--- title: Collective Impact and Culture description: On my recent trip from Toronto to Vancouver, I picked up the book Mindfulness. Be Mindful, Live in the Moment by Gill Hasson. image: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/313xOYxVmsL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg --- [![20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Administration/Tamarack%20Logos/20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange.png?width=200&height=47&name=20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange.png "20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange")](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/?hsLang=en-us) # Collective Impact and Culture Posted on January 13, 2015 [By Liz Weaver](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/author/liz-weaver) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) On my recent trip from Toronto to Vancouver, I picked up the book *Mindfulness.  Be Mindful, Live in the Moment *by Gill Hasson.  Since my laptop battery died about one hour into the trip, I put my work away and began reading the book.  Actually, I was reading, watching a movie and thinking.  It is typical for me to do many things at the same time, actually, I think in this electronic age, it is actually the norm rather than the exception. ![](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/313xOYxVmsL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) Reading the first couple of chapters of *Mindfulness*, I began to slow down.  I took off my headphones, turned off the screen and began to concentrate on the book.  I tried to live in the moment, slow down and breathe.  All good lessons for all of us.  My first day in Vancouver had me facilitating a day long workshop on [collective impact](http://www.collectiveimpactforum.org/), something that I have done frequently in the last couple of years.  What I didn't anticipate was where this conversation would go.  I anticipated that the group was cohesive and ready to move forward.  Instead, it was a day of learning, trust building, relationship building and slowing down.  As a facilitator, I had to be mindful that my agenda had to be adjusted to the rhythm of the group and still check in with the expectations of the leaders.  I had to listen carefully, breathe slowly and let the conversation move forward.  The day reminded me of the messiness of collective impact efforts.  As much as we want to push forward to collective outcomes, we can't do this without the engagement, relationships and trust that needs to be built.  This is particularly challenging when there are deep historical and cultural issues in our communities.  Before we can move forward, we have to acknowledge the context, the history and the culture.  It seems the messages of *Mindfulness* - to slow down, to breathe, to be present are essential tools in the early work of collective impact. Topics: [Collective Impact](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/topic/collective-impact) ![Liz Weaver](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/Website_Author_Liz_Weaver.jpg) ### By [Liz Weaver](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/author/liz-weaver) Liz Weaver is passionate about the power and potential of communities to create impact on complex issues. She is Tamarack’s former Co-CEO and Director of the Learning Centre, where she provided strategic leadership and led key learning initiatives, including collective impact capacity-building services for the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Liz is one of Tamarack’s highly regarded trainers and has developed and delivered curriculum on collaborative governance, leadership, collective impact, community innovation, influencing policy change, and social media for impact. ## Related Posts [![](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/Community-driven-pathways-blog-post-staff-office-widescreen.png)](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/five-community-driven-pathways-for-systems-change?hsLang=en-us) #### [Five Community-Driven Pathways for Systems Change](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/five-community-driven-pathways-for-systems-change?hsLang=en-us) [![](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/MicrosoftTeams-image%20%2815%29.png)](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/expanding-collective-impact-across-the-globe?hsLang=en-us) #### [Expanding Collective Impact Across the Globe](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/expanding-collective-impact-across-the-globe?hsLang=en-us) [![](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/collective%20impact%20toolkit%20featured%20image%20v2.png)](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/introducing-the-collective-impact-toolkit?hsLang=en-us) #### [Introducing the Collective Impact Toolkit](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/introducing-the-collective-impact-toolkit?hsLang=en-us) [![BACK TO THE LATEST](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/316071/e6ffa9bb-4467-4833-8ecc-eb340b11d829.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/316071/e6ffa9bb-4467-4833-8ecc-eb340b11d829) [![20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Administration/Tamarack%20Logos/20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange.png?width=3401&name=20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange.png "20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange")](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/?hsLang=en-us) ### Tamarack [Home](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/?hsLang=en-us) [Latest](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest) [Events](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/eventlisting?hsLang=en-us) [Donate](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/donate?hsLang=en-us) [About](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/whoweare?hsLang=en-us) ### Follow Us [** ** ](https://www.facebook.com/TamarackInstitute) [** ** ](https://twitter.com/Tamarack_Inst) [** ** ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/tamarack-institute-for-community-engagement)   In the spirit of respect, reciprocity, and truth we honour and acknowledge that our work occurs across Turtle Island (North America), which has been home since time immemorial to the ancestors of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples. ### Subscribe Be in the know. Get the latest updates, events and resources about community change. [Learn More](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/subscribe?hsLang=en-us) Tamarack Institute © 2023