City of Calgary selected for 2022 Innovation Training from Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation
The City of Calgary has been selected by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at John Hopkins University to participate in its 2022 Innovation Training program.
Calgary is one of 13 cities from North American and international applicants selected to receive the training which is designed to equip participants with cutting-edge innovative techniques and skills to find solutions to a chosen challenge impacting their community.
“We are proud to be selected for this exciting training opportunity,” said Mayor Jyoti Gondek. “With issues facing cities becoming increasingly complex, we must adapt by finding new and creative ways to tackle these challenges. This training will greatly bolster our ability to identify innovative solutions to better serve our city and citizens.”
The City has chosen to focus its training program on accelerating the Youth and Community Spirit pillar of the Economic Resilience Task Force, specifically on retaining youth talent as an economic driver for our community. The City’s Innovation Training program is being co-led by Lisa Sierra, Manager of Innovation, Data & External Access (IDEA), and Cathie Christenson, Manager, Neighbourhood Support for Calgary Neighbourhoods at The City.
“Calgary’s economic recovery greatly relies on our youth,” said Christenson. “Through the training, participants will learn innovative techniques and methodologies from case studies, lectures and hands on experience that we can then turn into real world solutions to accelerate our goal of retaining youth talent here at home.”
The program, now entering its fourth year, provides no-cost, year-long training, coaching and consulting to program participants. Calgary’s core team is comprised of 12 City employees who represent diverse levels of seniority, including senior leaders to frontline staff who were chosen for their commitment to innovative thinking, ability to navigate obstacles and know-how to facilitate effective collaboration. Throughout the training program, the team will have access to a state-of-the-art innovation curriculum; a dedicated design coach, and support groups to network and build relationships.
“We are proud to be part of a growing network of cities embracing innovation to transform how we solve today’s biggest challenges,” said Lisa Sierra. “This training will help us identify ways to scale innovation within our organization and will have a lasting impact long after the program is complete.”
The Innovation training runs from February to December 2022.
“As a city that encourages innovation, we are looking forward to the positive outcomes for our citizens and community resulting from this training,” said Mayor Gondek. “The learnings will become part of the fabric of how our organization interacts with Calgary’s youth, and will help us continue to build an even better city for all who live here.”
For more information about the 2022 Innovation Training program, visit bloombergcities.jhu.edu/innovation-training.