Background

Fredericton Social Innovation Inc. is a new approach to respond to community opportunities and challenges.  It is an inclusive and collaborative process that responds to the changing needs in our community by bringing together different groups and networks into coordinated community action

In 2004, a small group of community leaders, representing government, business, and voluntary sectors, commissioned Dennis Atchison to explore the community’s readiness to embrace social planning. The research included both an exploration of existing social planning mechanisms, as well as extensive interviews and focus groups with community members. The report concluded that Fredericton (from non-profit, to government, to business leaders) was indeed ready to embrace social planning. From this, an Interim Steering Committee was struck to create a made in Fredericton social planning mechanism.

Over the next few years, much effort was placed on garnering support across all sectors of our community for the establishment of a social planning mechanism. After acquiring formal commitment from a number of parties, the council was formed in spring 2009 as Fredericton Social Innovation Inc. (FSI)

Fredericton Social Innovation is chaired by co-chairs Mary Lou Babineau and Mac Macfarlane. Aimée Foreman is currently serving as the group’s Acting Secretariat. The organization is governed by members of our Stewardship Board representing many sectors within our community; including:

Chamber of Commerce

Enterprise Fredericton

University of New Brunswick

Saint Thomas University

District 18 Education Council

Centre Communautaire Ste. Anne

Network for Healthy Living

Horizon Health Network

Department of Social Development

City of Fredericton

Community Action Group on Homelessness

New Brunswick Union

Fredericton Arts Alliance

Fredericton Community Foundation

Because social planning transcends economic, gender, professional, and cultural boundaries – and ultimately targets the well being of society as a whole – it has a fundamental role to play in creating an inclusive community, and in building bridges between our increasingly atomized people and sectors.

Fredericton Social Innovation Inc. will enable Fredericton to focus people and resources on what the community cares about. Benefits include an increased awareness of the community’s social issues across all sectors; clear vision of community priorities for the next two to five years; improved coordination of services, planning and resources; greater ability to respond to community-wide issues, increased ability to leverage human and financial resources; reduced overlap in services, clearer focus on the gaps and the development of methods to address them; and increased support from funding organizations that prefer collaborative projects.