Coming together with others as part of an intentional learning community provides invaluable opportunities to build new relationships, share knowledge, gain new insights to advance our collective work and ultimately energize and inspire one another.
This page offers a listing of upcoming learning opportunities that you may want to be part of:
These face-to-face events offer you the opportunity to join with colleagues and peers who are actively working in their communities.
Leadership, Governance and Community Collaboratives
Join Liz Weaver of Tamarack – An Institute for Community Engagement for an interactive one-day workshop focused on leadership and governance in community-wide collaborative change efforts.
Explore the leadership qualities required for effective community collaboration
Learn about tools and strategies which enhance collaborative efforts
Learn about the four phases of collaborative efforts and the traps to avoid
Advance your community’s agenda by increasing knowledge and commitment of community partners
When and Where:
March 19, 2012 in Hamilton, Ontario
April 19, 2012 in Calgary, Alberta
2012 Communities Collaborating Institute: Innovating Together
The Communities Collaborating Institute (CCI), Tamarack’s signature, week-long learning event, provides a unique opportunity to join a dynamic learning community of practitioners from across Canada and beyond who are committed to deepening their capacity to lead community collaborations.
The 2012 Communities Collaborating Institute: Innovating Together is geared specifically for those wanting to rejuvenate and grow their collaborative leadership capacity.
A dynamic array of some of North America's most renowned and respected authorities on collaboration have now confirmed their participation at the CCI 2012, including Michael Jones, Al Etmanski, Tim Brodhead, and Margaret Wheatley.
When and Where:
October 1-5, 2012 at the Delta Kitchener-Waterloo, in Kitchener, Ontario.
Tamarack and Vibrant Communities offer free tele-learning seminars that are brought to you live via telephone
conference line. Dial-in
information will be emailed to you shortly after you register for an upcoming call. After the seminar,
we will send you a post email with a links and further resources for learning. Note: While there is no fee associated with your participation, the tele-bridge service we use is based in the U.S., so long distance charges through your long distance service provider may apply.
Title: Convening Social Change: Opportunities and Dilemmas Speakers: Jay Connor and Liz Weaver
Location: via conference call Date: Thursday, February 9th, 2012 - 11:55am - 1:00 pm, ET Details: Jay Connor, is the Founder/CEO of The Collaboratory for Community Support. He has extensive leadership experience in the business, non-profit, and public policy arenas. Jay has seen that in order to be effective, our emerging community leaders must be comfortable at the intersection not only of organizations and cultures but also at the intersection of the non-profit, business and government sectors. Join in the call and ask your questions as Jay and Liz Weaver discuss leadership, social change and the collaborative convenor.
Title: The Role of Government in Community Engagement Speakers: Don Lenihan and Liz Weaver Location: via conference call Date: Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 - 11:55am - 1:00 pm, ET Details: Don Lenihan is Vice President, Engagement at the Public Policy Forum. He is a recognized expert on democracy and public engagement, accountability and service delivery. He has over 25 years of experience as a project leader, writer, speaker, senior government advisor, trainer and facilitator, and has developed and led many research and consultation projects. Don recently wrote a piece about the Nunavut Poverty Reduction Strategy. Join in the call and ask your questions as Don and Liz Weaver discuss the government’s role, policy and community engagement.
Title: Power and Love: A Theory and Practice of Social Change Speakers: Adam Kahane and Liz Weaver
Location: via conference call Date: Thursday, March 8th, 2012 - 11:55am - 1:00 pm, ET Details: Adam Kahane is a partner in Reos Partners, an international organisation dedicated to supporting and building capacity for innovative collective action in complex social systems. Adam is a leading organizer, designer and facilitator of processes through which business, government, and civil society leaders can work together to address their toughest challenges. Adam is the author of Solving Tough Problems: An Open Way of Talking, Listening, and Creating New Realities and Power and Love: A Theory and Practice of Social Change. Join in this call and ask your questions as Adam and Liz Weaver discuss leadership, power and social change.
Title: Enhancing Collaborative Leadership Speakers: David Chrislip and Liz Weaver Location: via conference call Date: Thursday, March 29th, 2012 - 11:55am - 1:00 pm, ET Details: David Chrislip has spent the last 30 years helping people enhance their leadership capacities and create visions and strategies for their organizations and communities by working together. His work focuses on civic leadership development, collaboratively addressing complex community issues, and organizational strategy and development. Join in this call, listen and ask your questions as Liz Weaver and David discuss leadership, collaboration, and complex community problems.
Practitioners meet by telephone and online to learn and share their experiences.The calls will focus mainly on poverty reduction, but are open and relevant to anyone working with multi-sector, comprehensive and community-based approaches to social issues.
Each Community of Practice (CoP) usually meets every two months at a regular time via conference call; topics are determined by the members of the CoP. Dial-in information and background on each call are sent by email about a week before each call.
The CoPs are smaller, more interactive groups than Tamarack's open tele-learning calls; we expect CoP members will commit to participating regularly, to freely sharing their experience and occasionally leading a call.
You need only register once to join a specific CoP; you will then receive notices of future calls for that CoP. To register or if you no longer want to receive the emails for a specific CoP, please email us here.
Conversation, Collaboration and Community Change Workshop - Communities around the world are entering a new era of community building. Whether improving economic conditions and reducing poverty, re-energizing citizens and social programs, reducing crime, or revitalizing a troubled neighbourhood, they are engaging people from all sectors as never before to work together as equals to improve their quality of life. At the heart of this engagement are community conversations, in which common goals are embraced by a diverse array of people with different backgrounds and needs, and influencers are drawn from multiple sectors, including community organizations, the various levels of government, and business big and small. Keynote speaker and workshop facilitator, Paul Born will provide exciting tips to help you engage your community in creating and implementing a vision for positive change. Paul will lead the group through the reasons and the process of community and engaging citizens, in exploring partnerships, and in developing, maintaining, and enhancing partnerships for the benefit of your organisation and community. He will also lead us in conversations about the new forms of collaborative leadership required for community change today. Although the event has concluded, feel free to browse the web section here.
The 2010 Communities Collaborating Institute - Leading Together in Chaotic Times -
The 2010 CCI was held at the Delta Kitchener from September 27th to October 1st, 2010. This signature learning event brings together leaders and collaborators from across Canada and beyond who are working to address complex community issues such as poverty reduction, crime prevention, community well-being and environmental sustainability. Being part of this dynamic learning community provides an opportunity for you to advance your skills, share and deepen your knowledge and inspire others. Although the event has concluded, feel free to browse the web section here.
Strategic Dialogue on Place-Based Poverty Reduction - In May 2010, The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and Tamarack hosted a strategic dialogue about place-based poverty reduction efforts in Canada. Forty-six business, government, philanthropic, academic and community sector leaders reviewed the strengths and challenges of working collaboratively to tackle poverty in Canada and the United States. Although the event has concluded, feel free to browse the event web page for an overview of the Strategic Dialogue, presentations and resources developed for the two day session here.
Reducing Poverty in Ontario - Seize the opportunity to join a dynamic gathering of individuals who share a commitment to reducing poverty in their communities using a comprehensive approach. Be inspired by successful poverty-reduction initiatives from across Canada and learn specific concepts and tools you can use to advance your own community's agenda. Although the event has concluded, feel free to browse the web section here.
The 2008 Communities Collaborating Institute - The Communities Collaborating Institute is designed to bring together collaborators and practitioners from communities across Canada and beyond to advance their skills, share their knowledge and transform the work of renewing communities.
Although the 2008 Institute has concluded, please feel free to browse this web section here.
Collaborative Leadership - Our traditional models of leadership do not serve us well, especially in our increasingly diverse and complex society. Our default position is often to simply avoid making a conscious decision. We choose to focus on a solution rather than a process that brings us to a solution. We can make conscious, inclusive decisions on a community issue. Although the event has concluded, feel free to browse the web section here.
Check out what's happening with our friends and partners. These events are updated monthly for information purposes only. Online registration is not enabled for these events, but registration and contact information is provided where applicable.
Title: Inspiring Action for Social Impact Series Type: Webinars Location: Web-based Date: Wed. Nov 2nd, Wed. Nov 9th, Wed. Nov 16th, Wed. Nov 23rd, Wed. Nov 30th, Wed. Dec 7th Tues. Dec 13th and Wed. Dec 20th Time: 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. ET
Details: This 8-week webinar series provides an opportunity to explore social innovation through the eyes of the SiG leadership team. Each week you will hear Canadian ideas, latest thinking, next practice, learnings and reflections from a group of people who have dedicated their lives to the creation of a socially innovative culture in Canada. You can register for one seminar or the entire series. An overview of the webinars includes:
November 2: Frances Westley on Social Innovation and Resilience
November 9: Stephen Huddart on Managing Social Innovation
November 16: Allyson Hewitt on Shared Value & what it means for the non-profit sector
November 23: Cheryl Rose on Community-University Partnerships
November 30: Tim Draimin on Supporting global learning: Australia/Canada social innovation synergies
December 7: Al Etmanski on Natural Care
December 13: Tim Brodhead on Key trends in philanthropy for grant seekers from a SI perspective
December 20: Dr. Ilse Treurnicht on Upcoming Trends in Innovation
Title: 3M Health Leadership Award and Symposium Topic: Leadership and its necessity in creating motivated communities Type: Conference Panellists: Dr. Trevor Hancock, Connie Clement, Jean-Pierre Girard, Martin Itzkow, David Hay Location: Enoch Turner Schoolhouse, 106 Trinity Street, Toronto Date: December 5th, 2011 Details: Health Nexus in partnership with 3M Canada is launching a new national award.
The 3M Health Leadership Award will recognize an outstanding community leader that has had an impact on the health of their community by addressing at least one of the social determinants of health. In its inaugural year, this award will celebrate those who have enhanced their community through dedicated contribution and inspiring change.
The award will recognize an individual from the non-profit sector who works outside of the formal health care field. Preference will be given to those who have not been previously recognized or celebrated on a national level.
In addition to perhaps having someone you'd like to nominate, we're hoping you can forward on this information to those whom you think would be interested in learning about the new award and the upcoming symposium on community leadership.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. - John Quincy Adams
Visit the award's website to find out more about the award and symposium.
Printable flyers and press releases can be found here.
For more information contact
Melissa Potvin
by phone 416-408-6904 (toll free at 1-800-397-9567 ext: 2230) or email: leadershipaward@healthnexus.ca
Title: Participatory Action, Research, Planning and Evaluation Type: SAS2 Advanced Workshop Panellists: Location: TBD Date: February 9-10, 2012 Details: SAS2 Dialogue offers you a new approach to participatory action research, planning and evaluation. Initiated at Carleton University, the practical tools and concepts we have developed are rigorous and fully participatory. Extensively tested by practitioners around the world to engage people and mobilize evidence in complex settings involving multiple stakeholders. The SAS2 Advanced Workshop will offer participants two days of small group work grounded in your plans and projects; a chance to deepen your skills in designing or co-designing an inquiry, community-based research project or evaluation process using SAS2 tools; and, up to 3 hours of post-workshop coaching support. The event's agenda will be developed based on the profile and interests of registered participants, including further consultation and needs assessment with you. Participants in the Advanced Workshop must have completed the SAS2 Dialogue Introductory Workshop or equivalent. For more information please contact Daniel Buckles at: dbuckles@sympatico.ca or by phone at 613-722-8048.
