What happens when we surround ourselves with inspiration?

We flourish.

If you look around the room in the space you are currently in, what offers you a source of motivation and encouragement?

On Thursday June 22nd, the walls of a room in the Vancouver Art Gallery were filled with quotes from contributing authors from Flourish: A Workbook for Social Innovators. This exhibition was set-up as part of a launch and celebration event led by TakingITGlobal in partnership with BOLT Safety Society, an organization founded by Sprout Ideas Fellow Vedanshi Vala.

Contributing Author and social innovator Patrick Shannon from Haida Gwaii was also able to join and share words of insight related to his chapter on the theme of cultivating creative spaces. Patrick spoke about how he is continually exposing himself to new perspectives and travelling to different places as a way to experience the world.

We are influenced by what we see and hear around us every day. Our senses take in our surroundings and we absorb realities and voices that are expressed and produced through media.

The words on advertisements, the books we read, the videos we watch, the images we scroll through on social media, and the messages spoken by people we interact with.

In an information age where some feel bombarded and overloaded with a constant flow of content that we are exposed to, we need to ensure we are creating and selecting content that is helpful to our mindset and outlook. A blooming flower or sprouting plant are sources of beauty that we can draw upon from nature. In order to find our way through a world that is facing a constant state of crisis, we need to have tools and resources that help us step into possibility thinking. This is what inspired the poster series featuring quotes from the Flourish workbook that were also displayed on the walls of the gallery.

The event also provided table space for Sprout Fellows to showcase projects that they are leading in their communities! We are so proud of how program participants are working together with teams to grow community-based social impact initiatives.

Our imagination can unlock new pathways when we allow ourselves to dream. We need to work together to create opportunities for current and future generations of youth to flourish. I believe that this is possible when we gather people in spaces that allow for inspiration, imagination, community building and efforts that involve mutual-support.

Our team at TakingITGlobal is grateful to the Vancouver Art Gallery for partnering with us on this celebration gathering.

Written by Jennifer Corriero, Executive Director, TakingITGlobal