Co-Design: A How-To Workshop for Facilitating Community-Led Innovation

Join us for a hands-on facilitation workshop to prepare you to host and lead creative and collaborative Community Innovation sessions. 

How can you bring diverse members of your community together to develop creative new ideas, innovative approaches to persistent problems, and build alignment and momentum for action?  

Over the past 17 years the Tamarack Institute has been helping communities come together in creative ways for community change. This workshop will give you the tools and practice to host and lead these collaborative Co-Design sessions effectively. We will go deep on different approaches to engage the community to innovate together, understand what makes these kinds of gatherings distinct, and provide you with tools that you can use to host them.

Building on our deep practice knowledge in Community Engagement and Community Innovation, this is a unique opportunity to learn how to combine these practices for positive community change.

What Will I Learn?

Our unique workshop format will provide participants with hands-on experience and a step-by-step approach to designing and facilitating collaborative Community Innovation sessions. This 2-day workshop will include: 

• A step-by-step approach to designing inclusive collaborative gatherings that meet the needs of your community
  
  
• An exploration of best practices in community engagement and innovation
  
  
• A set of principles and techniques to guide facilitation and help troubleshoot tough situations.
  
  
• The use of interactive exercises, case studies, and real-world vignettes to make ideas and methods concrete.

• Confidently design an engaging Community Innovation session that works for your community
  
  
• Navigate session conflicts successfully and respectfully
  
  
• Effectively facilitate Community innovation sessions

This workshop is best suited to those who have an interest and some basic knowledge and experience with community engagement and are eager to tackle the challenging but critical task of hosting gatherings to spark new ideas and inspire the community to act and build together.

This Workshop Is For You If:

• You are interested in bringing diverse stakeholders together but aren’t sure how to best manage the conversation 

• Engagement or Innovation is part of your job description 

• You are in a Collective Impact network and want to learn how to facilitate gatherings that lead to a common agenda and identify areas for action with community 

• You are a social innovator 

Learning Agenda:

Highlights of the learning agenda include:

• Essential components of Innovation and Engagement – What makes new ideas possible.

• A design approach – How the needs of your community should shape your engagement design.

• The key is diversity – How to ensure your session is truly inclusive, respectful, and honours diverse people and perspectives.

• The facilitator’s toolkit – Tips, tricks, and techniques for maximizing your impact.

• Choosing the right method – Exploring various methods for each stage of the co-design process and helping you to select the right method based on your goals.

• Bringing it all together – Designing your next engagement.