Surprisingly Good - Lab for Social Innovation
As a co-founder of Surprisingly Good - Social Lab, a non-profit organisation, I was part of a pioneering initiative that integrated stakeholder engagement, design thinking, and experience design to create a new kind of framework for tackling social innovation and sustainability. Over the course of three years, from 2010 to 2013, Social Lab worked on projects addressing pressing social and environmental challenges. These included initiatives around green energy, combating youth homelessness, and improving cycling culture in Copenhagen.
Our approach was grounded in a belief that creative, cross-sector collaboration could drive meaningful change. Through partnerships with organisations like Roskilde Festival, the Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Roskilde University Center (RUC), Region of Zealand, IBM, the City of Copenhagen, One Life Foundation, and the EU, we were leveraged different resources and networks. These collaborations brought together expertise, funding, and support.
One of our core strategies was to involve various stakeholders—particularly young people and minorities—in the process of ideation and problem-solving. We ran workshops that encouraged participants to explore and develop new ideas to address social and environmental issues, giving them the tools to change. Additionally, we showcased global examples of social innovation through exhibitions, providing inspiration and sparking discussions around the potential for creative solutions to societal problems.
We launched mentor programs, connecting young individuals with experienced professionals in relevant fields. These programs provided guidance and mentorship, empowering the next wave of social entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into tangible, impactful solutions.
At its heart, Social Lab was built on a set of principles: optimism, creativity, curiosity, and collaboration. These values guided everything we did, from ideation sessions to project implementation, and they served as the foundation for a blueprint on how to approach social innovation with compassion and imagination.