A leading provider of social support services for families and individuals living with low-income and food-insecurity, the Wilmot Family Resource Centre (WFRC) has served communities in the Wilmot and Wellesley Townships for over four decades. Lately, however, the WFRC has recognized that their community is divided around issues of racism and discrimination, and the current political atmosphere has contributed negatively to the situation.
Having learned about the Capacity by Design program through social media, Kristine Allison and Trisha Robinson from the Wilmot Family Resource Centre decided it was the perfect way to implement what their communities so desperately needed – a common message to bring everyone together.
“We wanted to work towards more acceptance in the community. People come from different economic backgrounds and have vast racial experiences. We wanted to understand the makeup of our community and how we could all work together to make sure everyone had a solid quality of life while promoting well-being. I learned about the Capacity by Design program through Twitter and knew it could help us get our message out there,” said Kristine Allison, Project Manager.
Capacity by Design is a design-thinking program developed by Capacity Canada to help social good organizations rethink how they approach problem-solving. Capacity Canada has developed its knowledge and skills in Design Thinking through the generosity of the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation. The Suncor Energy Foundation has provided the resources for Capacity Canada to build resilient communities across Canada through Design Thinking. The program aims to use human-centred Design Thinking to help communities develop their capacity to address complex challenges and create a roadmap for change. This unique project also involves using new virtual sprint tools.
The Wilmot Family Resource Centre had applied to the program in March last year and was one of the selected organizations.
After multiple meetings, Capacity Canada’s team successfully completed its design sprint with the WFRC this month. As part of the program, the six-member team from the Wilmot Family Resource Centre developed two prototypes. One explores the notion of a community ambassadorship program that would educate and inform residents about the good work happening in Wilmot and Wellesley townships. The second prototype is the development of a new community-wide art installation tentatively called “The Path.” It would include living or movable art made by local artists to share their story, history and vision for the future.
According to Trisha, Executive Director, WFRC, the conversations with Capacity Canada’s Executives-in-Residence encouraged the team to keep moving ahead. “It was a lovely experience to work with Liz Dennis and Hugh Munro, especially during this time in the pandemic. People are having a hard time being upbeat about work. Both Liz and Hugh were so kind and always amplified the good we were doing. Our conversations were always positive,” she said.
The WFRC wanted to get its message out to the community it served and the geography it encompassed. Capacity by Design provided the organization with the structure and support required. “The meetings helped us formalize what we were trying to do. It helped us involve the board leadership and the executive director and brought us all together towards one common goal,” added Kristine.
In the coming months, the WFRC will be looking at resources to implement the prototypes in real-time.
What is Design Thinking?
Design thinking is a flexible and powerful framework for innovative problem-solving. Designing for Impact was developed by Capacity Canada with support from the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation and Suncor Energy Foundation. Throughout the process, facilitators from Capacity by Design support and guide team members to develop solutions to the issues close to their hearts that bring a positive change in the community.
Design Sprint Hosted Virtually
This year, the design sprint was held using an online platform. “Since the program was virtual, it allowed us an opportunity to work with a lot of people that we wouldn’t have otherwise. It was a big commitment for board members, and they were able to carve out time for the meetings,” said Trisha.
As per Liz, the program’s success was a result of the dedication of the participating non-profit. “We were not sure how the program would work without meeting in person. It was surprising to see the level of engagement and excitement we were able to generate on a virtual platform. This is the first time the design sprint was held virtually, and the online medium was definitely not a barrier,” says Liz, Designer, Capacity by Design.
Capacity Canada invites applications from social good organizations across Canada that want to benefit from the program every year. This year, the project received more than a dozen enquiries and indications of interest. After careful consideration, three non-profits were selected. The Wilmot Family Resource Centre was one of the social good organizations selected this year.
To learn more about Capacity by Design, please visit our page.
