Seeing the System: Tools for Understanding Complex Community Challenges

Seeing the System

Complex community challenges rarely have a single cause, a single solution, or a single organization responsible for addressing them. What we see on the surface is often shaped by a much larger system of relationships, structures, policies, beliefs, behaviours, resources, and power.

Seeing the System is a practical, interactive three-hour workshop designed to help changemakers step back from individual problems and begin to see the larger systems at play.

Together, we’ll explore what it means to take a systems lens and experiment with accessible tools for making complexity more visible. Rather than trying to map everything, participants will learn how to identify patterns, connections, underlying conditions, and places where change may be possible.

Workshop Pre-Learning

No prior preparation or pre-learning is required for this workshop.

1-hour Coaching Session

A one-hour coaching session will be hosted one month after the virtual workshop so you and your fellow learners can deepen your learning and get additional support to translate your learning into action.

Participants will leave with a practical introduction to systems thinking, a set of tools they can apply in their own work, and greater confidence in asking a powerful question: What becomes possible when we see the whole system, rather than only the problem in front of us?

This workshop is for: community changemakers, nonprofit leaders, municipal staff, collaborative tables, funders, and anyone working on complex issues where traditional or isolated approaches are no longer enough.

No previous systems thinking experience is required. The workshop is designed to make systems approaches practical, participatory, and immediately applicable to community change work.

Through a mix of short introductions, examples, reflection, and hands-on activities, participants will explore tools and approaches for:

Moving from individual stories and symptoms to patterns and systemic conditions
Identifying the actors, relationships, structures, and forces shaping an issue
Exploring different layers of a system, from visible events to deeper structures and mental models
Mapping relationships, dynamics, and spheres of influence
Identifying potential leverage points and opportunities for action
Choosing the right systems tool for the question or challenge at hand

Sonja Miokovic

Sonja Miokovic is a social innovator with a passion for helping people work together to solve complex challenges. As Consulting Director of Community Innovation, she has partnered with diverse communities around the world, using her creative approach to inspire fresh insights and find new solutions. Sonja believes that learning is best when it's shared, and she loves creating spaces where participants can exchange their experiences and build knowledge together. Her workshops are all about collaboration, creativity, and empowering people to make meaningful change in their communities.

Registration includes pre-workshop learning and access to the workshop itself.

Post-workshop, participants will be invited to register for a post-event coaching session. At this interactive session, learners will reconnect, get further advice and learn about additional resources to put their learning into action.

Can’t attend the workshop, but love the content? Get in touch with Isaac to learn more about how you can bring a custom version of this workshop to your organization or collaborative.

Seeing the System: Tools for Understanding Complex Community Challenges