What happens when you bring 8 frontline workers, 6 policymakers, and 2 managers together in a room for 2 days to explore values and prototype practices? You get homemade ice-cream in a bag, excavating for diamonds in the rough, role play, and deep dialogue about why we do what we do. Over the summer, we’ll coach 5 teams to iterate ways to close different values-practice gaps.
Hi, I’m Maggie – the Toronto Learning Circle Coach.
From November to May, 23 frontline, mid-level and senior level leaders from across Toronto’s social sector spent 12 hours a month trying out a Grounded Change approach. That’s an approach that starts on-the-ground with people experiencing a pain point in order to re-design practices & policies that prompt change. Participation was totally voluntary – meaning these 23 individuals volunteered to put themselves out of their comfort zones. Each of them shared their experience – the ups and downs – on May 12th. Ten project teams bravely offered their learning to about 100 guests from the social service, government and community outreach sectors at the Berkeley Field House in Toronto.
Click on the picture to download the publication!
How do we enable street-involved adults to see alternative futures? To be in a culture that reinforces a future narrative? And to have their aspirations met with real structural opportunities? Over the past month, we’ve changed tacks. In January, we identified 5 sets of solutions. Then, we realized these solutions ran into the same systemic barriers, namely, the need for ongoing funding. So we pivoted away from making expensive flagship services.
Instead, we are looking at how to enable street-involved folks, frontline workers, managers and policymakers to act with greater intentionality. This has led us to values and everyday practices – on how it is we clarify and bring to life beliefs. We’ve been struck by how little consensus there is about what constitutes a good outcome for street-involved folks. Is it harm reduction? Is it healing? Is it learning? Is it contribution? Is it…
On Friday, UforU went to the Art Gallery of Ontario to bring members together around art. As well, to explore extending the walls of the drop-in to the rest of the city. How can places like art galleries, museums, and libraries be used by street involved adults? How might these institutions collaborate with drop-ins to make their spaces more accessible and welcoming? Read about our reflections and memorable learnings.
Watch Brit’s latest short film about what it looks like to iterate an early idea. In our first few weeks at The Meeting Place, we started something called UforU. UforU hosts pop-up workshops facilitated by community faculty – from violinists to astronomers. But, it’s actually a whole lot more. Find out what we’re really testing.
What do civil servants know, what don’t they know, and how do they know? We’re testing how a new intervention called Grounded might complement empirical data with ethnographic data. Keep reading to download results from our very first beta-test in Ottawa, and to understand why ethnographic data is so valuable precisely because it isn’t representative.
Marius Urban is a Pre-Placement Supervisor and Job Coach for West Neighbourhood House and spent one busy day immersed with the In/Out team. Read how his day went, and what he is taking away.
Nisha Haji works for the Open Government Unit in the Ontario Public Service. She spent a day embedded in our team – actually our very first day testing a new intervention, Grounded. It was a whirlwind of a day. Here’s her reflections:
Toronto IN/OUT 