TEDxCalgary - Tonya Surman - The power of collaborative space
Channel: TEDx Talks
Date: 2011-12-29

TEDxCalgary speaker Tonya Surman is a social entrepreneur, community animator and network choreographer. With a passion for bringing life to world-changing projects, Tonya is the founding executive director of the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) -- a dynamic convergence space in Toronto whose mission is to catalyze, connect and support new ideas that are changing the world. CSI provides shared space to 200 social mission groups, acts as a community centre for social innovators and is an incubator for world-changing projects.

In 2009, CSI was awarded the 'City Innovation' award from the Canadian Urban Institute and Tonya was recognized as a 'Leader in Social Change' from the Canadian New Media Awards. In 2010, Tonya became a Global Ashoka Fellow for her innovative work building models of collaboration. 2010 also saw CSI innovate a citizen-based Community Bond for the purchase of an old building to create another vibrant social change community in Toronto.

Prior to CSI, Tonya was the founding Partnership Director for the Canadian Partnership for Children's Health and Environment, whose work, in part, led to a new legislative framework to manage chemicals and the banning of Bisphenol A in baby bottles. Tonya has been creating and leading social ventures since 1987 and has built her body of knowledge around multi-sectoral collaboration and entrepreneurship for social change. You can learn more about CSI at www.socialinnovation.ca

About TEDx

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)