Systems Leadership Sandbox

The Systems Leadership Sandbox is a multi-session professional learning experience designed for community leaders to build their capacity to more effectively and meaningfully lead, enact, and mobilize systems-level change.

What is systems leadership?
Systems leadership is a discipline that applies systems thinking tools and approaches to address complex systemic issues impacting people and the planet. It requires both inner work (reflection + contemplative practice) and outer work (community-led action) in an effort to affect behavior change, culture shift, public policy change, and organizing for collective impact across sectors. Leadership is manifest through the altering of patterns, processes and relationships in fundamental ways, typically across multiple organizations and at significant scales.

WHAT YOU’LL GAIN
Participants come away with a stronger foundation and new tools in applying systems thinking approaches in their own practice, as well as deepened relationships with others wrestling with time-sensitive, systemic injustices impacting our communities. After participating in the Sandbox, participants will have:

Expanded knowledge and confidence in applying systems thinking tools and approaches
Clearer sense of their role and responsibility as a leader in systems change
Renewed sense of hope and possibility to work in complexity

WHAT TO EXPECT
The Sandbox is a multi-session learning experience designed to build the capacity of community leaders to more effectively and meaningfully lead, enact and mobilize systems-level change. This is achieved through:

Building a foundation in systems thinking and complexity
Developing systems sight through mapping
Understanding our own positionality in relation to others
Shifting from reactivity to co-creating the future
Space for reflection, dialogue, and peer learning to deepen relationships with others working toward meaningful systems change.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This professional learning experience is designed for community practitioners from across sectors, backgrounds and disciplines wrestling with complex social and ecological challenges. This includes non-profit leaders, civil servants and those working in the private sector seeking to build their capacity in systems leadership.

DATES, TIME & LOCATION
2027 Session Dates:

March 5: Opening Gathering
March 18* / 19
April 2
April 16
April 30
May 14
May 28: Closing Gathering

Sessions run every other Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM with one additional Thursday* session.
Location: All sessions take place at Mount Royal University (4825 Mount Royal Gate SW)

REGISTRATION
Early Bird Rate: $1,400 per registrant when you register by December 31, 2026.
Regular Registration: $1,800 per registrant
Bursaries: To help make the program more accessible and reduce financial barriers, a limited number of partial bursaries are available for individuals and organizations. For more information, please contact Lori De Luca at [email protected].
Registration closes February 19, 2027

Your registration includes:

Coffee, tea, snacks, refreshments and lunch during training days
Paid parking at MRU
8 full days of learning from facilitators with a depth of experience navigating complexity through systems leadership

Questions? Contact to [email protected]