HUMBER COLLEGE COMMUNITY UPDATE
Social innovation is always top of mind at the Humber College Lakeshore Campus. At its core, social innovation is about finding new solutions to complex challenges, making our communities more resilient. At Humber, we focus on multidisciplinary ideas, new technologies and entrepreneurial thinking to tackle these challenges head-on. We are taking the next step in this journey by developing the Centre for Social Innovation, a part of one Humber’s network of Centres of Innovation (COIs), which bring together faculty, students and partners to strengthen our communities and industries. In addition to the Centre for Social Innovation, Humber’s COIs include The Centre for Innovation in Health & Wellness, The Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation, The Centre for Creative Business Innovation and The Centre for Entrepreneurship. The latter two are housed right here at the Lakeshore campus. The Centre for Creative Business Innovation (CCBI) will be part of the new Humber Cultural Hub, currently under construction. CCBI encourages collaboration, applied research and project-based learning. The Centre is a resource for companies and the wider community, bringing together students, faculty and industry or community partners to solve real-world problems. The COIs are supported by several Humber resources, including six faculties. The Faculty of Social and Community Services (FSCS) leads The Centre for Social Innovation. FSCS provides leadership in many social innovation activities, collaborating with academic and industry partners and the community, including our Etobicoke Lakeshore neighbours. 10
Now the faculty is seeking public feedback for the development of the Centre for Social Innovation. Last month, FSCS circulated a survey to internal and external stakeholders, including Lakeshore community members. “I will provide an update on the results and tell you about more ways to engage in the development of The Centre for Social Innovation in the coming months” FSCS is already engaged in creating new, locally driven solutions. Our areas of interest include: • Cannabis education for young adults • Affordable housing • Healthy communities • Delivery of services to better serve and support our neighbours. Late last year, Professor Daniel Bear, who teaches in FSCS’ Bachelor of Criminal Justice program, led an event called Legal Cannabis Three Years In: Harm Reduction, Impact, and Moving Forward. The discussion event included descriptions of policy implications and approaches to harm reduction. Many in our community have unanswered questions or aren’t sure where to find up-to-date information, and this kind of initiative helps bridge the gap. Some of our social innovation projects are a little less traditional than live discussion events and include an exciting new audio drama on Child and Youth Care. FSCS instructor Wolfgang Vachon and faculty member Shaheen Ariefdien created a research-based fiction podcast to explore the experiences of CYC practitioners (CYPCs) who have lived in residential placement as young people before becoming CYCPs. It
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