Collective Leadership Immersion Canada (CLIC) is a community-based living lab that creates opportunities for participatory action research into what makes equitable newcomer integration in Canada possible and sustainable. While the country invests heavily in attracting international students, systemic gaps persist in their integration in our economy and society – underemployment, credentials discounting, limited leadership opportunities, discrimination, isolation from civic participation…
CLIC builds on past studies into the newcomer experience and nature of systemic barriers, by co-creating solutions to identified gaps through community-engaged, action research. The CLIC living lab approaches newcomer integration as a collective leadership process built through relationships among newcomers, institutions, and communities. Collective leadership becomes a shared, relational, and systemic practice that emphasizes co-creation, systems thinking, and mutual accountability – beyond individual authority and direction.
Newcomers who have completed graduate degrees in Canada will participate in a 3-day Collective Leadership Immersion + 6-month internships with Canadian organizations. In collaboration with community partners from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, newcomer leaders will build stronger connections between existing initiatives and resources that target social justice, resilience and transformation.
Faculty, students and community members who wish to carry out novel interdisciplinary research are welcome as participants of the CLIC living lab. As a starting point, CLIC will ask: How do collective leadership initiatives contribute to the co-development of belonging, community networks, and leadership confidence among newcomers? This supports the CRITS Emancipation axis of research.
- To support the Social Action axis of research, CLIC will ask: How do newcomer-led collaborations contribute to local innovation ecosystems?
- To support the Democratic Management axis of research, CLIC will ask: How can collective leadership strengthen social resilience and entrepreneurship?
- To support the Engaged Pedagogies and Practice of Research axis, CLIC will ask: How do participants translate immersion experiences into organizational practice?
Research results will be shared through a virtual platform, webinars, and open-source publications. What makes this project innovative is the blending of theory and practice to mobilize current knowledge about social innovation and transformation. Some tangible indicators of success for local ecosystems will be:
- Launching of pilot projects targeting social innovation
- Expanded professional networks
- Reduced duplication of social services
- Employment creation
- Data-driven input to policy making.
For information contact: [email protected]