This session was Appreciative Inquiry & Systems Mapping.
The central focus was establishing a process & procedures to get to the desired outcomes: a Just and Sustainable Futures Fund Systems Map. We discussed how to move past “admiring the problem” (Yabome Gilpin-Jackson) and use our stories (our songs) and the communities’ stories to create a detailed, visible systems map of the just and sustainable NOW in service of the Just and Sustainable Futures Fund?
We utilized the Appreciative Inquiry Process and discussed the merits of acknowledging what’s NOT working, and focusing heavily on what’s working.
Written by Vancouver Foundation staff
Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a strengths-based approach to organizational development and research that emphasizes identifying and building on the positive aspects of a system. Its process is structured around the 5-D Cycle: Definition, where the focus and affirmative topics for inquiry are framed; Discovery, which explores and appreciates the best of “what is”; Dream, where stakeholders envision “what could be”; Design, which involves co-creating “what should be” through concrete proposals; and Delivery, focused on implementing changes and sustaining progress. This structured approach shifts attention from problem-solving to possibility-building, fostering a hopeful and action-oriented mindset.
The Appreciative Inquiry (AI) process aligns well with the co-design process for the Just and Sustainable Futures Fund by offering a strengths-based framework to guide our work.