The Future of Belonging

Design research to strengthen rural belonging, equity, and connection

  • Role: Lead Designer & Researcher
  • Partners: Georgian College – Social Innovation, YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka
  • Timeline: 2 Years
Context

Rural communities across Simcoe/Muskoka face many complex socio-economic challenges. from shifting demographics and housing shortages to mental health and service access gaps. The Future of Belonging project set out to understand how community organizations can adapt, collaborate, and innovate to remain relevant to evolving needs, particularly for equity-deserving groups such as newcomers, racialized residents, and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals.

Quick Facts
  • Sector: Community Development & Social Innovation
  • Focus Areas: Belonging, Inclusion, Equity
  • Methods: Human-Centred Design, Foresight, Participatory Workshops
My Role
  • Designed and facilitated 7+ participatory workshops with community members and cross-sector partners
  • Translated qualitative insights into service concepts, prototypes, and visual frameworks
  • Led creative direction for the Insights Report, trend visuals, and project website
  • Applied foresight analysis to identify emerging drivers and future scenarios
Research and Insights

Methods included community workshops, interviews, secondary research, and trend scanning.

Key Insights
  • Belonging is relational—rooted in trust, reciprocity, and shared experiences
  • Equity-deserving residents face barriers to access and rely on informal networks
  • Organizations want to collaborate but lack shared tools/language and alignment
  • Sustainable solutions require flexible, adaptive systems
Participatory Research Data: Uncommon Community Actors Canvas
Concepts & Prototypes
  • Community Innovation Ecosystem Model for cross-organization collaboration
  • Experience Blueprints to guide service delivery and stakeholder journeys
  • Digital Resource Hub concept for shared stories, tools, and opportunities
Outcomes & Impact
7+ Workshops

connecting community members, service providers, and civic leaders.

3 Service Prototypes

grounded in local needs and feasibility.

200+ Actors

cited by community members in participatory research workshops.

16+ Trends

co-developed by community members learning foresight methods.

The Future of Belonging project fostered new partnerships, created a shared vision for belonging, and positioned partners as leaders in rural community innovation.

Scan Club Blueprint Snapshot
Infographic showing four Scan Club journey steps: 1) Scan for signals, 2) Submit signals online, 3) Share and discuss signals, 4) Build trends from signals. Includes supporting text on strategic foresight, horizon scanning, and community collaboration, with colorful icons, diagrams, and the Community Innovation Network logo.
The Scan Club Journey: A four-step process using strategic foresight to transform early signals of change into actionable local trends, fostering collaboration and innovation across communities.

As part of the Future of Belonging initiative, the Scan Club process guides communities through scanning for early signs of change, sharing insights, and collaboratively building locally relevant trends. This blueprint illustrates how strategic foresight tools were applied to strengthen belonging, equity, and innovation in rural regions.

Mapping Community Strategies to Identify Opportunities

To understand the broader ecosystem in which belonging is fostered, I conducted a comparative analysis of the strategic plans of local community and social organizations. This process mapped each organization’s goals against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), revealing patterns of alignment, gaps, and shared priorities across sectors. The result was a comprehensive visual landscape that became a shared reference point for cross-sector collaboration and opportunity design.

  • Synthesized 50+ strategic plans from diverse community organizations.
  • Categorized initiatives using collective community capitals and UN SDGs as frameworks.
  • Produced a scalable, interactive reference tool for stakeholder alignment.
  • Revealed high-potential collaboration areas, informing trend development and opportunity mapping.
Strategic landscape map comparing the goals of local community and social organizations with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This visual framework identified overlapping priorities and gaps, enabling targeted, collaborative initiatives.
From Research to Action: The Future of Belonging Insights Report

The culmination of our community engagement, foresight activities, and strategic mapping was the Future of Belonging Insights Report—a comprehensive document capturing key findings, emerging trends, and actionable opportunities for rural community development. Designed as both a reference and a catalyst for action, the report translated complex research into accessible insights for stakeholders across sectors.

The Future of Belonging Insights Report is a strategic foresight resource bridging research, community insights, and actionable design recommendations.
Report Highlights
  • Synthesized qualitative research, workshop outputs, and trend analysis into five key opportunity areas.
  • Incorporated human-centred design frameworks to present recommendations in an actionable, visual format.
  • Integrated community voices and stories alongside data to ensure relevance and empathy.
  • Designed layouts, infographics, and diagrams to make strategic foresight approachable for non-technical audiences.

Next Steps

Pilot the community innovation ecosystem model, test the digital resource hub, and expand collaborative training for rural service providers.