The Latest

Can you hear my snowflake voice?

The following speaks to why I feel it’s important to involve youth in the process of making anything for youth and how there is a gap in creating a space for that to happen.

If you are not me, how can you know what I want or need?

I have found the meaningfulness of being asked the simple question of trying to know what I want or what I need to be diluted as the target audience shifts from me to we. Too often have I felt my own voice get watered down amongst the masses. Sometimes to the point where I am no longer motivated in participating in such efforts to include my two cents in a census.

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The Power of Inquiry in Disruptive Times

The last few months have challenged many of us working for community change. There has been a rapid succession of disruptions to organizations and communities which include responding to a pandemic; moving into virtual workspaces; and trying to support workforces during rapid changes. In some communities, these disruptions have also included climate impacts like floods and forest fires. Each of these shifts have uncovered the reality of inequity and structural racism embedded in our communities and systems.  

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Collective Impact work sets the stage for Saskatoon’s Inter-Agency Response

The COVID-19 crisis has undoubtedly intensified vulnerabilities across communities. Saskatoon's Inter-Agency Response was created out of recognizing the unique challenges the pandemic would bring to agencies supporting vulnerable people. Born out of initial discussions through the Safe Community Action Alliance, it emerged into a comprehensive operation with over 65 organizations.

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Promoting Mental Health Through Innovation

The Institute for Advancements in Mental Health (IAM), is a connector, collaborator, thought leader and solution-driven organization. Our goal is to support, innovate and drive change for better mental health. Through our own in-house services, we design programs around the needs of our clients - people with complex mental health needs and their support circles.

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Announcing the 2019/20 CBYF Community Innovation Fund Recipients

Tamarack Institute’s Communities Building Youth Futures is proud to announce the recipients of our 2019-2020 Community Innovation Fund. See below for a full list of funding recipients, including project descriptions.  Read More

Harnessing Stories for Shared Wisdom & Community Action in Palm Beach

I have long been curious about the different roles that stories and narratives can play in the work of community change. I have seen how one individual story, powerfully told, has the power to instantly engage people and offer clarity and understanding of a complex issue in ways that well-researched data and analysis alone cannot accomplish.

I  know that communities, like individuals, have stories about themselves that can both limit and inspire their hopes for the future. These community narratives – about who we are; how things go; what’s possible for us here – shape collective thinking and can play a role in determining the future. Uncovering current shared community narratives and inviting community members to co-create new, compelling narratives that are rooted in their shared hopes for the future can be a powerful lever for community change.

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