Our immersion experiences offer participants deep learning and relational connection. In 2023, we offered both these elements, and a cultural knowledge exchange with international social innovation practitioners.
The Canada to UK Social Innovation Immersion occurred in London, England, from April 17th to 21st, 2023.
Fifty-two delegates from across the country participated in a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, strengthen relationships and engage in enriching discussions on applying social innovation to advance systems change, while creating social and cultural pathways between Canadian and UK innovation ecosystems.
When the organizers first came together to co-design, we valued that an immersive experience of learning and connection creates the conditions for relational systems thinking. When people are together in an immersive experience, the flow of ideas and the exchange of hard lessons can build trust and encourage different ways of knowing that, in turn, strengthen the relational capital underpinning Canada’s distributed social innovation constituency.
The Canada to UK Social Innovation Immersion is one way SI Canada supports the development of a social innovation ecosystem to flourish. On this page you will find recent blogs and the report back to the sector. We will continue to link relevant stories and ways the delegates continue to collaborate.
The organizers of the immersion were SI Canada, Community Foundations of Canada, and RSA. We wish to thank all the delegates who took time from their work and families to travel with us, and their organizations for supporting them to do so. Additionally, we thank our wonderful partner, the Network for the Advancement of Black Communities, and the organizations that provided financial support including the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Suncor Foundation, Middlebrook Corporation, Oakville Community Foundation, and an anonymous gift.
