Grassroots Youth Collaborative

What is “Connect the Sector”?

This group exists to connect and build opportunities for younger professionals to influence the future of the non-profit and social sector.

There are four main ways we are aiming to achieve this:
Connect - To connect individuals around ideas and issues in order to spread and develop strategic solutions for the nonprofit and social sector

Share - Share, articulate and promote existing knowledge and resources to encourage practical, evidence-based approaches to strengthen the capacity of the sector

Reframe, Respond, Discuss - Change the way conversations happen, decisions are made and voices are heard, by creating an accessible and diverse forum for younger professionals to engage in discussion and respond to strategic sectoral issues

Act collectively - Create a peer network of insightful, motivated individuals to support each other in action

“Connect the Sector” refers to an opportunity we see to connect our “young-er-ish” peers in Toronto’s non-profit/social sector, to engage in honest dialogue on issues shaping our sector (funding reform, intergenerational learning, barriers to political advocacy, employee retention, and many others). We started doing the background work for this project in December 2011, following Imagine Canada’s National Summit on the Charitable & Non-Profit Sector in November and the Ontario Nonprofit Network’s “Unconference” in April.  
Please see below for an invite to an informal discussion night on the “politics of advocacy” in the non-profit/social sector. All are welcome & please share with your own networks. 
To stay up-to-date on upcoming events or learn more about us, check back here: https://sites.google.com/site/connectthesector/. 
“The Politics of Advocacy” & the Nonprofit / Social Sector - October 23, 6 - 8pm @ CSI Spadina (Alterna Savings Room, 215 Spadina Ave)

The role of the nonprofit sector is to problem solve (right?). Does that mean service, advocacy, or both? Where does system change - and policy work - fit? When organizations (or funders) advocate to government, and money starts changing hands… are we strengthening the social contract… or undermining it? Join Connect The Sector for an informal discussion on how the policy landscape for the sector is changing, rooted in these short provocative readings to kick off discussion. Light dinner provided. 

Posted 7 months ago