How we work

Changing Systems

We recognize that our current systems and institutions don’t work for the people who need them most. Instead, they maintain inequity.

We aim to change systems through building collaborative relationships, developing skills and fostering social experimentation. We engage in reflective evaluation practices to learn from our experiments, integrate that learning into our work, and share what we’ve learned through our regional and national networks. 

Collaboration: Systems Partnerships

We find the people and organizations in communities who are engaged in change-making and work to connect, strengthen and amplify their work. We connect with provincial organizations to link their work with the lived experience of those in our communities. And we connect regionally and nationally to share learnings, compare innovation results and build a stronger network of changemakers in Atlantic Canada and beyond.

Experimentation: Connected Community

Three Nova Scotia communities–Digby, Dartmouth North and Northside Cape Breton (Sydney Mines & North Sydney)–are home to established Inspiring Communities initiatives that use processes like collective impact to support change. Each of these sites has a dedicated core staff to work with community in establishing innovative ways to address long-term challenges.

We are exploring new partnerships, in particular with and centering Black, Indigenous, people of colour and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities that have been typically underrepresented and marginalized in social innovation spaces.  

Finally, we are exploring other theme-based opportunities, like working on neighbourhood level climate action that involves residents from underrepresented demographics to better inform scale initiatives proposed at municipal and provincial levels.  

Evaluation:  Impact and Influence

We share learnings through storytelling about our journey and experiences across our varied initiatives over the years. Employing primarily DE (developmental evaluation) approaches, we inform and contribute to evaluative practice in the region.