Change rarely arrives all at once. More often, it appears quietly — in new relationships, in different ways of working together, and in small yet meaningful shifts in how decisions are made. This was a strong theme that ran through Tamarack’s last Convenor Call of 2025, where member communities shared what they were learning about advocacy, collaboration, and systems change.
One idea kept resurfacing: In advocacy, relationships matter more than ‘getting what you want.’ This is not about lowering ambition or urgency. It is about recognizing that durable change — the kind that lasts beyond a funding cycle or political moment — is built on trust, shared understanding, and long-term connection.
Another recurring insight was the value of slow and intentional change — one thing at a time. In a world that often rewards quick wins and visible outputs, this can feel countercultural. But communities are telling us that slowing down has allowed them to:
Build stronger partnerships before acting
Centre lived experience more meaningfully
Avoid duplicating efforts or competing for the same resources
Rather than rushing to policy or program solutions, collaboratives are paying attention to the conditions that shape outcomes: how people relate to one another, who holds influence, and whose voices are heard. This kind of work may be less visible, but it is deeply foundational.
Across the network, we are seeing concrete examples of how focusing on relationships, power, and participation is opening new possibilities.
Several communities shared how centring lived experience has reshaped their work. In Yellowknife, this has included changes to leadership structures and compensation, recognizing that equitable participation requires more than good intentions. Kingston is providing free access to community space, removing barriers to engagement, and signalling that community voices are essential.
Other communities highlighted how engagement has led directly to action. From climate engagement and empowerment in London, food security conversations through Gardens of Hope in PEI, to improvements in local transportation options, community input is increasingly informing not just what is done, but how it is done.
A powerful shift named by a convernor is: “We are no longer competing.”
Instead, communities are learning to work better with local municipalities, forming new relationships with Indigenous consultants and partners, and engaging more regularly with federal decision-makers. In Calgary, relationships with decision-makers are contributing to increased awareness and more informed policy conversations. In other places, collaboratives are becoming hubs for rural poverty reduction, sparking new interagency groups and shared strategies.
At the neighbourhood level, these relationships are coming to life in tangible ways — programs and workshops in Windsor, film nights in Niagara, and community gardens that create both food security and connection. These activities are not just services; they are relationship-building platforms that strengthen the social fabric.
Communities are also paying closer attention to the structures that support collaboration. This includes:
Hosting benefit clinics and coordinating resource navigation through partnerships with libraries.
Developing local poverty reduction strategies aligned with various funding streams.
Establishing new governance structures and terms of reference for collectives.
In Golden, new terms of reference are clarifying shared leadership and accountability. In Yellowknife, hosting responsibilities for the Youth Network are being shared. Windsor is investing in neighbourhood programs, councils, and workshops, while Rochester is informing climate change practices through a community progress monitor. These may sound like technical changes, but they fundamentally influence how power and responsibility are distributed.
Policy remains an important lever, and many communities shared wins in this area: annual policy agendas, new position papers, public statements on basic income, food security frameworks, and letters supporting local poverty reduction strategies.
What is different now is how policy is being approached. Rather than starting with policy as the first or only solution, communities are grounding their advocacy in relationships, lived experience, and shared learning. Policy becomes one expression of systems change — not the sole measure of success.
Taken together, these stories point to a deeper shift in how communities understand and practice change:
Change can begin early, even before formal strategies are in place. Relationships are not a “soft” outcome; they are a core condition for progress.
Slower, more intentional work can lead to more meaningful and lasting results.
Collaboration grows when competition is replaced with trust and shared purpose.
As we move forward, the invitation is to keep paying attention, not just to what we are doing, but to how we are doing it. Let’s ask whose voices are (and are not) shaping decisions, how power is (and is not) shared, and what relationships need tending.
Because when we invest in the conditions that allow people and communities to thrive, change doesn’t just happen — it takes root.
Wins, celebrations, and successes from 2025 remind us that this work matters and that we are learning how to do it better, together.
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