The Latest

The Power of Measuring Volunteer Impact

For twenty-­two years, The Optimist Club of Orangeville have hosted Christmas in the Park at Kaycee Gardens throughout the month of December. Countless volunteer hours go into creating this free, pet­friendly event that transforms a small local park into a magical winter wonderland with more than 50,000 bulbs lighting up several unique Christmas­themed displays. Musical groups and other local talent take turns offering live performances throughout the month, making this local tradition, a perfect way for people young and old to enjoy the holiday spirit.

Read More

Experiencing Mariposa: A Community Story of Place

Too often the places we create are placeless because they don't include our stories ­
- Michael Jones

Read More

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