By Alex Sotiropoulos, Communications Assistant, NS GovLab
When I started applying for my first co-op position, professors prepared us for writing news releases, speeches, fact sheets, and media advisories. You believe your days will be spent behind a desk writing and editing material that is led by strict guidelines. Little did I know, in a few months I would be working in social innovation that wasn’t confined within four walls.
In my two years of study in the Public Relations program, you are taught the traditional communication materials and that’s what you expect you’ll be doing in your co-op positions. Though there are a lot of traditional communications positions, there are just as many that are looking for skills that don’t fit in the traditional communications “bubble.”
When I applied for the Communications Assistant role with NS GovLab, the job description said the student would be working on an innovative project, but I wasn’t expecting this innovative. I can admit that my knowledge on social innovation labs and human-centered design was minimal. It wasn’t what I expected going into my first day in May.
I don’t think many people are aware of what social innovation is and that’s what makes it challenging to communicate. This is NS GovLab’s first cohort so I have been working on explaining what the lab is while learning about it myself. Social innovation and human-centered design cannot be defined in a 140-character tweet and is best explained from those who are experiencing it.
When you do coursework, you are provided or instructed to search previous documents to gain insight before writing but I can’t do that. I can look back at other innovation labs for information, but what happens in one lab doesn’t mean it will happen in another. Then how do I explain or write about it?
What fellows are taught through social innovation is:
1. There is no one solution
2. Fall in love with the problem
3. It is a process of trial and error
I have been able to apply this in communicating social innovation on Twitter and Medium. There isn’t one perfect definition to explain what social innovation is and what to expect. The best way to communicate it is through the fellows’ experience and different viewpoints. Communicating social innovation and human-centered design cannot be understood in a two line “about us” page.
I am now almost a month into my role with NS GovLab and I can say I am doing something very different from a lot of other students on their co-op placement. After speaking with other students, I realized I am working in something special. Some students spend their days doing “busy work”, while I am interviewing fellows on their experience with NS GovLab and being a part of the learning experience.
I am on a continuous process of learning with NS GovLab. Learning to communicate social innovation is challenging but I love this new way of thinking to solve complex issues.
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