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 >
Energy Futures Lab
Alberta, Canada
energyfutureslab.com
An Alberta based coalition of diverse innovators and organisations, this lab supports change makers as they collaboratively explore how to leverage Canada’s assets and innovation capacity to accelerate an inclusive and equitable transition to a prosperous net-zero future. The lab’s four core challenge areas include: financing the transition to future fit hydrocarbons, digital innovation for net-zero buildings, rural community resilience in a low carbon future, and Alberta’s electricity future.
The Rural Arts Inclusion Lab (RAIL)
West Kootenays, British Columbia, Canada
Nelson Civic Theatre, Tiny Lights Festival, Vancouver Foundation
www.ruralinclusion.ca/what-is-rail
Created to address the systems that exclude marginalised voices from arts organisations, audiences, and performers in rural British Columbia, this three year place based project is
using art and artists as a medium to raise voices of marginalised groups.
Centre for First Nations Governance
Turtle Island, Canada
fngovernance.org/
Transforming the ways First Nations govern, this lab is the only organisation in Canada dedicated to transitioning First Nations from the Indian Act to their own concept of self-governance. Since 2012 the lab has worked in over 200 First nations across Canada delivering self-governance services to citizens and leaders and have recently partnered with
Carleton University to develop and launch the Rebuilding First Nation Governance Project, a national alliance of First Nation communities and Tribal Councils, academic researchers, and public sector practitioners.
Edmonton Shift Lab
Treaty 6, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Edmonton Community Foundation, Action Lab
www.edmontonshiftlab.ca
Running from 2015 to 2020, this lab focused on tackling racism in Edmonton. Shift Lab 2.0 focussed more specifically on creating interactive processes that motivate the ‘sleepy middle’ to change racist behaviours. Uniquely, Shift Lab developed what they called a ‘triple helix approach’, weaving together design thinking, systems thinking, and Indigenous epistemologies. The lab produced several prototypes, some of which are scaling across Canada.
Slow Research Lab
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
slowlab.net
Through in-situ dialogue, workshops, exhibitions, immersive study experiences, and research residencies, this Lab aims to expand the field of human awareness and activity in the pursuit of more harmonious and resilient forms of living. The Lab’s approach is multidisciplinary and inspired by the integrity of our planet’s living systems and what Goethe called ‘conscious process participation’.