Von September bis Oktober 2023 fand das Protein Lab statt, ein kollaboratives Projekt der drei Organisationen Sentience, der Berner Fachhochschule BFH und collaboratio helvetica. Die Workshopreihe zielte darauf ab, sektorübergreifende Lösungen für den Wandel des Ernährungssystems zu entwickeln.

Das Protein Lab soll die dringend notwendige Proteinwende in der Schweiz vorantreiben. Im September 2023 startet das Projekt, das ausgewählte Expertinnen und Experten aus verschiedenen Sektoren zusammenführt, um Lösungen für ein nachhaltiges Ernährungssystem zu erarbeiten – mit Fokus auf alternative Proteine.

The iceberg model reveals deeper aspects of social and environmental challenges. Take plastic pollution in oceans: cleaning is crucial, but without addressing the root causes, we're stuck in a cycle. We must question the structures, laws, and mindsets that perpetuate this issue. Read our insightful blog post on understanding and addressing the iceberg model. Let's avoid repeating history and move beyond surface-level fixes to create lasting change.

The term social innovation has become a buzzword, but it’s important to keep in mind that there is no one single definition that everyone using it agrees upon. Put simply, social innovation is about addressing the challenges humanity is facing, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, poverty, and gender equity - just four of the many challenges contained in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Social innovators are the people deploying different types of strategies to address these challenges.

In multi-stakeholder workshops relevant stakeholders from a specific system (for example stakeholders linked to the healthcare system) come together around a specific calling question and topic to explore it in depth together, learn more about different perspectives and experiences, get a deeper understanding of the topic and identify leverage points for change. Ideally multi-stakeholder workshops take place as a series of events, where the same group comes together several times to explore relevant questions.

• a laboratory: a container of social experiments with intensive, experimental interventions

• a strategy for addressing complex ground-breaking social challenges on a systemic level.

• a space for multi-disciplinary collaboration, bringing together people from across the system aimed at key leverage points

• Social Labs consist of a team, a process and space(s) supporting social innovation and experimentation.

Social Innovation Labs are an emergent framework practiced by different types of organizations that includes governamental, non-profit, for-profit and a mix of them all. The key aspects of what constitute labs and the methodologies used by them can be a powerful framework for those seeking social innovation.

Catalysing systemic change around a particular issue or topic is complex work, a match for the system you’re addressing and activating. There has been some degree of codification, theory and study around which approaches may help us do so. One of the approaches that has gained traction over the past years is the Lab approach, which in this context means bringing together a variety of stakeholders to co-create prototype solutions to complex challenges.

This is an overview of our core methods and awareness-based tools and approaches. It also includes links to proven practice tips, case studies and experiences from our facilitation in and for systemic change and social innovation.