In partnership with MaRS and SiG (Social Innovation Generation) Volans coordinated a Social Innovation Policy Tour to the UK.Four goals were developed in designing the itinerary for the policy tour;
1. Understand how public policy can be used to stimulate social capital markets
2. Understand how government can create an enabling environment for social enterprise
3. Create a cross-sectoral cohort of people interested in exploring ways to develop an enabling environment for social innovation in Canada.
4. Provide first-hand exposure to some of the UK’s innovative policy, finance and programming initiatives which contribute to its reputation as a global leader in social innovation.
With these ambitious goals set, twenty-two delegates from across Canada signed up for the London tour. These delegates included senior grant-makers, policy-makers and private sector representatives.
This visit took place over 4 days and included a total of 25 speakers, three ‘field trips’ and exposure to 10 innovative entrepreneurs.
In addition to coordinating the professional content and a series of networking events Volans also delivered a 34-page report highlighting the key insights from the tour plus a slide deck with an overview of the key messages from each speaker. Both of these documents have been subsequently used in events and conferences across Canada.
Tim Draimin, Executive Director of SiG provided the following testimonial:
“Canada is developing its social innovation landscape and chose to visit the UK to learn from its activities. In addition to developing a thorough and thoughtful itinerary with leading social investors, policy-makers, thought leaders in the UK, Volans hosted a series of evening events, including a reception with local social entrepreneurs, and provided comprehensive follow-up materials, which have subsequently been used across Canada with all sectors.
Any region looking to develop a strategy around social innovation and enabling the development of social entrepreneurship should look to Volans as a knowledgeable and insightful guide. Their team have the relationships, the management skills and the energy to make study tours to the UK a huge success.”
Following the success of the Social Innovation Policy Tour, Volans has continued working with SiG on a national stakeholder engagement project with the goal of Building a Case for Social Finance in Canada.
