Connecting the Dots: Unleashing Community Assets for Positive Change
Carey McMaster
Business Development & Growth Specialist | Inspirational Trainer | Serial Entrepreneur | Organizational Development Practitioner | Project Management Professional
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION by social innovation guru Tim Draimin
Connecting the Dots: Unleashing Community Assets for Positive Change
7:00 - 8:30 PM, Market Hall Performing Arts Centre
Communities large and small have at their doorsteps access to many assets: talented people, effective public, non-profit and private sector organizations, and multiple resources – including networks, financial and social capital. The big challenges we face today, like unemployment and poverty or chronic disease and social isolation, require us to reveal and align these often siloed assets. By putting diverse players together in an all-hands-on-deck approach, we are able to harness new capabilities enabling bigger outcomes.
Canada finds itself in a major inflection point as we shift to cross-sectoral collaboration and modes of innovation. Underpinning this is a new trend where mainstream innovation (technological and business) is converging with social innovation. Community Foundations, and the non-profit sector, are important catalysts which are uniquely well placed to contribute as visionaries, convenors, systems connectors, R&D investors, and change champions. During this conversational keynote presentation, Tim will share stories of successful collaboration across sectors, and highlight the qualities and networks that enable transformation to take place.
Tim Draimin is Executive Director of Social Innovation Generation (SiG), founded by The JW McConnell Family Foundation, MaRS, University of Waterloo, and PLAN Institute. SiG works to strengthen Canada's Social Innovation ecosystem including Canadians' ability to overcome large-scale complex social and environmental challenges through new forms of problem solving via cross-sectoral partnerships, social innovation labs and social finance. Tim is an advisor to government, non-profits and business. He founded Tides Canada Foundation, convened the Canadian Task Force on Social Finance, and sits on several boards including Trico Charitable Foundation, Social Innovation Exchange (SIX) and Centre for Social Innovation (CSI).