What Happened in Victoria, Didn’t Stay in Victoria

We got a second chance—and made the most of it.

Our session, Locally Driven Innovation, Framed by Global Priorities, first debuted as a panel at the Victoria Forum, a national conference hosted by the University of Victoria and the Senate of Canada. The proposal went in at the last minute (yes, we cut it close!), but it was accepted—and that’s how I found myself scrambling to assemble a panel.

Enter the magic of the Catalyst Now network. That’s how Anne Gloger and Marc-André Bélisle joined me. The three of us shared a deep belief in the power of local action—communities leading the charge for social, environmental, and/or economic well-being, guided by global goals like the UN SDGs.

Our aim? To inspire others to see their community as an ecosystem rather than a collection of silos—and to share lessons about how local activism can align with global challenges such as the UN’s 17 SDGs.

The session went well, but we knew it could go deeper.

In hindsight, we realized that while everyone was reading the same book, we weren’t always on the same page. Differences in language sometimes led to misunderstandings and even unwarranted pushback.

Fast forward to a recent global conference, where we decided to give the session a proper do-over. Cue the brainstorming (and, let’s be honest, a bit of thinking in circles).

Somewhere between our “aha” and “oh no” moments, Marc-André threw us a curveball: What if we built the session around reflection?

That idea stuck.

Marc-André reminded us about Vanessa Machado de Oliveira, author of Hospicing Modernity and a fellow speaker at the Victoria Forum. She had suggested that reflection is essential for transformation. Machado de Oliveira put things into perspective when she said what happens in the future depends more on the quality of our relationships now than on our images of what the future should be.

Where Does Reflection Fit In?

In Hospicing Modernity, Machado de Oliveira describes reflection as a way to pause, notice, and disrupt patterns shaped by colonialism and modernity. It’s about making space for uncertainty, discomfort, and complexity—without rushing to fix or explain everything.

Reflection helps us:

- Reimagine how we learn, unlearn, and respond to crises.
- Face complexity without denial or defensiveness.
- Create space for change grounded in relationship, not just optimism or fear.
- Treat reflection not as a retreat, but as an ethical practice—one that deepens our capacity to engage with reality as it is.

Armed with this mindset, we redesigned our 90-minute session around three questions:
1. How is language helping or hindering innovation for social, economic, and environmental well-being?
2. What’s critical for turning global priorities into local action and innovation?
3. What do communities need to truly localize global goals like the SDGs?

The result? A series of lively, honest conversations that left both panellists and participants thinking, reflecting, and connecting in new ways. Turns out, what happened in Victoria didn’t stay there—it helped us build something even better.

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