Social Innovation in Waterloo Region

Two upcoming projects that I am currently working on with SiG@Waterloo:

Social Innovation & Community Change Forum

Monday, December 8, 2008 – to be hosted at CIGI in collaboration with SiG@Waterloo, Centre for Community Based Research, IGLOO Network, Region of Waterloo and the City of Kitchener

This one-day forum is designed to celebrate research-inspired social innovation in the Waterloo Region.

This theme must certainly have struck a chord with the Waterloo Region community, as this event sold out last week with many people now trying to get on the waiting list in the hopes of attending the event.

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studio | earth

Sunday, January 11, 2008 – Venue: The Rotunda, Kitchener City Hall

Now this event is what I am really excited for.

Studio | earth has a has very youth centered focus (youth as change-makers) and is designed to address the issue of creating environmental change and awareness through:

Social finance Social technology Political advocacy.

In other words, approaching this very complex problem from a complex systems approach: recognizing that money, the internet and government lobbying all have a role to play in coming up with creative solutions to engage people in order to create a ‘movement’ towards environmental change.

We are also bringing in Severn Cullis-Suzuki for the inspirational keynote, who has been working towards environmental change since she was 9 years old.

If you are not too familiar with Severn Suzuki, she is most famous for a speech she gave at the Rio Summit in 1992 when she was just 12 years old (see the video below) – and in case you wondered, she is also the daughter of David Suzuki.

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Slightly off topic but still relevant, what is the difference between inspiration and motivation?

Youth are inspired by positive role models (Marc and Craig Kielburger, Severn Suzuki, etc..) but are motivated towards positive action by their peers.

I heard this from Kunal Gupta at the Impact Leadership Summit in Toronto last week.

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Video of Severn Suzuki speaking at the Rio Summit after the jump.

Posted via web from Renjie Butalid

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