MINDS is a mindful social innovation and research lab dedicated to designing, piloting, and testing innovations to mental health and addiction issues developed locally. Starting in 2023, MINDS has shifted to focus on youth and emerging adults (16-35) who are living with severe and complex mental health and/or addiction issues.

This work fits in four areas:

• Sensemaking
• Mindful Social Innovation (MSI)
• Collective System Innovation (CSI)
• Mental Health and Addiction Innovation Imaginarium 

Within Sensemaking, we aim to explore or ‘make sense of’ what the status of complex mental health and addiction pathways of care are in the London-Middlesex region from lived experiences, from diverse perspectives and a systems lens. We’ve been doing zine workshops and completing interviews with young people and those who care for them. Sensemaking is the first step of our work, which informs all our other work.

Mindful Social Innovation (MSI) aims to build capacity across mental health system providers and leaders in the London-Middlesex region to be agents of change and work collectively to create, implement and evaluate new system solutions. Applications for September open this summer!

Collective System Innovation (CSI) plans to bring together people with lived experience, system leaders, and cross-sectoral providers to develop solutions for complex challenges. This process includes sense-making, ideating, prototyping, and evaluating systems solutions, with further support provided for prototypes. These events will be open to everyone!

Lastly, all this work will come together in the  Mental Health and Addiction Innovation Imaginarium. Host a collaborative space to (re)imagine and (re)define mental health and addiction system innovation and set strategic priorities for evolving the field. There will be two events; one Canada-wide and one in the London-Middlesex area.

Want to learn more or get involved? Use our contact form!