Forum Spaces, formerly called TopLink, is the World Economic Forum’s engagement platform, accessible only by Forum partners and community members, including Global Shapers and Alumni. It is a digital tool used for community, knowledge, and event management as well as showcasing impact and Global Shapers can access a wide range of content curated by the World Economic Forum. It is the official platform to verify official Global Shapers and connect Hubs globally. Global Shapers can access their user accounts by logging in through the main Global Shapers Community website using the upper right “Sign In” button.
Global Shapers become official community members the day they join Forum Spaces and all members are responsible for setting up their personal accounts. Curators are granted additional administrative rights during their mandate to update their Hub page and manage membership (including adding and removing members), while Impact Officers are responsible for managing Hub projects and tracking impact. In this guide, content related to Forum Spaces is organized into the following sections:
- Forum Spaces - For All Community Members
- Forum Spaces - For Curators (Hub Page and Membership)
- Forum Spaces - For Impact Officers (Hub Projects)
- Increase Engagement
Forum Spaces - For All Members
General Benefits
Global Shapers typically use Forum Spaces to:
- Find and connect with Global Shapers and Alumni and verify official members. Use filters such as location (country) and subcommunities (city or hub) to easily navigate the network and find the people you are looking for.
- Explore Global Shapers projects. Use filters by topic or geography to discover relevant initiatives across the globe.
- Learn about the Forum's Centres and their Initiatives.
- Access the Forum's Publications.
- Discover Forum Events and register for virtual programs when possible.
- Access Forum Stories to explore the Forum’s latest content, including articles, recorded meeting sessions, podcasts, videos, and publications from leaders in business, politics, and civil society. Global Shapers and Alumni also have the opportunity to contribute to Forum Stories, which reaches millions of monthly views, and should inform their Community Manager when submitting a pitch.
- Access the Forum's Strategic Intelligence, for which all Global Shapers and Alumni receive an automatic free Pro Digital Membership.
The Global Shapers Assistant, an AI chatbot, is available in the bottom right corner of Forum Spaces once you log in to answer questions based on the Community Guides.
Complete Your Forum Spaces Profile
Ensure your profile is complete and up to date. This includes:
- A professional, colour full frontal headshot photo
- Accurate personal details, including date of birth and gender identity
- Up-to-date contact details. You should use your personal email address rather than a professional one you may no longer use in the future.
- A concise and up-to-date biography written in the third person that reflects your professional experience and expertise.
Your biography is one of the most important elements of your profile. It should be 200–300 words, written in the third person, and clearly reflect your current role and expertise. Make sure to include:
- Your current job title and organization (keep this up to date)
- Key themes or areas of expertise (use clear keywords to improve visibility in searches)
- Sector(s) of work or study
- Notable achievements or impact (focus on measurable results and outcomes)
- Relevant skills and networks (e.g. leadership roles, regional or global engagement)
- Education and languages
Make your biography clear, specific, and keyword-rich to increase your visibility across the platform and improve your chances of being selected for Forum opportunities and events.
Please, note that your "Primary Position” is always related to your Global Shapers membership on Forum Spaces. You can further customize your user experience by downloading the Forum Spaces App and managing your mobile and email notifications, as well as downloading the Forum Live App, the Forum’s dedicated events app used during meetings.
Forum Spaces - For Curators
Manage Hub Page
Ensuring the Hub page on Forum Spaces is always up to date is a key responsibility of the Hub Curator who has Manager rights to make all the necessary change. The Curator should see "Edit" button on the Hub's main page.
Any changes made to the Hub's page is reflected on the Hub's page on the Global Shapers Community public website.
Hub Description
The Hub description includes the Hub's vision. You can add all the relevant information such as recruitment timelines and contact information (i.e. city@globalshapers.org). To ensure the smooth processing of your profile updates and avoid potential issues, please refrain from using free text descriptions that include keywords commonly associated with SQL commands (such as SELECT, FROM, WHERE, and HAVING). These terms can trigger security rules and block your request. Here is a great example: The London Hub is a large, vibrant and extremely diverse group. Some of us are lifelong Londoners; others are recent arrivals. Between us, we are journalists, lawyers, entrepreneurs, activists, investors, politicians, doctors... and many other occupations in every sector of society. We care deeply about having an impact in London and the wider world. Our recent projects range from building an institute for teaching responsible leadership to running a hackathon to forge links between some of London's most talented technologists and healthcare non-profits in Africa. To find more about our recruitment criteria, timelines and general information email us at london@globalshapers.org.
Hub Cover Picture
Bring your page to life with a colorful group shot. Make sure to upload a high resolution image as this will be visible on the Global Shapers Community public website. On Forum Spaces, the image will only display a selected range of 1400 x 800 pixels. If you are unable to upload it, ask your Community Manager to upload it for you.
While you are here, don't forget to take a look at the Communications and Branding Guide!
Manage Membership
Add Members
Once an applicant successfully completes the Hub’s selection and interview process, as well as a probation period (if applicable), the Curator can invite them on Forum Spaces to officialize their membership. Click on the “Invite Members” button to enter the email address of the applicant(s) you want to invite and click on “Send invitation(s)”. Invited Global Shapers who are inside the age range (18 - 27 years-old) will receive an onboarding email inviting them to complete their profiles.
STEP 1 - Access the Admin Panel directly from your Hub page
STEP 2 - Invite new members via the Invite Member button
- You can track the status of invited members and resend the invite if needed
- From the Forum Spaces Admin Panel, curators can customize the text, header image and signature on their invitation email
Remove Members
Curators can cancel Hub memberships based on the Membership Cancellation guidelines of the Charter. You can find additional guidance in the Cancellation section of the Membership Journey Guide.
Once members are informed, Curators may remove them from Forum Spaces via the Hub's Members tab by clicking on the three dots next to the concerned members and click on "Remove member."
Transfer Members
Global Shapers who would like to request a transfer should follow the community's transfer guidelines.
Forum Spaces - For Impact Officers
Project Submission
As part of the Global Shapers Community, each Hub must implement at least one project per year and upload it to Forum Spaces. Ideally, only Impact Officers should make projects submissions to ensure consistency. They are responsible for this task, ensuring the project inspires other Shapers, fosters collaboration on key issues, and showcases our global impact. Tracking progress and creating an institutional memory of your work is essential. Use the following link:
Read the Hub Projects and Reporting guide for instructions on writing a complete project description.
Project Review
Once you submit your project, your Community Manager will review and validate your project submission then publish it to Forum Spaces and the Global Shapers Community public website. The average time for a project to be published can vary depending on HQ's workload. For urgent requests, please email your Community Manager. Please do not submit the project more than once.
Project Update
The Project Contact (Impact Officer) will be responsible for keeping the project information up-to-date. Project Contacts have access to:
- Edit the project summary as new progress is made
- Update or change the cover photo
- Add project members
All projects should have a unique cover photo representing the project. The project contact will have access to change the photo once your project is approved. Keep in mind that Forum Spaces images must be less than 3MB in order to be uploaded.
There are some updates to projects that must be made by HQ. If you would like to make any of the following updates to your hub's project, please reach out to your Community Manager through Forum Spaces or by email. Be sure to include the URL link to the project's Forum Spaces page in your message.
- Adding or editing the project start and end dates, visible under Project Lifeline.
- Granting someone else access to edit the project or setting someone else as a Project Contact.
- Changing the name of the project.
- Removing a project from Forum Spaces.
- Updating the status of the project. This can be either: "Initiation", "Planning" , "Execution" or "Closure".
Please note, all historic hub projects will remain live on Forum Spaces and the website so that hub members can see what has been done in the past.
Increase Engagement
Activity Feed
Send important updates with the option to notify members by email, tag your Hub in other Forum Spaces posts and stay alert in case other Forum Spaces users get in touch with you.
Library
Upload your Hub's official documents like the Hub's local charter, newsletters, annual reports, performance tracker, Curatorship applications, historic project tracker from your Impact Officer and any other useful files.
You can create customized categories for your different type of documents. If this is the case, make sure to always type the exact same name each time you upload a file that belongs to this customized category.
Calendar
Upload all mandatory Hub meetings and relevant events for your Hub members. You can keep the history of all the meetings held in the past with minutes under each calendar entry!
If you have any questions, feedback or would like to report an issue regarding Forum Spaces, please email digitalsupport@weforum.org.