Lessons Learned

DI's experiences highlight the importance of bridges between theories and practices and also of acknowledging the fact that relevance and excellence in research do not have to be necessarily exclusive. Utilizing models of innovation for transformation, entrepreneurial methods for discovering and leveraging opportunities, and making use of the strengths of post-secondary institutions DI has shown the ability to transform research about the inclusion and diversity of people into practical application. A few of the concepts and strategies can be used across research institutes. They can also be applied to wide-ranging applications for stakeholders outside the education sector, which includes government agencies and non-profit organisations as well as private entrepreneurs:

1. Set goals, objectives, and a strategy based on research and knowledge of systems. Every DI projects are built on solid research and a well-founded theory of change, anchored on the model of ecology as well as continuous evaluation.

2. Plan your project, but be ready to pivot and try again, then iterate and then try again. Community-based and action-oriented initiatives require agility and ingenuity. Universities are often highly formal, however, the most important factor in DI's accomplishment was the "strategic action" orientation characterized by clear goals and clearly defined objectives, as well as the ability to change and adapt to new circumstances. The key to this success is DI's capacity to get external funding via entrepreneurial actions and leveraging cross-sector partnerships to get support and to communicate the importance of our model to the senior management within the university. It was the RULSC project was developed in just a few hours and was able to commit to sponsoring hundreds of refugees, while other institutions were meeting to plan their responses.

3. Establish an "coalition of the willing" instead of a consensus. When it comes to bringing about significant changes there will be opposition however it is essential to find allies for the advocacy field. For example, in spite of the opposition from various parties in the face of DI's proposal to extend the scope that are in the Bill C-25 legislation, we gathered similar groups and individuals who were committed to an inclusive change for people of color, Indigenous groups, those who are disabled, and other populations that were not The success of legislative changes in Bill C-25 was contingent upon the participation of more than 30 diverse organizations around the table to discuss DI's D.I. brief. This was also crucial to DI's success in preparing the plan to fund an investment of $260 million for the Future Skills Centre and The $8.6 million Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub. The projects involved bringing together many more people than "the usual suspects" and built long-lasting connections with community and business organisations.

4. Make use of Design Thinking approaches to focus on the user's needs. Find out what users want as well as challenge their assumptions clarify the definition and define issues to create effective solutions. To make this process efficient, we need to be clear on who the participants are and make it simple for them to take part. For instance, in RULSC, for instance. RULSC project, although the primary goal was to help refugees, sponsorship was crucial to the success of the project, consequently, the input of sponsors about their experiences in the process and ideas from volunteers were taken into consideration and implemented throughout the development of the project.

5. Develop an entrepreneurial mindset, which is pursuing your goals while considering the resources at hand. Avoid bureaucracy that demands waiting for resources that you want to be in the hands of those who can help. The bureaucracies tend to be rigid, resisting change, and are averse to rules and tradition. They are adamant about plans, accountability and conformity. Entrepreneurs tend to take taking action, making pivots when necessary or require forgiveness, not for permission and are focused on achieving results. DI is a firm believer in entrepreneurial values, processes , and culture by identifying opportunities, from industry-led consultative sessions regarding Diversity and Inclusion, to implementing major government-funded initiatives like The WEKH or the Future Skills Centre. In the end, DI is able to raise more than 100 percent of its operating funds. It has been proven that timing isn't just important, but is frequently crucial to everything.

6. Accept new technologies, but remember that it's not the answer. The development of sharing platforms has been crucial to numerous DI projects. DI collaborates with Magnet the most advanced AI-powered digital platform that connects 1 million job seekers with more than 100,000 employers which allows DI to create an important mass and grow quickly. Finding new ways to use technology to assist entrepreneurs and job seekers is vital as was the research behind the development of these applications. We found out from our extensive research into future skills as well as how to bridge the "skills gap" that connecting to highly skilled employees was a key problem for employers, while students with no experience often did not have connections to their field. We made use of our partnerships with Magnet technology to create a platform which meets these needs as well as offering the opportunity to train through ADaPT to improve the abilities of job seekers.

7. Monitor, analyze, and then share the outcomes, and report them. Being an entrepreneur doesn't mean that you have to avoid responsibility. The ability to track results and have robust feedback loops is crucial in order to be in a position to pivot and change. In all of our courses including our NEH or WE-Hub it is our goal to collect constant feedback from the participants. Through the 12 weeks of our program we collect surveys at the end of every NEH or WE-Hub class. We also monitor the progress of participants as business owners, even after the course has ended.