Collective System Innovation (CSI) at MINDS is where we harness the power of community collaboration to drive meaningful change in mental health and addiction care. CSI events are designed to bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds, including people with lived experience (PWLE), community stakeholders, and MSI graduates, to ideate, prototype, test, and evaluate new system solutions.

Our CSI events are open to all individuals touched by the mental health and addiction care system. We particularly engage passionate and motivated PWLE from marginalized, racialized, and stigmatized communities who are often under and poorly served. These individuals play a crucial role in developing solutions to priority complex challenges, bringing their unique perspectives and insights to the table.

The CSI events are structured around MSI engagement techniques and design sprints, creating a dynamic environment for multi-stakeholder collaboration. Participants form teams and work together to create functional prototypes addressing priority challenges identified through MINDS’ sensemaking activities. Each event begins with an overview of MSI practices, followed by engaging sessions where teams unpack areas of desired change and develop their solutions.

Over the course of two days, teams collaborate, revise their prototype designs, and pitch their ideas to a representative panel. Selected prototypes receive support from MINDS’ MSI Lab facilitators and financial contributions for further development. All prototypes belong to the Collective, inviting ongoing engagement and collaboration from event attendees, regardless of their involvement in the pitching team.

CSI events are staggered at six-month intervals, allowing for continuous innovation and development of solutions for new priority complex challenge areas. With a total of four CSI events planned from August 2024 to March 2026, we aim to involve 150 PWLE and diverse community stakeholders, alongside MSI graduates, in shaping the future of mental health and addiction care in our local system.

By leveraging the collective expertise, creativity, and passion of our community, CSI events create a collaborative ecosystem where ideas flourish, prototypes evolve, and meaningful change takes root. Join us in this transformative journey as we work together to build a more inclusive, responsive, and effective mental health and addiction care system for all.

Want to get involved in Collective System Innovation (CSI)? Click here!