduce the risks of exposure to COVID-19.
COVID-19 vaccines and boosters:
The organizing team of the gathering strongly encourages all participants to follow science and health experts recommendations for vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and variants. Here is the latest CDC guidance on booster shots.
Masks:
We encourage well-fitting masks that cover your nose and mouth at indoor events and programming, except when actively eating or drinking. Participants are strongly encouraged to wear KN95, KF94s or N95s, or procedure (a.k.a. surgical) masks with at least three layers of fabric during the event. For reference, the CDC updated their face coverings website on January 14, 2022.
At their discretion, presenters may remove their masks. (When presenting information, speakers may opt to not wear a mask to be clearly heard.)
Testing:
Daily self-testing is encouraged.
If you receive a positive self-test or PCR test OR have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID within five days of the event, please do not attend in-person events. We can gladly convert your ticket to a online registration.
Outdoor activities:
Attendees may remove masks for outdoor activities. Please note for your own comfort that during peak crowd levels, it may be difficult to keep a full six feet of distance between participants.
We expect our events to be a respectful, harassment-free environment for people of all races, genders, sexual orientation, ability, nationality, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and beliefs.
We’re ask that our community maintain a spirit of respect, thoughtfulness and openness when engaging with one another — it’s what makes our gathering such a draw each year.
In that spirit, the staff, supporters, volunteers, attendees and speakers at frank are expected to:
- Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions, and actively seek to acknowledge and respect the boundaries of fellow attendees.
- Passionate conversations are part of solving problems. That said, we ask that you keep conversations professional, respectful and consider other parties’ points of view. Take responsibility for the impact of your words and actions, whether intended or unintended.
- Remember that the boundaries of good taste, humor, personal space and physical interaction differ from person to person; if you sense someone feels uncomfortable — whether they explicitly state it or not — be respectful of those boundaries.
- Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory or harassing behavior. Harassment and inappropriate behavior may include, but are not limited to:
- Sexist, ableist, racist, homophobic, biphobic, transphobic or otherwise discriminatory jokes or language
- Physical intimidation, stalking or following
- Unwanted photography or videography
- Sustained disruption of talks or events
- Posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material; if for any reason you may need this material for an educational session, please contact frank staff first and we can discuss how to give an appropriate warning to participants
- Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes sexualized comments or jokes; inappropriate touching, groping and unwelcomed sexual advances
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior
Reporting a problem
Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert the frank team if you notice what you assess to be a dangerous situation, someone in distress or violations of this Code of Conduct. To report a problem, you can email frankgathering@gmail.com.
Above text is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, adopted and adapted from the Online News Association Code of Conduct. That, in turn, was adapted from SRCCON Code of Conduct and the Citizen Code of Conduct.
frank2023 is supported by
- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Rita Allen Foundation
- The Commonwealth Fund
- Cause Communications
- Visit Gainesville
- Florida Climate Institute