Pause ABSI Connect

About the EpisodeIn our first, and maybe only, B side episode, ABSI Connect and AB Seed staff/members discuss what the social economy and social innovation is and how they go together like peanut butter and jelly. You’ll hear a bit about both the organizations as a whole, what their individual fields look like, and where the overlap and connection points are between the two of them. About AB SeedAB Seed (Alberta Social Economy Ecosystem Development) is a collaborative of social enterprise and social finance leaders seeking to develop a strong social economic ecosystem in Alberta.Resource Links* AB Seed: https://www.ab-seed.ca/ 

About the EpisodeBringing yet another new flavour to this season of Pause, this episode features Matthew Taylor, manager of Communities United (at United Way), who shares two stories with us. The first about the inception of Communities United and the second about how running a small pop-up market in the dead of winter with a sky dancer bloomed into their program Market Ready. With both stories taking the arch of fizzle (or rather starting as a small sizzle) to a full blown sizzle. About Communities UnitedCommunities United is a collaborative initiative in five Edmonton Neighbourhoods that is building connections and activities to strengthen the lives of individuals, families, and communities. Resource Links* Communities United website: ​​https://cuyeg.org/ (https://cuyeg.org/)* About their Market Ready program: https://cuyeg.org/local-economic-development/new-market-ready-business-program-stirs-up-excitement-for-local-entrepreneurs/ (https://cuyeg.org/local-economic-development/new-market-ready-business-program-stirs-up-excitement-for-local-entrepreneurs/).

About the Episode
Bringing a new flavour to this season of Pause, this episode features Miki Stricker-Talbot, an intrapreneur with the City of Edmonton, who shares two warm-up techniques from her facilitation practices. With more of a tutorial style ‘how to’ episode, her and I walk through both techniques talking about what they are, demonstrating examples of how you can use them in your own practice and the impact and importance of them both.
The first technique is a way to really check in with each other and see how we’re actually doing. It allows folks the opportunity give a surface answer if they don’t feel like sharing, but also space for a deeper answer if people are wanting to share.
The second technique was created in collaboration with her daughter. This technique helps people recognize that we are physical beings and brings people into a different way of being together.
Both allow a space for connection, camaraderie, humanness, and curiosity.
 
Resource Links

* Check out this blog post from Miki Stricker-Talbot that she previously wrote for ABSI Connect https://www.absiconnect.ca/news/2018/12/12/unicorns-in-government?rq=miki

 

About the Episode
We tried something new with this episode and Brandy and Michelle were true innovators stepping into uncharted territory. Brandy Old is the Manager of Agility at the University of Lethbridge, and a few years ago embarked on the journey of Indigenizing the campus grounds at U of L: now known as the Iniskim Campus Ecology Project. The goal of the project was to revitalize campus grounds with traditional Indigenous plants while creating a space for the community to learn about Blackfoot culture, traditions, and land practices. She graciously shares the stumbles she had along the way and the learnings that came from them.
Michelle Hogue is Cree Metis from Saskatchewan and she is an Associate Professor and the Coordinator of Indigenous Student Success cohort program at U of L. Her work is about enabling indigenous academic success in the space of bridging cultures both in Canada and Australia. She listened to Brandy’s story and shared her perspective on it as well as other thoughts pertaining to the subject.

About the Episode
What a treat it was to have James Stauch, a phenomenal storyteller, on this episode of Pause. James is the Director of the Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University. The Institute runs co-curricular and community focused learning programs primarily to connect students to broader community and social change initiatives.
The story he shared takes us back 12 years or so and into the northern parts of Canada. He was a part of a group that noticed a gap in the education system, that being there were few opportunities for advanced post-secondary education in the north which resulted in many students having to travel south for many years to access that level of education, and in a way that was not either culturally resonant or directly applicable to a northern context. They undertook research, system mapping, and communicating with the people who lived in northern communities. When it came time to “pass the project off” or let it start rolling into this grassroots movement, the boat hit some rocky waters. The realization at this point became “How much change can an external change agent really drive before it becomes inauthentic?”
 
Resource Links

* Is it time for a northern university? Article from Northern Public Affairs: http://www.northernpublicaffairs.ca/index/archives-volume-1-issue-1/education-is-it-time-for-a-northern-university/ (http://www.northernpublicaffairs.ca/index/archives-volume-1-issue-1/education-is-it-time-for-a-northern-university/ )
* Momentum Builds for an Inuit University: https://www.uarctic.org/news/2015/5/momentum-builds-for-inuit-university-in-nunavut/ (https://www.uarctic.org/news/2015/5/momentum-builds-for-inuit-university-in-nunavut/)
* Yukon College is now Yukon University: https://www.yukonu.ca/news/202005/yukon-college-now-yukon-university (https://www.yukonu.ca/news/202005/yukon-college-now-yukon-university)

In this episode, Diane chats about The Winnipeg Boldness Project, how their theory of change guides the way they serve the community, and shares the story of one of their prototypes.