Making real connections
How Snapdragon helps Flock Together founder Ollie Olanipekun build communities beyond the screen
Technology and the natural world may seem like opposing forces, but Ollie Olanipekun uses digital tools to bring people closer to nature, and to each other. The award-winning creative director is the founder of the birdwatching collective Flock Together, which uses social media to create meaningful offline communities for people of colour, share outdoor experiences and develop stronger connections with the natural world.
"People are like... birdwatching is an amazing way to get people offline or off their devices," Ollie says. And it is – "but we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for our devices!" The real-world connections that Flock Together creates come from the extensive planning, preparation and communication that happens in the background on Ollie's ever-present laptop powered by Snapdragon.
"Behind all of the content that people see online, there is a lot of admin that goes into preparing for each walk, for each activity, managing people, health and safety, things that I usually have to bounce between. I'm always running between locations, going to recces and taking photos. So the Lenovo laptop powered by Snapdragon, with its extended battery life*, is just perfect to be able to manage all of that activity." Because Ollie's laptop is powered by Snapdragon, it delivers the stamina Ollie can rely on to manage all that activity on the go without worrying about battery life.
"Everything is about how to make this space as accessible as possible"
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Flock Together came from Ollie's own love of nature. What started as an Instagram conversation in 2020 with wildlife presenter, author and youth sports coach Nadeem Perera about their shared love of birdwatching became what Flock Together describes as "a living, breathing homage to nature's vital role as a space to recharge, restore and inspire." The collective hosts monthly birdwatching walks for their growing community in remote forests and city parks alike because "birds are everywhere. All you have to do is look up."
"I'd been using birdwatching for my mental health forever and I was like, let me share this idea I have for a bird watching club," he says. Ollie's idea was to "change the stigma around birdwatching", and to make it more inclusive. "People of colour were not seen in this space, so when I started Flock I wanted it to be a solution to that issue."
For Ollie, the traditional presentation of birdwatching "kind of felt like it wasn't a space for us. So from the beginning we knew that we kind of had a duty to really present birdwatching in this really new, energetic, youthful way – because everything is about how to make this space as accessible as possible." Flock Together achieves that by taking online conversations and turning them into shared outdoor experiences, making birdwatching feel more inclusive for a whole new generation.
Ollie uses his laptop powered by Snapdragon to take part in those conversations and to share content by and about the members of Flock Together, creating positive reinforcement that spreads the Flock Together message and brings new people to each birdwatching walk. "The content that's being shared is so raw and organic that the ripple effect it has ensures numbers for the next activity," he says. "It's really like this feedback loop that we rely on to engage new audiences." That engagement is powerful. "When you arrive the energy is there," Ollie says. "You can feel it in the air."
"When you arrive the energy is there. You can feel it in the air"
Ollie's Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x Laptop powered by Snapdragon is the perfect match for his energy and enthusiasm – and because it's highly portable, it goes where Ollie goes. Right now that means in and around London, but Flock Together is spreading its wings: the collective has a key chapter in Tokyo, and it also has satellite chapters in Toronto and New York.
"I feel like I'm part of a movement," Ollie says. "When you're walking and you see the passion for birdwatching... we have genuine passion." And Ollie uses his laptop powered by Snapdragon to share that passion and the joy it can bring. "We've always said that we don't dictate your experience," he says. "Whatever you feel, usually it's overwhelming joy – we know that, but we don't really dictate. We don't want to set expectations, because we know nature will provide, always."
You can find out more about Flock Together at flocktogether.world.
"I feel like I'm part of a movement. We have genuine passion for what we do."
* Battery life varies significantly with device, settings, usage, and other factors.
