“Is it possible to reverse a declining culture?”

History would say 'yes': the Renaissance, the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution. Five times Europe has re-invented itself.

The question remains then, how does a cultural rebirth happen?

David Stroud’s conviction is that it happens through networks.

The ideas of the Renaissance were sparked when Petrarch, the poet, fused the clarity and creativity of classical texts with his deep conviction about the Christian faith. But the ideas became a force for cultural renewal when Petrarch “travelled incessantly, building a network…[of] emperors and popes, educators, priests and wealthy patrons.”

As David says: “ideas have consequences when they're linked to dense networks of senior leaders, who will imagine how those ideas can create a better future, who will refine those ideas… and then embed them in the institutions of which they're responsible in order to change the world.”

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David Stroud is the co-founder of Forum, a network of senior leaders working to bring about positive change. He is the founder and senior leader of Christ Church London and co-founder of the Everything Network.