Through our varied and collaborative learning activities, we experiment with how systems innovation can be understood in action.
Open Dialogues
These are facilitated sessions that bring together systems innovators and learning practitioners for a detailed exploration of experiences, approaches and methods. The purpose is to share new information, inspire participants to think about how concepts could be used in their own work and support them in the implementation of learnings.
These spaces provide an opportunity to deepen and broaden our understanding of systemic innovation concepts and applications, while hearing diverse perspectives and experiences from a range of co-learners and SILP community members. Past sessions have focused on themes including: innovative ways of collaboration, working through and with crises and how funders can redefine grantmaking to give power to the communities they aim to serve.
Challenge Labs
These workshops test a systems innovation approach to addressing a complex challenge or case brought by someone in the community. Sessions are co-designed with the challenge owner to ensure the methodology and workshop approach meets their needs, and provides a useful space for testing the application of systems innovation in different contexts.
Challenge Labs are opportunities for multi-layered learning, practice and capability building. As the session format is based on co-design with the challenge owner, this ensures that the methodology and workshop approach meets specific needs, and provides a useful space for testing the application of systems innovation in different contexts.
Learning Festivals
Held once a year, this week-long celebration of systemic innovation aims to bring together familiar and unfamiliar collaborators to deepen and broaden understandings of concepts, practices, and applications. The festival consists of a mixed-format approach, from informational sessions to participatory workshops – allowing cutting-edge perspectives on systemic practice and learning to be discussed and challenged.
The aim of the Learning Festival is to establish a community of practitioners who can help others to develop a shared set of resources for everyone to draw on. Past festivals have focused on topics such as what it means to learn together, how we define impact and navigating the messy middle.
What we explore
If we find ourselves in organisations with ecosystems that aren’t working, what can we do to step up and instigate change from within?
How do we pay attention to the tension of needing to use simple, familiar language while holding true to the complexity of systemic work?
Our current impact monitoring and evaluation tools are not fit for purpose, so instead of merely observing impact, perhaps we need to live it?