The Latest

Community Connections

Governments and non­profit community agencies often speak of their plans to eradicate poverty, yet the problem is extremely complex. Rooted in multiple overlapping causes, with unique manifestations across a wide range of demographic and cultural groups, poverty can be difficult to quantify. Everything from stress and social isolation to poor housing and health is part of the picture, and perceptions vary greatly. The multi­generational cycle of restricted opportunity is hard to break.

Read More

"Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast": Lessons from 2014

In December, Liz Weaver and I hosted Community Change: Lessons Learned 2014 a webinar exploring key community change lessons. It provided a great opportunity to generate deeper insights about our work over the past year with the 200 learners who joined the webinar. The dialogue and response energized us with the realization that our growing online community of learners has really become a movement for social change!

Read More

Why Collective Impact?

Community problems are complex - education, poverty, food security, neighbourhood revitalization, crime prevention, and environmental sustainability – and we cannot solve or create lasting change when we work in isolation. The collective impact approach differs from collaboration in that it requires us to work towards a common agenda, across multiple sectors. This is achieved through a backbone infrastructure whose role is to support the community and ensure effective and on-going collaboration.

Read More

A Residency in Social Innovation

Social innovation skills are needed now more than ever to tackle the urgent challenges of our times.  Complex problems confront individuals and communities in many different sectors. Whether your concerns lie with culture, climate, industry, justice or policy, creating the change we need in the world depends on gaining knowledge and finding new approaches. 

Read More

A Gift from a Stranger

As we enter the season of celebration and gift-sharing, consider leaving a space at the table for the stranger: the one who communicates intangible gifts in the form of emotional truths about ourselves that we may not discover on our own. 

Read More

Experiencing the Shock of the Possible in Uncertain Times…

Indeed these are uncertain times that we live in… — Stephen Huddart

Read More