Who’s behind this project?

This project is sponsored by a generous anonymous donor who is inspired by the lifetime of ministry and social justice work of Rev. John Arlen Bonnar of St James United Church who is part of the 2SLGBTQI+ community himself. This special projects fund is dedicated to supporting people who are refugees, Indigenous people, and 2SLGBTQI+ communities and organizations. The project is managed by Melissa-Ann Pereira Ledo, local queer community arts organizer, consultant and facilitator, in partnership with local 2SLGBTQI+ organizations. This is a non-religious community-led arts project. Sign up here to become one of our facilitators. 

Approach

The approach for this project is Social-Innovation adventure! Inspired by the 2012 Centre for Social Innovation values-based and inclusive definition: Social innovation refers to the creation, development, adoption and integration of new and renewed concepts, systems, and practices that put people and planet first.  The approach aims to be inclusive, holistic and prioritizes ​the needs of people. It uses both new and remixed ideas as part of the solution, providing us with “ways to draw on our history and to bring this depth of knowledge into our future in new ways”. The definition emphasises that people develop social innovations through ​stages (often nonlinear): Ideation, Invention, Adoption, Impact. It aims to create​ a low barrier of access to participate​​ intended to foster more inclusive approaches. It argues for prototyping, testing, and cycles of feedback.

The following two projects exemplify how this work is done.