Social Innovation Atlantic Roundtable

Location: Brian Mulroney Hall 324

Welcome & Framing the Day

• Facilitator: Host (STU)

• Welcome to St. Thomas University

• Land acknowledgement  

• Overview of goals and flow of the day

Framing questions:

• What’s happening at our institutions right now in social enterprise education?

• What new ideas, pilots, or challenges are emerging?

• How can we support each other’s work or align efforts across campuses?

Format: Round-robin / guided discussion

Each participant shares:

• One highlight from their institution’s social enterprise–related work

• One challenge or tension encountered

• One insight from teaching, program development, partnerships, or student engagement

Guiding prompts:

• What shifted in your teaching, programming, or partnerships this year?

• What surprised you most?

• What didn’t unfold as expected?

(Facilitator captures themes visually or in shared notes.)

Format: Lightning shares

Participants highlight:

• New or evolving courses or program structures

• Student projects, new experiential models, or campus competitions

• Community, NGO, or industry partnerships

• Any social enterprise, innovation, or entrepreneurship initiatives currently underway

Optional structure:

• What it is

• Who it serves

• Current stage (idea, pilot, established, scaling)

• What you’re excited about

Format: Small group discussion → plenary synthesis

In small groups, discuss:

• What patterns are emerging across our institutions?

• Where are we encountering similar barriers (funding, staffing, curriculum, student needs, community buy-in)?

• What feels distinctly “Atlantic Canadian” in our approaches or ecosystems?

Groups share top insights back to the full group

Format: Open sharing + discussion

Participants outline:

• Upcoming courses, pilots, events, or program expansions

• New partnerships or funding streams on the horizon

• Opportunities that may align in terms of timing or student audiences

Guiding question:

Where might we naturally coordinate or amplify each other’s efforts?

Format: Facilitated brainstorm

Prompts:

Where could we share or co-create? Possibilities include:

• Shared pitch or showcase events (regional or virtual)

• Cross-campus guest lectures or classroom exchanges

• Joint student projects

• Shared teaching resources or modules

• A community of practice

Capture:

• Concrete ideas

• Interested collaborators

• Early next steps

• Key takeaways

• Immediate follow-ups or action items

Interest in:

• Future gatherings

• Ongoing communication channels (email list, Teams, Slack, etc.)

• Ideas for future collaboration

Relaxed dinner out together for further connection and conversation.