What does it mean to be working in an emergent space?
From the NS GovLab sourcebook, emergence is defined as:
- the process of becoming visible after being concealed
- the process of coming into existence or prominence
Prior to starting in the role of Community Coordinator with Inspiring Communities and NS GovLab, I am not sure I knew what it meant to be working in emergence. In my first few weeks of work, I heard the term more times than I can count, but enough times that I remember asking, “What do you mean by emergence?”
I have a diverse background, but much of my work in the past has been centred on experiential learning and action, less about theory and conceptualization. I was hesitant to come into the world of social innovation. The work of social innovation seemed big on jargon and less on action. However, it has become visible to me that I had a lot to learn about emergent work.
For me, it seems the process of emergence is closely tied to the process of unlearning and being in relationship with others. The work of co-creating a more just and harmonious world through social innovation is a big task.
People and systems are complex, working in partnership can be challenging, and emergence seems to be a feeling, a concept, and a framework. It is becoming more visible to me that we need to create safer spaces for people to unlearn together. Additionally, we need to create more opportunities for people to learn about how dominant systems and ideologies shape the inequities in our world.
There are few easy answers. How we see the world is shaped by many things: our families, our communities, our experiences, and complex interactions between dominant systems and ideologies. Intentional and unintentional communities are created based on shared interests and values, but I feel there are rarely spaces created for people to unlearn together. NS GovLab is a lab and container for people to unlearn together, so they can experience the process of emergence.
The last six months has shown me the power of patterning unlearning. Through the fellowship program and events in the Nova Scotia Network for Social Change, NS GovLab is working to make visible how dominant ways of thinking and working influence our ideas, our behaviours, and our values. The work is centered around population aging, but the lessons we unlearn highlight the complexities of the many challenges and opportunities in Nova Scotia.
The process of emergence can be slow and cultivating the work requires nuance and care. However, if done right, I see emergence helping to co-create a more just and harmonious world.
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Written by Tyler Colbourne, Community Coordinator with Inspiring Communities. To learn more about the Tyler’s work with NS GovLab and Inspiring Communities, please check out Nova Scotia Network for Social Change.
