In the final episode of our first series, Fiona Descoteaux, CEO of Innovate Communities chats with Dr. Tom Doyle, the Social Innovation Manager of the organisation.

They reflect on the different conversations with guests during the series and the big question which is about making real and necessary sustainable change within communities, solving the biggest problems.

It starts with people sharing their lived experiences through their stories and then having the system in place to bring all of the stakeholders together with open minds.

An open mind, with an open heart and open will can make real  change happen.

We hope you enjoyed the series!      

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This podcast has been produced by Fuzion Communications

In this episode Fiona Descoteaux, CEO of Innovate Communities, talks Dr Lucas Olmedo a Sociologist/Researcher at University College Cork.

Lucas shares his work in three critical policy areas being developed in Ireland; rural development, social enterprise and social innovation.

He begins by detailing his journey to becoming a sociologist, he talks about his research in rural social enterprise which informs policy recommendations for the National Social Enterprise Policy 2019 – 2022 and he outlines his work mapping national stakeholder approaches to supporting social innovation (as part of the FUSE project led by Genio and Rethink Ireland) for the implementation of a National Social Innovation Competency Centre.

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Innovate Communities:

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 This podcast has been produced by Fuzion Communications

In this episode Fiona Descoteaux, CEO of Innovate Communities, talks with the fascinating Dr Andrew Forde.

Andrew talks passionately about the formative moment in his career which set him on a journey to study human rights, taking him across Europe before arriving back in Ireland to commence a prominent position in the Department of Rural and Community Development.

He discusses the great privilege he has to help and implement national policy, particularly in the context of rural and social enterprise development. He notes the special duty he and his colleagues in the public sector have to build in systems and processes that draw in different voices across community to co-create policy and stipulates the critical importance of working together across society to achieve this.

Fundamentally Andrew believes we need to be working together, we need to be working for a society based on equality, on non-discrimination, on cohesion not inclusion, and sincerely believes that they are building blocks for thriving societies, for societies that just do better. 

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Innovate Communities:

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This podcast has been produced by Fuzion Communications

Pauline Gannon, Co-founder and Director of Impact with Social Impact Ireland speaks with CEO of Innovate Communities, Fiona Descoteaux about her journey to create a legacy that raises the voices of the people that matter in our communities, and how she is achieving this through her organisation, Social Impact Ireland – an organisation she has helped to build, develop and grow since its inception in 2016.

She shares with us her ambitions to put positive social impact at the centre of all business models, regardless of business structure. and portrays her passion for creating social change that supports all within our communities; inclusive, diverse and impactful, taking Ireland to a global stage for social entrepreneurship.

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Innovate Communities:

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This podcast has been produced by Fuzion Communications

In this episode Fiona Descoteaux, CEO of Innovate Communities talks to Roger Warnock, Founder and CEO of Zano Collective.

Roger speaks about the importance of the collective in systems change, and outlines how there is still a considerable challenge facing us to form and facilitate the multisector partnerships required to solve our wicked problems.

Enjoy the show!

Innovate Communities:

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This podcast has been produced by Fuzion Communications

Fiona Descoteaux, CEO of Innovate Communities chats with John Hannigan, CEO of Circle Housing who began his career as an accountant, and in his late twenties he took on a job as a finance professional in a housing company in Birmingham, UK.

At this time he was introduced to the process of supporting people to find homes – a place where they can live, a place where they can be themselves and a place, most importantly, where everything starts – health, education, employment, and relationships. 

John had the opportunity of handing over the keys to a person who was receiving their first home, and who had previously been sleeping rough on the streets. Taken by the emotion he felt towards supporting this person to start a new chapter in their life, led to him starting a new chapter in his, to becoming the CEO of one of Ireland’s voluntary housing associations, Circle Housing.  

Enjoy the show.

Innovate Communities:

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This podcast has been produced by Fuzion Communications

Dr. Donagh Horgan is an architect-academic and development consultant specialising in social innovation, community resilience and placemaking.

Donagh speaks with CEO of Innovate Communities, Fiona Descoteaux about his awareness at a young age of societal inequalities that existed, leading him on a pathway to architecture. However, through further studies and overseas work his passion for understanding how societal systems operate to transform cities begins to take centre stage in his career.

Today he advocates that one of the key ways we can develop our economic systems to succeed in building resilient, sustainable and equitable communities is to collaborate with each other and ultimately work together.

Enjoy the show!

Innovate Communities:

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 This podcast has been produced by Fuzion Communications

In this episode Fiona Descoteaux, CEO of Innovate Communities talks with Paul Born the  co-CEO and co-founder of Tamarack Institute for community engagement.

Paul speaks in detail about how collaborative strategies that engage citizens, institutions, business and government work successfully together to tackle major community issues across Canada and beyond.

Enjoy the show!

Innovate Communities :

Website

LinkedIn

This podcast has been produced by Fuzion Communications