Connected Communities
We offer a nurturing environment for social change initiatives that includes peer connections, access to learning opportunities, evaluation support and back-end administrative support.
Changing systems.
Centering equity.
Inspiring Communities is an equity-centered systems change nonprofit organization in Atlantic Canada. Inspiring Communities has a vision of equitable, thriving communities built on fundamentally reimagined systems. We build collaborative relationships and foster social experimentation to change inequitable systems. And we reflect and learn from our experiments to inform our work, and then share what we’ve learned with our networks, both regional and national.
Visit our blog to learn more about our work.
Our Areas of Focus
We support systems change efforts through:
Learning for Impact
We offer evaluation support to our community initiatives, through Developmental Evaluation frameworks, designing theories of change, data collection and analysis. This work includes developing connections between evaluators, and growing a culture of evaluation and learning to strengthen the field of practice.
Partnerships
We collaborate to build on existing knowledge, discover new opportunities, support existing work and strengthen relationships.
Our Vision: Collective Action for Change
Positive social change is happening across the Atlantic region, that is based on new voices at the table, capacity to act, and a culture of collaboration.
There is so much great work happening in Atlantic Canada. We see innovative, fresh ideas and the desire and vision to change how problems are addressed. We also understand the realities of limited resources, inequities and operational demands that exist for local changemakers. That’s where we come in. We offer a space for social change leaders and initiatives to experiment in a learning environment, receive administrative and evaluation support, share experiences with their peers, and develop their capacity to act. We bring those with lived experience, community organizations, government, businesses and changemakers together, to collectively solve the complex social problems we face today. We are strengthening collaborative change efforts in Atlantic Canada. We aim to build bridges, amplify diverse perspectives, and collaborate.
Together, a more equitable, thriving future is possible for all communities in Atlantic Canada.
Our Values Find out more >
Today, more than ever, we need to work differently. Together we can find better ways of thinking that lead to better ways of creating positive change. The Inspiring Communities approach focuses on taking the time to develop trusted relationships, from which real change can grow. We are working to change embedded structures, power dynamics and approaches to problem-solving - that can't, and won't, be done overnight.
-
Collaboration
The issues we tackle are complex and cannot be solved by any one person, group or sector. We work with others whenever possible.
-
Diversity and Equity
We believe in respectful engagement by nurturing diversity and celebrating existing community strengths. We embrace an equity-driven approach as we look for meaningful solutions to closing opportunity gaps in the pursuit of social inclusion.
-
Take Risks
Real change requires an openness to trying new things. We believe in careful experimentation and investing in learning along the way - in terms of what works well, and what doesn't.
-
Trust
We go slow to go far. We know that the change that is needed will rely on trusted relationships.