So, it’s been a while since we published…but we’re going to be more consistent, because the next couple of months are full of excitement and we want you involved in it!
We have been working hard at the Community Innovation Hub to improve upon the resources that we offer to communities of faith and secular organizations that are interested in using social innovation and social enterprise to give back to community. On the website, we have:
- On the website, reorganized the over 100 podcast interviews that Peter Miller has done with social innovators into categories.
- Added a database of over 150 ideas that communities of faith, secular organizations, small groups and even individuals looking to engage with and give back to community can put in place. Please add your own ideas!
Find both the podcasts and the database on the Get Informed! page of the website.
Sarah is also in the process of revamping our kits to make them more streamlined and accessible. The bulky Starter Kit that members received when they they joined is now five smaller kits, stripped down to the basics so that they’re easy-to-understand and implement:
- Social Innovation: A Starter Kit
- Social Innovation: An Assessment Kit
- Social Innovation: A Planning Kit
- Social Innovation: An Implementation Kit
- Social Innovation: An Evaluation Kit
An “Ideas Kit” is in the works. All kits are now available, free of charge, to anyone interested in using social innovation to give back to to community. Email Sarah at info@communityinnovationhub.org for more details.
Changemakers Virtual Conference Centre
Our partner in social innovation at the United Church of Canada, the EDGE Network for Ministry Development, has been running a Changemakers Virtual Conference Centre on the WHOVA platform since September 14. UCC’s ecumenical partners have been using the platform to run engaging and dynamic online events, and will continue to do so until November 15th. Since Sarah has been helping EDGE coordinate and run these events, and since one of the events has been on ongoing series on how to run Community Innovation Challenge, we feel the Community Innovation Hub has got a stake in this celebration of learning and community and would really encourage you to look at what’s coming up and see if anything interests you.
The series on how to run a Community Innovation Challenge in particular is something that we at the Community Innovation would really recommend. Sessions from October 15 to November 14 include:
- Leadership Empowerment Design Jam – October 18, 1-2pm ET
- Authentic Engagement for Shared Vision – October 19, 1-2pm ET
- Evaluation and Impact Management – October 26, 1-2pm ET
- Making it Happen – November 2, 1-2 pm ET
- Sustainability – November 9, 1-2 pm ET
All of these sessions are accessible to you by registering once at the Eventbrite link for the series. To view the earlier sessions that you missed, visit the Social Innovation Challenge YouTube Channel.
The Changemakers Virtual Conference Centre is also available to host online community innovation challenges using the Whova platform. Please contact Sarah at slevis@united-church.ca for more information.
Love and Justice Gathering
We also have another UCC online event going on using the Changemakers Virtual Conference Centre, from November 3-7. The 2021 Love and Justice Gathering is a celebration of the important work that the United Church of Canada has done and continues to do to make a more just and loving world. This year’s theme is Engage.
With three different tracks (Listen, Discern, and Action/Put into Practice) and daily themes of engaging deep spirituality, daring justice, courageous community, bold discipleship, and hope, the Love and Justice Gathering offers a space designed to inform, inspire, challenge, educate and provide opportunities for networking and connections.
Love and Justice Gathering Attendees can look forward to opportunities to:
- Worship daily with teams from different United Church of Canada regions and preachers from all over the world
- Learn from workshop sessions that educate, enlighten, and speak to the soul
- Listen to plenary sessions made up keynote addresses (including some from youth and young people) on topical issues, and then engage in learning through conversation and discussion.
- Reflect on the future and share personal vision with others.
We invite all partners to create an Exhibitor’s booth and upload a video or recorded power point presentation to upload to the Whova platform to let people know what they do. Email Sarah at slevis@united-church.ca for more information!
Be a part of this unique opportunity to create knowledge for action by inspiring collective leadership for different ministries. If you are seeking a connectional space for communities of faith, local and global partners who are involved in the justice seeking work, the Love and Justice Gathering is for you!
More Information and Resources
Information about these activities, EDGEy Conversations, Cohorts, and Idea Days, and upcoming activities put on by other ecumenical partners, gets posted to the EDGE Calendar. On September 13th, the Community Innovation Hub took over EDGEy Conversations with Sarah’s interview of CIH member Charles MacDonald! Keep checking out the calendar to see what’s going on!
We are so excited to be a part of UCC’s work in so many exciting ways! We hope that you’ll join the community of love and learning that we’re building.
In Community,
The Community Innovation Hub Staff
Seen Around the Community 