Conga line, Global Voices Summit 2015. PHOTO: Jeremy Clarke

For many people it felt like the world changed dramatically on November 9. But what happened in the US is only the latest example of a challenge several of us have been facing for some time, as authoritarian, bigoted and dangerous leaders emerge and consolidate their power in countries such as the Philippines, India, Russia, the UK, Egypt, Syria, Uganda, Venezuela. The near future almost certainly holds more of the same.

These developments remind us that the work of protecting people’s basic rights is never done. That it requires constant vigilance, and sometimes a fight—even as we acknowledge and understand what motivates those with whom we disagree.

This is a time for Global Voices to speak with conviction and urgency—for us to ramp up our efforts to create a world in which empathy is the starting point for the stories we tell each other.

We’ve built a strong community by forging deep connections across cultures, languages and differences of opinion. As much of the world seeks guidance on how to do just that, sharing and scaling our experience and expertise becomes an even more urgent part of our mission.

In conversations with members of the board and the core and editorial teams, as well as on internal community lists, we’re seeing a number of themes emerging that capture some of our enduring concerns:

Refuge and refugees: the idea that safety and security of movement is something we all need

Identity and nationalism: looking at how individuals are experiencing and dealing with the reinvigoration of nationalisms in an increasing number of countries

Communities and technology: understanding how we interact with our communications technologies, and how those interactions influence what and who we know and shape our understanding of the world

These are merely a starting point for discussion as other ideas emerge. We're happy to see the lively debate taking place on our internal lists and chat groups, and the great stories on our growing U.S. Elections Special Coverage section.

We on the core team are also forging ahead with the one-on-one conversations with community members around the community survey, which have been extremely fruitful and enlightening. If you haven’t yet completed the survey independently, or signed up for a one-on-one, we encourage you to do so as soon as possible. As you know, the core team will be meeting in Mexico City on November 30-December 4 for our periodic strategy meeting, and your ideas and input will form a big part of our agenda there. To make it even easier to sign up, we've added a form below.

Over the next weeks we look forward to deepening our conversations within Global Voices and with our partners around the world, and also to hearing about the stories and debates you are having with your friends, family and communities, wherever you are.