Season 1: The Future of Labs

This episode is the beginning of a three part series around the Future of Labs Gathering in May 2024, where social innovation lab practitioners from around Canada will be coming together on Cortes Island in British Columbia to try to figure out what the next 10 years of lab practice might look like.

 

Across these three episodes, we will be talking to folks before, during, and after the Future of Labs Gathering. This episode: Before.

In the first half of the episode, we’ll talk to some of the people who’ve been hard at work organizing this gathering, to try to find out what labs are capable of, where they stumble, and why they feel like labs in Canada are at a crossroads. Our guests in this first conversation are Ben Weinlick (Executive Director of Skills Society), Geraldine Cahill (Director of Engagement with Social Innovation Canada) and Mark Cabaj (President of Here to There Consulting).

Then in the second half, hear how Winnipeg Boldness Project Director Diane Roussin is using labs to make sure Indigenous families have a voice in defining the problems they want to solve. You'll also learn what she’s hoping for on Cortes Island, from finding ways to build awareness of labs to paying attention to the island itself together.

The Future of Labs Gathering is convened and sponsored by Social Innovation Canada and Action Lab. Support for this podcast series comes from the Action Lab, the Edmonton Community Foundation, the Hamilton Community Foundation, and the Oakville Community Foundation. A special thank you to Suncor Energy Foundation for supporting the Future of Labs.

Music for this episode by Blue Dot Sessions and Weinlick.