What are Social Innovation Labs?

In a nutshell, Labs hold space for diverse change makers to sense make, generate, develop, and test a portfolio of promising solutions to address complex societal challenges in a way that is collaborative, experimental, iterative, and systemic. To learn more about what we mean when we say “Lab” checkout Stream One of Inquiry here.

Examples of Labs in Action

Below we’ve pulled three videos that showcase what a Lab can look like in action. They are a small sample size of what Labs can be, but give anyone new to the space, a tangible example of what the work can look like. If you have a video on a Lab that you’d like to see profiled here reach out at actionlab@skillssociety.ca.

 

This 10 minute mini documentary showcases the Future of Home: Inclusive Housing Solutions Lab that focussed on co-creating accessible, affordable, and inclusive housing and support models with people with intellectual disabilities, their allies, and system stakeholders. You can learn more about the project here.

A quick 2 minute video created by Social Innovation Generation Canada (SiG) that outlines a social innovation approach - what it is and how its impactful.

This 10 minute, mini documentary highlights Design by Doing 2.0, a social innovation process that explored barriers to employment for Bhutanese newcomers in Edmonton. You can learn more about the project here.


Labs Around the World

 

The Labs Community

Ever wondered who else is doing Lab or “Lab-Like” work? Here we’ve created a compilation of Labs doing work we admire in Canada and beyond. Do you have a lab you’d like to submit? Submissions will be reviewed for approval by the Future of Labs team. Submit a lab >