About

What is SPEnD

Formally SPEnD is a three year research initiative based out of Algonquin College’s Social Innovation lab. In practice, SPEnD is more than a title or time frame. Its a movement in hope and action, a platform that transforms the way a community thinks about solving social issues, a new blueprint for educational institutions role in its community one where learning by doing good is the norm.

“What if educational institutions leverage their purchasing power, their students’ creativity, and their community connections to create lasting social change?”

Simple yet profound. Built on the desire to impact positive change in our institution and community, SPEnD was born, carrying the identity of a bridge between academia and the real world setting the following as their aims:

Identify and launch student-led social enterprises for the local community and social value fund.

Research and share social enterprise models from around the world.

Develop and share foundational research on the investment capacity of 140 Canadian College’s for social procurement.

SPEnD’s model provides direct benefit to all its stakeholders we serve, most importantly

The 4 Pillars We Stand On

Social Procurement:

The practice of buying goods and services in ways that create positive social impact alongside economic value. At SPEnD, we research and advocate for procurement that direct institutional spending toward local, values-driven vendors, showing how everyday purchases can strengthen communities.

Social Enterprise:

businesses with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximize profit for shareholders and owners. SPEnD studies global models and showcases diverse examples to inspire new ventures, turning this research into tools like Xplore Impact for educators, entrepreneurs, and communities.

Social Entrepreneurship:

The process of using entrepreneurial strategies to address social or environmental challenges. SPEnD empowers students to become social entrepreneurs by giving them ownership to design, launch, and run their own social enterprises that respond directly to local needs.

Social Finance:

The use of financial resources to generate both social and economic returns. Through sector-wide research, SPEnD highlights on the social finance report the $4.2 billion investment capacity of Canadian colleges and advocates for aligning these resources with community wealth building.

Our benevolent rulers

Led by the two visionary mentors, Kevin Holmes and Jaswinder Kaur, SPEnD was based on a collaboration between the School of Business & Hospitality X Social Innovation Lab. Combining the SIL’s community partnerships and the knowledge of the BME (Business Management & Entrepreneurship) program, the research is based on the 4 business pillars of social innovation:

Social Enterprise, Social Procurement, Social Finance, Social Entrepreneurship.

The Red Couch

The Social Innovation Lab is a key element of Algonquin College’s response to a 2017 report published by the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation’s RECODE initiative and Simon Fraser University entitled: Maximizing the capacities of advanced education institutions to build social infrastructure for Canadian communities. (read it here)

From our location in the DARE District at Algonquin College, the Lab now anchors projects that advance the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. We give students, staff, and community members the opportunity to turn creativity and technical skills into social impact. After hosting the SLiDE initiative that supported more than 60 student-led community projects, the Lab became home to SPEnD to continue our mission as a hub for student-powered social innovation.

We wanted this lab to be more than a workspace. It needed to feel open, creative, and human a place where ideas could take root and collaborations could grow. That’s where the red couch comes in. Inspired by Stanford University’s. school and its own iconic couch, we brought ours into the Lab not just as a seat, but as a symbol of a welcoming spot where anyone can feel at home while building change.