CERTIFICATE
Certificate in Innovation, Leadership, & Social Impact
DIGNITY-DRIVEN TOOLS AND STRATEGIES FOR SOCIAL HEALTH
An exclusive certificate program to help social-impact leaders drive meaningful change through innovation.
Earn a Forge certificate and digital credential while building your network through 21 hours of in-person and virtual instruction.
This program is ideal for senior leaders and executives in public, nonprofit, and social enterprise sectors who want to gain the skills to navigate complexity and lead with purpose.
Winter 2026 Cohort
Registration is invite only, please contact us to apply at [email protected].
SAVE THE DATES
March 2026
- In-person: March 11 & 12, 2026 full days in Calgary
- Central Calgary location, details coming soon
- Virtual sessions: 2 sessions in March
CURRICULUM
Build Your Innovation Foundation
- Adaptive Innovation in Times of Disruption
- Harnessing Complexity & Working with Emergence
- Building Adaptive Capacity with Dignity-Driven Teams
- Innovation and Complexity in Government & Public Service
- The Art of Experimentation
- Building a Culture of Innovation
- Case Studies in Innovation for Systems Change
- Intrapreneurship in Action
GLOBAL & LOCAL EXPERTISE
Taught by World-Class Leaders with Real Experience
- Dr. Nir Tsuk, Founder I3: The Institute for Impact and Intrapreneurship
- Dr. Jeff St. John, Founder, Forge Centre for Dignity Driven Leadership
- Kim Ruse, CEO Fear Is Not Love
- David Turner, First Peoples Group
- Talia Bell, Chief Programs and People Officer, YW Calgary
- Sharon Blackwell, Consultant
PROGRAM FEES
$497 CAD
- One-time Payment: $497
- Eligible non-profit practitioners can apply for a Forge Scholarship
Build Capacity and Community
Participants engage with entrepreneurial thinking, systems- and complexity-approaches, and hands-on tools from the frontlines of social innovation. Interactive case studies and design-based learning help apply new strategies in real time. More than a training, this is a strategic reset—offering space to reflect, re-imagine, and lead with purpose.
Participants leave with practical tools, a peer network, and the capacity to lead transformative change in their communities.
CREDENTIAL
HOURS
FUNDING
DELIVERY
What You Get
Practical Skills
Learn to lead innovation from established and experienced experts who have done it, while earning a Forge certificate and digital badge.
Gain clear language for the typologies, concepts, and methodologies that underpin social innovation and create custom strategies for your context.
Meaningful Credentials
Introduce structured innovation practices into your organization and professional network with entrepreneurial tools.
Share your unique digital credential with your network from the Forge Social Health platform.
Networks & Community
Connect and collaborate with other leaders and design relational approaches that fit public- and social-service contexts.
Includes access to the Forge Leading Innovation for Systems Change online community for 1 year so you can get expert advice and stay connected while you implement your strategies.
INNOVATE TO CREATE REAL SOCIAL IMPACT
Lead the Change Your Community Needs
Forge is bringing innovation and systems thinking to leaders trying to shape the future.
Too often, training focuses on crisis response, not the tools leaders need to shift systems or build cultures of safety and dignity. Forge sees community leaders as system shapers. With the right support, they can move from survival to strategy—driving lasting change in their communities.
This training is sponsored by Fear Is Not Love. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to helping leaders meet complexity with courage, clarity, and care; building a more just, connected, and healing future.
Faculty and Advisory
Dr. Nir Tsuk
Founder, i3: Institute for Impact and Intrapreneurship, NYU Bronfman
Global Impact & Innovation Strategist
Dr. Nir Tsuk is a global expert in social innovation, entrepreneurship, and impact, with over 25 years of experience bridging practice, academia, and systems change across sectors and continents.
Dr. Jeff St. John
Founder, Forge Centre for Dignity-Driven Leadership
Relational Innovation and Systems Leadership
Dr. Jeff St. John is a consultant practitioner, coach, and social entrepreneur with 25 years of experience supporting leaders and organizations to navigate complexity, scale relational innovation, and advance dignity-driven change in the social impact sector.
Kim Ruse
CEO, Fear Is Not Love
Nonprofit Leader and Systems Innovator
Kim Ruse, MSW, is an award-winning nonprofit leader and systems innovator with over two decades of experience transforming services, scaling impact, and championing new approaches to ending violence and strengthening communities.
Melissa Caouette
Founder, CEO MC Consulting - Pocket Project
Melissa Caouette is a Canadian public policy strategist, entrepreneur, and political risk consultant with a decade of experience advising governments, businesses, and nonprofits through her firm MC Consulting and her platform Pocket Lobbyist.
Léo Lejeune
VP, Buildings, Education Sector Lead
Léo Lejeune is Vice President and Global Education Sector Leader at Stantec Architecture, with over 25 years of experience guiding award-winning design teams and delivering transformational education, civic, and community projects across Canada.
Nimrod Hoofien
PhD candidate
Nimrod is a leader in the technology industry with over 25 years of experience in engineering and management roles, leading teams of hundreds of engineers at Gusto, Facebook, Amazon, and more. He holds an MBA from Washington University and a BA in Computer Science from Tel Aviv-Yafo Academic College.
Helping leaders shape the future
We set out to make a transformative and deeply valuable experience, and that's what we've done. This is what we've heard from past participants.
Practical Tools
“I got more practical tools in three days than my entire masters of leadership.”
Director, Clinical Services
Mental Health Sector
Highly Relevant
“Attending this course was a transformative experience for me. It provided a perfect blend of theoretical frameworks and practical examples, making it highly relevant for leaders in complex environments.”
Senior Manager, Family Violence Shelter
Domestic Violence Sector
Navigate Complexity
“This course equipped me with the knowledge and confidence to innovate and navigate complexity within my sector, making it an essential experience for any leader seeking to drive meaningful change!”
Research & Evaluation Executive
Non-profit & Social Impact Sector
Confidence through Uncertainty
"A dynamic and impactful learning experience. It gave me the confidence and practical tools to lead in spaces that feel messy, uncertain, and deeply human"
Executive Director
Family Violence Prevention Sector