Can You Build a Community Without Common Sense?

About this event

Dear members who have been part of the Chiang Mai Professionals Expats and Digital Nomads community over the past 12 years, join us for an interactive online event exploring how we create meaningful, long-lasting connections. In an era of hyper-individualism and a digital nomad world where the focus is often narrowed to personal gain and offsetting the cost of living, what do we actually build? We are missing out on the fundamental human need for belonging and rootedness. Without a willingness to sacrifice for a collective good, Chiang Mai's nomad community building frequently fails, sometimes feeling like a place people come to fade away rather than actively live. True community requires mutual effort, and sometimes, standard "common sense" principles need to be entirely re-evaluated to achieve it. For this session, we welcome a distinguished guest, Dragana Tomić Pilipović. She brings an incredible case study from her Rural HUB—a pioneering coworking and coliving space—alongside her transformative workshops for authentic, new-age educators. Dragana will share how she successfully built a thriving, sustainable ecosystem that defies conventional, transactional logic. I invite all of you to bring your questions and contribute to a Socratic dialogue on how we can actively improve our ecosystem and bridge the gap between merely existing in a transient hub and truly thriving together. Event Details: • Date: Saturday, 3rd October • Time: 4:00 p.m. Bangkok Time • Format: Online • Host: Stefan Ručman • Guest Speaker: Dragana Tomić Pilipović Dragana Tomić Pilipović is the Founder of the Centre for Socially Responsible Entrepreneurship (CDOP), with more than 25 years of experience in organisational development, people development and community building. Throughout her career, she has worked in organisational development, strategic human resource management, leadership development, and the design of innovative learning and development programmes. She served as Human Resources Director at Erste Bank and PharmaSwiss, where she focused on organisational transformation through organisational culture and leadership development. Since 2010, through CDOP, she has focused her work on sustainable development, social entrepreneurship and strengthening local communities. She founded Rural HUB in Vrmdža, a rural space that brings together work, learning, idea development and networking, while connecting people with the natural and local resources of the community. She is also the initiator of Mreža Jezgro, a community connecting and empowering women from rural areas through learning, mentoring, exchange and mutual support. Through Authentic Educator, she works on the development of educators and explores new approaches to learning and knowledge sharing based on authenticity, experience and meaningful connection with people. Her professional interests today lie at the intersection of people, communities and places – particularly in exploring how rural areas can become vibrant spaces for work, learning, creativity and a better quality of life. Dragana holds a degree in Economics from the University of Belgrade and a Master’s degree in “Comparative Local Development for the Balkans and other Areas in Transformation” from the University of Trento, Italy.