Social innovation inspiration
About This Collection
Canada’s culture of innovation is strong — and we’ll need it to be, as the pandemic becomes a long-term health, social and economic crisis. Entirely new and complex problems have emerged, and community-led social innovation will solve them. In partnership with the Rideau Hall Foundation, we’ve rounded up this list of stories to inspire you and fill you in on some of the most socially innovative work happening across the country.
INTERVIEW: Maison de l'innovation sociale’s outgoing executive director talks about the organization’s achievements and where social innovation is heading in Canada
Future of Good’s CEO and Publisher Vinod Rajasekaran sits down with Patrick Dubé to learn more about bridge building in the social R&D sector, Quebec’s unique social purpose landscape and removing barriers to social innovation in Canada.
Can community safety groups replace (some) policing?
Overpoliced communities are turning to grassroots organizations, often run by volunteers or underpaid workers, to keep the peace. Making space — and funding — for alternative public safety models could save lives.
It’s 2023. Are you still using a ‘lip service’ land acknowledgement? There’s a better way — and a new Indigenous-led fundraising school is here to help.
Indigenous people are donors, volunteers, partners and beneficiaries in the charitable sector. Non-Indigenous teams need to be well-equipped to respectfully engage with Indigenous people in all of these roles. It’s both basic respect, and it’s mission-critical for modern charitable organizations’ funding models.
5 social purpose co-ops helping communities recover from COVID-19
Pandemic recovery will require community-led solutions — to rising rates of food insecurity and addiction; to the lack of access to affordable childcare and pharmaceuticals; for the struggling arts sector; and more — and co-ops could be well-positioned to provide them.
Why diversity and inclusion are essential to social innovation
A majority of Canadians believe that diversity and inclusion are key factors in what makes Canada’s culture uniquely innovative. In partnership with the Rideau Hall Foundation, we look at how three social impact leaders are building Canada’s culture of innovation through inclusion.
Defending the climate during COVID-19: The trials and tribulations of five climate justice organizations
Climate change is the gravest existential issue our planet is currently facing. But the COVID-19 pandemic is our most urgent crisis at the moment, one that threatens news coverage of the climate crisis and the organizations fighting it. How they adapt will be critical to fighting climate change for years to come.
New Zealand has a social impact worker visa program. What can Canada learn?
Post-pandemic, Canada will be left with massive social challenges requiring unprecedented levels of innovation to overcome. Enlisting help from elsewhere in the world could boost the country’s recovery — if New Zealand’s social impact visa program is an indication.
3 Community Innovators Upping Canada’s Culture of Innovation
More than half of Canadians believe it’s important for people to engage in local problem-solving efforts. This story in our series in partnership with the Rideau Hall Foundation features the many local innovators supporting their communities during pandemic recovery, and what this means for Canada’s culture of innovation.
How the pandemic has accelerated healthcare innovation
Healthcare has fundamentally changed in the wake of COVID-19, with many providers reaching up to 90 percent virtual encounters. But adapting to virtual service delivery is only one of the many important ways healthcare innovation — which has historically been sluggish — has accelerated during this time.