Our Origin Story
Best known for developing the Theory of General Relativity, Albert Einstein once stated that innovation is combinatorial.
As he suggested, combinatorial thinking is about being alert and awake to the world, collecting cross-disciplinary building blocks such as observations of successes and promising practices, others' research, sparks of inspiration, and other existing ideas, which we then combine and recombine to create something new.
It is from this messy, vast, multisectoral pool of resources that the Campus for Communities of the Future was established in 2011.
Originally focused on the practical community-building learnings and how-tos garnered from Alberta's $6.5 million ACE Communities initiative, which ended that same year, there was a desire to honour the $6.5 million worth of learning and tools and to continue the journey toward determining how to achieve a better balance between economic development and quality of life.
We soon recognized that community-building wasn't enough to address the growing complexity of challenges and opportunities. As a result, we evolved beyond (1) community-driven development to also include (2) systems-practice, (3) strategic foresight, and (4) digital and AI systems infrastructure.
All of this has been combined and expanded into a full-stack support and services offering, now known as RESET Communities.
The combination of these four areas of learning is essential to supporting and coaching leadership, organizational, and community capacity to respond to today's complex issues and opportunities.
In large part, we've been able to do this by standing on the shoulders of remarkable change agents across the country and now internationally.
We work with individuals and organizations who care deeply about making a difference and are willing to embrace the transformative change to make it happen.
While it has been hard work and a long and often challenging path, we have curated significant learnings, resources, frameworks, and tools and, are ready to scale.
Just as importantly, we hope to continue to learn from other individuals and organizations like you.
R.E.S.E.T. Communities Collective increases responsiveness to complex challenges and opportunities by collaborating with multiple partners to provide a variety of support and services that enhance social, economic, and environmental well-being.
Individual and organizational future-readiness is supported increasing capacity for (1) community and stakeholder-led development, (2) systems-practices, (3) strategic foresight, and (4) digital optimization. We've learned these four components are necessary for the project and systems collaboration and informed decision-making we have experienced as being essential for transformative change and innovation.
Innovative approaches require being bold, perseverance, tenacity and a sprinkle of panic.
-- Michelle Baldwin
Many situations in life are similar to going on a hike: the view changes once you start walking. You don't need all the answers right now. New paths will reveal themselves if you have the courage to get started.
--James Clear
Leadership today is about courage. Courage to realize our challenges are complex and no one individual, organization, or sector can resolve them on their own. That means we have to let go of the idea that we alone have the answers. Instead, we need to strengthen our individual and organizational competencies in order to become sector connectors who call meetings before we have the answers, aren't intimidated by messy, and can ensure a culture where all voices are heard. Only then, can our collective gifts, experience, and wisdom be focused on building a better future for all.
--Brenda Herchmer
In times of change it is the learners who inherit the future. Those who have finished learning find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.
-- Eric Hoffer
