SHIFT LAB 1.0 COLLECTIVE
Responding to the work of EndPovertyEdmonton, the Edmonton Community Foundation and the Skills Society Action Lab partnered for 5 years (2015-2020) to develop Edmonton Shift Lab 1.0 and 2.0.
Understanding the value of grassroots approaches to social change, the initial partners began laying the foundation for growing the four key groups stewarding the work of Shift Lab 1.0.
LAB ADVISORY
A diverse group of 8-10 leaders who have lived experience with the challenges we are addressing, are champions for creative processes that spark critical change, and/or are leaders within key systems that can influence change.
This group will support the lab by providing input when critical questions arise in the lab process and act as key levers supporting the public presence of the Shift Lab.
COMMUNITY VOICE
An ever growing collective of organizations and people that are interested in or already working on addressing racism and poverty in Edmonton.
This group will act as a bridge connecting community experiences to the lab process. This will support sense-making around racism, poverty, and systems and provide a link to people to co-design solutions with community.
LAB BACKBONE STEWARDSHIP
A group of 5 people that represent diverse ethnocultural community perspectives and have knowledge and know-how around the coordination of human-centered design thinking and change labs.
This group will steward the design of the lab, research and gather data to ensure the lab is rooted in sound principles, coordinate and organize the logistics of the lab, and help co-facilitate lab sessions.
CORE LAB TEAM
A diverse group of 7-9 people with backgrounds in human rights activism, design thinking, systems thinking, anthropology, service innovation, community building and human services.
This team will undertake on the ground research with community to first explore assumptions, ideas, and realities around racism and poverty in Edmonton and then co-design and test solutions with people.
WHAT IS A LAB?
To aid the move from roundtable talks to action, a promising approach is emerging in the social innovation ecosystem. Often called a social innovation lab, the approach draws on the strengths, empathy, creativity, and wisdom of a collective to explore new ways of making progress on a complex challenge. These labs are guided by convening diverse perspectives on an issue, gaining insight from people with lived experience of a challenge, facilitated ideation, building prototypes of solutions, and testing them to see how they work on the ground with people. A lab creates a safe zone for a collective to explore, question assumptions, be bold, be agile enough to adapt as learning emerges and experiment with solutions. As evidence emerges of what prototyped solutions are working, solutions can be scaled and spread to impact systemic change. To help scale solutions systemically, key champions are needed who can open doors, steward policy shifts and build capacity for embracing change.
A LAB EXPLORATION IS
ABOUT THE JOURNEY
AND THE GOAL
The Edmonton Shift Lab 1.0 was about exploring the intersections between racism and poverty. While its goal was to develop innovative prototypes to help address the issues and needs of our communities, the journey towards this goal was equally important. The collective learning that emerged from the lab was a vital part of the process. As we moved forward together, we were diligent about documenting the learning of what’s working and what wasn’t so that the journey was as transparent as possible and designed to build and share knowledge.
“A two way process to learn about each other’s culture,
‘interculturalism’, will lead to stronger sharing.”
“Racism and stereotypes are major issues. People have stereotypes about me too, as a new Iraq Canadian.”
COMMUNITY VOICE
This group acts as a bridge connecting community experiences to the lab process. Contact us if you, your neighbourhood, or an organization would like to be featured here to share your knowledge, connect the shift lab with your community or host a learning session at one of the Shift Lab Campfire events
“Ending racism means making ‘the other’ less intimidating – having fun, sharing culture and stories. Why do we always make it boring and dull? It should be about empowerment, joy and celebration.”
“Ending racism means making ‘the other’ less intimidating – having fun, sharing culture and stories. Why do we always make it boring and dull? It should be about empowering, joy and celebration.”
“Racism and stereotypes are major issues. People have stereotypes about me too, as a new Iraq Canadian.”
PARTNERS
RESEARCHERS DURING THE DISCOVERY PHASE OF SHIFT LAB 2.0
Behaviour Change Researcher- Galdys Rowe
Indigenous Epistemology Researchers – Jacqueline and Hunter Cardinal, Jodi Stonehouse
Racism and Anti-Racist Practice Researchers – Centre for Race and Culture Edmonton
INDIGENOUS ADVISORY
Toni Letendre
Johnny Lee
Toni’s family
Jacqueline and Hunter Cardinal
Littlechild family
Diane Roussin and Winnipeg Boldness
SPEAKER SERIES INFLUENCERS
Shelly Tochluk
Daryl Davis
Trevor Phillips
LAB PROCESS INSPIRATION
Sam Rye
Cheryl Rose
Frances Westley
Diane Roussin
Mark Cabaj
George Aye
Melanie Goodchild and Turtle Island Institute
Converge Conference SFU participants
Spark Conference participants
LABWise participants
Angela Pugh
Gina Rembe
Joshua Cubista
Lauren Morgan
Mark Holmgren
Nathan Heintz
David Prodan
Zaid Hassan
Mark Cabaj
COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS AND INFLUENCERS
David Eggen (Minister of Education)
Wendy Boje (Assistant Deputy Minister, Anti-Racism Secretariat)
Jeff Samsanow (Edmonton Quotient)
Hunter Cardinal (Naheyowin)
Renee Iverson (Homeward Trust)
Roya Damabi (CoLab)
Sharon Matthias (Matthias Inc.)
Courtney Schulze (ActiveCare)
Karen Korchinski (AB Dept. Justice and Solicitor General)
Darcy McDonald (Government of Alberta)
Sahana Parameswara (Gateway Association)
Leo Wong (Roundhouse)
Naomi Mahaffy (ABSI Connect)