A Unique Learning Opportunity

Social innovation skills are needed now more than ever to tackle the urgent challenges of our times. Complex problems confront individuals and communities in many different sectors. Whether your concerns lie with culture, climate, industry, justice or policy, creating the change we need in the world depends on gaining knowledge and finding new approaches.

Are you a change-maker with a deep readiness for championing positive change in complex contexts?  If so, the Getting to Maybe: A Social Innovation Residency is a unique learning opportunity you need to seriously consider. This residency program guides a small, diverse group of corporate, government, and community leaders to learn together and discover new ways to make communities better places to live.

Do you have an innovative project idea that you are interested in developing and refining for action?  Through intense focus and exploration, you will enhance a whole spectrum of personal capacities, including your self-awareness and your understanding of complex system theory.

Who Should Apply?

We invite nominations of, or direct applications from, enthusiastic, self-reflective, committed individuals. This is an outstanding opportunity for change makers passionate about tackling complex problems and holding the capacity and the authority to catalyze groups of individuals to join these kinds of efforts. We are particularly interested in leading social innovators who also have experience with indigenous leadership, creative practice and/or environmental stewardship.

This unique, month-long residency, offers an opportunity for you to cultivate multiple perspectives, deeper understanding, and the skills to develop new partnerships to collaborate on complex issues. In addition to a rigorous exposure to cutting edge concepts on systems, complexity and social innovation, you will also learn through experiencing the natural setting, artistic practice, and indigenous traditions. These various ‘ways of knowing’ will shed light on your exploration of your calling as a change-maker, and will also be applied to your project, with ongoing support from peers, program mentors, expert faculty and guest advisors.  This residency will benefit you most if you are:

• Ready to challenge your assumptions about yourself, as well as your project 
• Interested in deepening your understanding of the systems in which you live and work;
• Eager to develop the self-awareness that leads to both internal and external transformation; 
• Open to exploring social innovation concepts through the powerful lenses of creative practice, collaborative thinking and inspired learning, all rooted in Banff’s physical environment and indigenous wise practices;
• Passionate about refining your ideas that aim to address a complex problem

This 28-day onsite residency program is open to only a small group of participants each year.  Each will be encouraged to take a deep dive into their personal, as well as professional, worlds.  New revelations about yourself and your work will lead to the development of new strategies for impact. If you are a leader from the private, social benefit, government, or the philanthropy sector(s) with a passion and vision for change, you are invited to apply. We also specifically welcome applications from innovators within arts and culture, and from Indigenous communities.

Learn More

To learn more, visit the program webpage or, if you have specific questions, please contact Katrina Donald via email at: to discuss the program and have your questions answered.