Did you know historians estimate 1/4 of cowboys in North America were Black? Probably not, if popular culture is your biggest source of western heritage. Join us on June 4th for a zoom watch party of Concrete Cowboy, a film set on a street where descendants of Black Cowboys in Philadelphia fight to preserve their urban horse riding ways. Stick with us after to discuss the film and the impact of removing diverse communities from narratives about the West, and the power of filmmakers to make change by telling their own stories.

Join us for a fun and informal (free!) social innovation dinner party with special guests from Innovate Calgary, Nancy Marlett of the University of Calgary, and Beena Tharakan who will share their experiences innovating within healthcare!

We’ve been missing the times that let us jump into conversation with our peers and like minded citizens: coffee breaks, elevator chats, theatre lobbies, chatting after meetings in the parking lot - there’s something really awesome about meeting without a set agenda that lets you, as a participant, drive where you’d like the conversation to go.

How might we take advantage of some of the amazing online learning opportunities at our fingertips right now to harness the power of design thinking and spark really cool innovations and business ideas to improve life for people around Alberta (and the world?) Join ABSI Connect and the University of Lethbridge and use the power of design thinking to ignite your innovation & entrepreneurship journey with a workshop from the Stanford Social Innovation Design school.

Supporting conversations that inspire positive change for mental health in Calgary.

In order for us to get to know, learn about, and gain understanding about the work being done - we need to talk to the people (YOU!) doing the work!

How can art inspire us to create meaningful connections?

Live from the cSPACE King Edward Arts Hub, enjoy conversations and creative explorations between cSPACE artists and you. Through the use of dynamic facilitation and collaborative technology, you're invited to participate and/or initiate sessions about how art inspires you to create meaningful connection in your life.

Who are the social innovators in Alberta? What spurred them into blending innovations for social impact with the work they're passionate about? Join us for a share and tell session where five social innovators from across Alberta will share their stories and take your questions. Listen as they guide us through the problems that inspired them, what catalyzed them to take action, the tools they have used along the way, and the challenges they have faced in their social innovation journey so far. This event is open to anyone who is curious about what social innovation can look like in action.

Catch the recording here of the webinar featuring three of the most fun, skilled remote facilitators in Canada and widen your toolbox for online facilitation.

Join us for a fun and informal social innovation dinner party with special guest Dr. Katharine McGowan from Mount Royal University!

On March 2-3, a group of inspiring community change leaders from across the province came together for several events to kick off ABSI Connect’s Community Catalyst Program. Read all about it here.

Watch the recording of this webinar here.

In this webinar, James Stauch and Alina Turner drew from their recent publication In Search of the Althruithm: AI and the Future of Social Good to:

• Give a brief introduction to artificial intelligence

• Describe why we--the “social good sector”--should care about and help shape the role AI plays in our society

• Give examples of applications of AI for social good that are already in development or in use around the world

• Propose some steps we can take in Canada to help shape how AI is developed and used

This event has already taken place. View the recording here.

As changemakers, researchers and innovators, we have a unique opportunity to tackle existing problems in new ways. In this workshop, we used tools created in design studios around the world to “design our thinking”. Watch the webinar recording here.

Upcoming Talk-Back: Are you curious to learn more about Vivo for Healthier Generations or explore some of the questions raised in their podcast episode? Register to join a free online "lunch break talk-back" with our podcast guests.

In August 2019 we hosted an online presentation and co-hosted conversation by Miki Stricker-Talbot and Jo-Louise Huq.

IN THIS WEBINAR, WE:

1. Examined why and how professionalism can limit opportunities for social innovation.

2. Examined two pathways through which social innovation might be introduced when sectors are professionalized.

3. Looked at disrupting action and how it can contribute to conditioning professionalized sectors for social innovation.

Missed it? Eager to watch it again? You can find the full recording here: https://youtu.be/iDJerzgd3Oc

Mid May 2019, 50 Albertan changemakers and social innovators gathered in Edmonton at the Skills Society Action Lab. We shared stories and insights from our work in different communities and sectors across the province. We heard patterns about systems change from Ashoka Canada’s network, and learned how to nominate Albertan changemakers to become Ashoka fellows. And we shared updates and contributed ideas to support the ongoing evolution of ABSI Connect and Social Innovation Canada.

See our full event report.