Transitions. Reflections from (what I hope is) a Social Impact Thoughtful Mentor. Part XIII

My purpose is to support people and organizations through transitions, especially as they seek to do good, better. Please reach out if you need support in these areas.

Photo explanation. Last week I was so pleased to have the chance to co-facilitate a group of cross-sectoral leaders on Wasan Island. This particular retreat was organized by the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) to further develop the initiative: How Change Happens (HCH).

HCH is a big idea that will hopefully give us all a sense of hope and agency, tied to a new Canadian identity. Stay tuned for more but for now my deep appreciation to the following amazing leaders, who it must be noted, are not necessarily speaking for their organizations but who offered such rich contributions to advancing this work:

• Tonya Surman with the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) who is our visionary, host and co-founder of the How Change Happens initiative.
• Chris Jarvis with Realized Worth for being a "compulsive helper" supporting us all to contribute at our highest level, and for his astounding work to capture our conversations through AI (so cool and should make my reporting work much easier).
• Julie Sommerfreund (she/her) with The Moment for sharing her skills as a designer, her commitment to working across generations, her focus on environmental issues and supporting youth with mental health issues.
• Dee MacLaren, our resident educator for bringing her expertise in understanding the teenage brain, for outlining the challenges of the education system at the secondary level, and her personal leadership with the next generation in a way that recognizes their anxiety but still gives them hope and agency.
• Camara Chambers with The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University who brought much needed public policy, diversity and inclusion perspective, alongside her international leadership expertise and her passion in working with youth.
• Our resident story teller Maya Shoucair with TikTok who shared her expertise in social media and social marketing; as a Lebanese / Canadian she also brought expertise in her working to advance diversity in tech and was thrilled to have the chance to liver her purpose to "inspire humans".
• Jon E Worren with the Toronto Region Board of Trade World Trade Centre Toronto who is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and SMEs - especially those committed to advancing multiple bottom lines; Jon brings his "outsider" point of view to helping us not only see problems but identify solutions.
• Kirsten Wright with Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation (WICI) brought her academic lens to our discussions; she has a super power in pattern recognition and is particularly skilled in understanding systems and structures that impact our work - so looking forward to working with her more to ensure HCH is based on the best evidence possible.
• Tim Parsons with Idealist.org in the US, brought so many skills to our discussion. He describes himself as curious, empathetic, affirming and a helper, all of which he brought to the table, with a particular interest in helping us move from transactional to transformative.
• Gordon Roberts formerly with the Government of Canada, rooted us it what it really means to advance public policy at the federal government. We were all blown away by Gord's deep experience, working at both the political and bureaucratic level to make change happen. As policy is critical level of social innovation, this insight was much appreciated.
• Aleeya Velji with EnFin shared her diverse experience in working in social innovation research and Labs, with CMHC and with several different layers of government. Most recently her focus has been on social purpose real estate and how blended finance can be an answer. We certainly need new financing options so sign me up for this!
• ?? ??Keita Demming, Ph.D with The Covenant Group . Keita is an "education entrepreneur" who has had experience as a youth worker (in Trinidad) to coaching C-Suite executives in the corporate sector; along the way he got a PhD, wrote and a book and became a dad. His contributions ranged from calling out BS when he hears it and challenging Canadians to think and do better. We take that challenge Keita!

• Bonus. During my previous session at Wasan I got to hang out with Hanae Bezad who shared her new book with us entitled: Being Other. In it she takes the reader "on a journey through her lived experiences - as a woman, an Arab, a Muslim, and an African - and intertwines them with the tales of other inspirational women. Teaching you, and your business, how the experiences of being othered is the key to unlocking compassionate and forward-thinking leadership." Hanae is giving a talk and leading a discussion on her book on Thursday August 29th from 6 to 8 pm at A Different Booklist - 779 Bathurst St. Sign up here and I hope to see you there!

#1. Social Impact Job. If you are looking for an impact related opportunity, check out the Community Jobs Board at the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) . This week I'm featuring a Manager role in Impact Investment with Tapestry Community Capital . This jobs pays $80k to $95k commensurate with experience and you can apply at https://secure.collage.co/jobs/trec-tapestry/47074 by end of day September 13, 2024. Good luck!

#2. Net-Zero Housing - or is it? This former golf course in St. Paul, Minnesota, is being transformed into an all-electric affordable housing development. Featured in Fast Company (August 19, 2024) this Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity project is leading the way in becoming a large net-zero community but The Guardian is not convinced - see their take on this story here . What are your thoughts?

As we get ready for The Partnership Conference (and don't forget to sign up before the early bird pricing runs out) these are the kinds of case studies that need to be explored and discussed.

#3. Dementia Research. My dad has dementia. His sisters have also had dementia and three of them have died from complications from this disease. It's a terrible condition and I'm concerned about burdening my only son and husband with what may be my future. So I've decided to do something about it. I recently joined a research initiative at the Kimel Family Centre for Brain Health and Wellness at Baycrest. I just had my first session where I was taken through a battery of tests, from remembering names and attaching them to faces to counting backwards from 100 by 7 (zonks) to hearing tests and eye sight tests and gait and on and on and on!

I'm really excited to be part of this project because I feel I'm actually part of the solution - work that I hope helps both me and others who may be impacted by this condition. If you are interested, you can find out more here , and if you want to join the research project, the wait list is now open.