Last February, as we were planning what 2020 programming could be for the Institute, Liz Rykert, a systems change facilitator, and I rolled around the theme of “A Decade of Wellbeing”. We wondered what Southern Georgian Bay could look like by 2030 if we focused on wellbeing as a priority.

Suffice it to say that when COVID-19 hit, wellbeing became top of mind for everyone.

We saw the opportunity to pivot from in-person events to online discussions to continue our work of connecting people, presenting data to inform decision-making, and fostering collaborative initiatives to accelerate progress.

Our four-part online discussion series, Mapping Our Road to Recovery, helped our own organization learn how to adapt and innovate. And, it connected over 200 people from the four major sectors of business, not-for-profit, municipal government, and philanthropy to discuss how we could work together to ensure that our integrated economy could recover in a way that we were building back better. We will be publishing the final report, including important next steps, later in October.

As everyone shifts into the fall and anticipates the winter season, many people are experiencing to some extent what experts are calling the “six-month wall”. This article highlights that in major crisis situations, the six-month mark is always the most difficult, and that we may feel like we are running out of steam. Author Nancy Doyle, CEO of the Genius Within quotes Professor Aisha Ahmad, and both offer strategies for coping as well as insights into how the six-month wall can usually disappear within four to six weeks, if we are paying attention to our wellbeing. They go further and inspire us with the thought that we can be ready to innovate and adapt, and move beyond survival mode once again.

Well, that is reassuring because we have upcoming opportunities this fall to focus on wellbeing, resilience, and sustainability and ask all of you reading this newsletter to participate in some way. It is possible to build a smarter, greener, healthier, and more caring future. Please consider supporting the Institute so that we can continue our programming, and please stay tuned for some important upcoming events!

Rosalyn Morrison, Chair

Rosalyn
 


 

What Could the UN Habitat in Towns Initiative mean for Southern Georgian Bay?

We will be publishing a series of articles relating to the regional significance and impact of the UN Habitat in Towns: Collingwood World Summit, which took place virtually on September 1 and 2.

Sonya Skinner, CAO (Acting), Town of Collingwood is the first author we will be featuring. She writes about the outcomes of the Summit, includes a link to the final resolution with 38 key items, and highlights how the resolution dovetails with 10 Collingwood priorities.
 

Read Sonya’s Blog

 
The Summit focused on UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: creating inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable communities. People from around the world who are creating initiatives to build back better shared how they are using the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) created and agreed to by 193 countries as a framework for achieving progress.
 

Learn more about the SDGs here

 
The good news is that the Summit Resolution, Collingwood priorities, and the four major outcomes of the Institute’s collaborative Mapping Our Road to Recovery series, complement each other. So, the Institute will continue to host multi-sector, regionally-focused discussions. This will ensure that leaders can collectively identify the best opportunities and align regional objectives, resources, and action plans.


 

18-30+ Next Gen and a Vital Conversation about the future of work

Are you or do you know a young professional in the Grey/Bruce or the Collingwood/Wasaga/Clearview area? Perhaps an entrepreneur? A social entrepreneur? Perhaps they are seeking to live and work locally? We are partnering with Community Foundation Grey Bruce on two Vital Conversations taking place on October 20 and 22. Please visit our website for the link to register and share with those friends and family who are especially in the 18-30 age range.

Register Now

 
If you are older than 30 and have something to contribute to this conversation or want to learn more about the issues this age cohort is facing, we have been assured that you are welcome to attend!

These Vital Conversations on the changing nature of work will be facilitated by Melri Wright and Mike Wright of Ledge Leadership. The first meeting on Tuesday, October 20 will take a World Café style, sharing knowledge and creating possibilities for action built on the notion of group intelligence. Participants will hear from inspiring local guest speakers and will be part of small group discussions. The second meeting, on Thursday, October 22, presented in collaboration with the Georgian College Centre for Changemaking and Social Innovation, will utilize an online design thinking platform that encourages visual collaborative thinking. Participants can join one meeting or sign up for both.

Last year, the Institute partnered with the CFGB on the launch of the 2019 Vital Signs Report, which carried data and stories about the issues high school students experience. This month’s Vital Conversations will inform an upcoming Vital Signs Report.

We welcome two new Board members!

Please welcome Jodie Kennedy and June Porter, our two new Board members who will help our volunteer Board of Directors and everyone across Southern Georgian Bay achieve our vision of harnessing the power of people and place to grow social and economic prosperity and become the smartest, greenest, healthiest, and most caring region in the province. We are grateful for their contribution of time and talent!