10 Carden is thrilled to welcome Allyson Hewitt, Director of Social Entrepreneurship at MaRS Discovery District to Guelph.

Allyson is the driving force behind Social Innovation Generation @ MaRS (SiG@MaRS), which she describes this way:

“We work with different sectors to try to think differently about encouraging innovation. I spent 25 years in the nonprofit sector in a staff position, longer than that as a volunteer, but never had the ability to work with people from academia, government, business, science, technology etc. in the way that I have here. It has blown my mind. We do three things. We advise, convene and accelerate. We advise through engagement with business stakeholders, we convene lots of events, bring really astounding global leaders here and we pull together clusters of people and then we try to accelerate social innovation through some really exciting initiatives. One is the Social Venture Exchange, which is creating a platform to allow those with money to meet up with those who need money. It's more than philanthropy. I think it's critical cause it's talking about impact investing."

Allyson will share her insights and discoveries from her years at the helm of SIG@MaRS and lead us in a dialogue about the broad social/economic and environmental impacts stemming from the rapidly expanding social innovation and social entrepreneurship sectors in Guelph and across Canada.

We welcome everyone to carry on this exciting conversation and meet one another at our wine and cheese reception directly following Allyson’s presentation. This is a free event, but to reserve your space, registration is required.

10 Carden's Spring Workshop Series

10 Carden is committed to building on the strengths of its member organizations, while maximizing their capacity to bring about social change.

Our second workshop series is tailored to the interests and skills that you, our members, highlighted in conversations with Katarina Vuckovic, earlier this year.

We are excited to feature some 10 Carden members as leads for this series and encourage other members to consider leading workshops for our Fall 2011 series. Learning from one another and working together, we can accelerate our collective impact.

10 Carden's capacity-building workshops are free, thanks to the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the wonderful workshop leaders. Register early as spaces are limited.

Four Generations and Workplace Diversity

Monday, May 2: 5:30 - 7:30pm
with Allisa Scott, H.B.A, M.A, M.S.W., R.S.W
www.inclusive-cct.ca

The 4 generations model will help you understand how the influence of age and social commonalities or differences will enable employees to work more effectively in our diverse society. Learn about how the 4 generations impacts productivity, efficiency and team building in the workplace. You will also learn how to use the change management model to benefit your workplace. Valuable strategies and tips for recruitment, and engaging the 4 generations in your workplace will also be shared.

Register early as spaces are limited.

IT for Small Business

Monday, May 9: 5:30 – 7:30 pm
with Sharon Bennett, Microsoft Small Business Specialist
bennettbusinessconnections.com

This workshop will introduce the Small Office/Home Office entrepreneur to basic IT knowledge to improve, maintain and secure your current IT environment. During the session, you will learn how to keep your data safe, including security and backup strategies; how to incorporate shared storage into your network; how to grow your IT infrastructure to meet your growing needs.

Register early as spaces are limited.
 

Finding Balance: Managing Stress and Staying Healthy as a Small Business Owner

Monday, May 16: 5:30 - 7:30 pm
with Lorraine Blackwell, BA, RHN
www.terraverdewellness.com

Stress is a normal and necessary part of being human. But as a small business owner, stress levels can become unmanageable and harmful to your health. With a focus on nutrition, fitness, and mental wellness, this dynamic workshop will give you practical ways to improve your health, prevent unnecessary stress, and effectively manage the stress you can’t avoid.

Register early as spaces are limited.

Movie Screening

Saturday, May 14 | 1 - 3:30 pm

Join us for a movie and discussion after the farmer’s market. Shelene Douglas, our co-op student whose goal is to connect youth to local food activists will be picking the movie...you’ll know what it is soon! Post-movie, she’s inviting the community in to talk about local, sustainable food and how our health depends on it. And a fun challenge at the end - something you don’t want to miss!

Register early as spaces are limited.

How to Work well with others on Projects, in Business and in Life

with Carly O’Brien from the Achievement Centre
Monday, May 30: 5:30 - 7:30 pm

Join us for this fun, interactive session where you will learn some quick-to-implement techniques to help you get projects to stay on track and the people involved to enjoy the experience. Carly O’Brien, Principal of The Achievement Centre, will share real life examples and dissect the small things that make a big difference.

Register early as spaces are limited.

Connecting high-school youth to local and sustainable food systems

with Shelene Douglas, 10 Carden Co-op Student
Thursday, June 9: 5:30 - 8:30 pm

The next school year will see significant changes to the foods typically served in school cafeterias. High fat/sugar/salty foods will be replaced by more healthy options. Our wonderful co-op student, Shelene Douglas, is busy planning an event to connect high-school youth to food activists, farmers, and organizations supporting local and sustainable agriculture. On June 9th she is facilitating a networking forum for local food activists, organizations, and youth. We invite all food-related groups to join the conversation. The focus will be to connect high-school youth across the city to local food initiatives. More details to follow, but in the meantime, do connect to Shelene if your organization wants to get involved.

Register early as spaces are limited.

Social Financing Options for Not-for-Profits and Small Businesses

with the Meridian Credit Union
Monday, June 13: 5:30 - 7:30 pm

We’ll bring a representative from the Meridian to discuss social financing options for not-for-profits and small businesses. Come with your questions, and learn how Meridian can help you get started, launch a new project, or support you in your business or organization.

Register early as spaces are limited.

Flooring Fiesta. This weekend.

10 Carden’s recent road trip to Hamilton’s Art Crawl inspired us to give the ground floor a facelift!

So this weekend we’re calling for any hands available to assist with our Floor Fiesta! With our landlord’s blessing we’ll be pulling up the green carpet, sanding back the sub-floor and then painting it with a Julia Grady original design.

There will be no events Saturday through Tuesday morning, although co-working space on the second floor will still be accessible. Want to lend a hand or pick up a paint roller? Please drop an email to info@10carden.ca.

Changing the World From Within. Yoga Wednesdays.

Wednesday Mornings: 7:30-8:30 a.m. | Members free | $5.00 non-members.

Build strength and flexibility while releasing tension and stress in the body and mind. Great way to start the day with increased energy and peace of mind. All levels of welcome. Bring your own mat.