Blog - Social Innovation Generation

Optimizing Public Sector Innovation Platforms

February 23, 2012 by Tim Draimin 4 Comments

Public sector innovation is a top-of-mind subject in government hallways across Canada. Innovation in the public sector has taken on new urgency as austerity budgets accelerate the necessity to re-think how government services can be provided or even how, in some cases, the system can shift from service delivery to tackling root causes that have given rise to the demand for support.

Ambitious public sector reform necessarily will range from new policies, to new ways of engaging with provincial and national innovation ecosystems, and to creating innovation Labs that support change makers inside government.
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Filed Under: Main Tagged With: austerity, canada, innovation, Lab, public sector, public service, SiG, social innovation, Tim Draimin

Tackling mental health equity head on

February 2, 2012 by Nabeel Ahmed 1 Comment

This article first appeared on the MaRS blog

As a clinical psychologist trying to support sex trade-involved homeless youth, Dr. Sean Kidd found that encouraging them to participate in artistic initiatives brought far more success than the ‘best practices’ he was trained in.

While traditional evidence-based methods were still used, getting the kids to develop and act in skits together led to a far greater level of engagement than the organization he worked for had ever achieved in 25 years, as they developed the relationships and trust that helped them discuss their problems with others.
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