AboutApproachFocus
Digital StewardshipSystemic FinanceRelational InfrastructureKnowledge CommonsComplexity & ResilienceImpact Verticals
Lab
Provocations Experiments
Work Theory of ChangeConnect

Initiative

Lighting Up the North

A suite of Northern-led initiatives designed to strengthen Yukon's innovation ecosystem through inclusive community empowerment, practical experimentation, and ecosystem connection.

Knowledge Commons Impact Verticals Systemic Finance Digital Stewardship
Status
Completed
Timeline
2022-2023
Lead Partner
Yukonstruct Society
Funder
Future Skills Centre

The Challenge

Gaps in the Socio-Economic Fabric

COVID amplified existing socioeconomic challenges in Yukon and revealed gaps in the socio-economic fabric, especially for rural and remote communities, Indigenous Peoples, youth, women, and people facing essential skills gaps.

Traditional paths of economic and community development were not meeting evolving needs. The region required new ways to build connection, resilience, and inclusion across a fragmented ecosystem.

The Response

A Suite of Connected Initiatives

Lighting Up the North was conceived to build a robust, inclusive innovation ecosystem tailored to Yukon's context. The work focused on initiatives chosen for their potential to:

  • Strengthen community empowerment and resilience
  • Increase inclusion in entrepreneurship and innovation pathways
  • Bridge silos across organisations and programmes
  • Support practical experimentation, learning, and iteration

Included Projects

Portfolio of Initiatives

Lighting Up the North included multiple interconnected initiatives:

What Was Delivered

Outputs

  • An implemented portfolio of initiatives with ecosystem partners
  • Evaluation synthesis capturing outcomes, barriers, and learnings
  • A practical learning base for future Northern innovation ecosystem work

Key Learnings

Cross-Cutting Insights

  • Capacity constraints across Northern organisations running multiple initiatives
  • The need to remain flexible and adaptive to community priorities and timing
  • The importance of Indigenous-led methods grounded in spirit, relationships, and process
  • The ongoing challenge of securing technical expertise and resources for infrastructure work
  • The value of building connective tissue between initiatives to reduce fragmentation

Partners

Ecosystem Collaborators

  • Yukon University (Innovation and Entrepreneurship)
  • Inspire IRP Consulting
  • Connect Humanity
  • Indigenous Connectivity Institute
  • Yukon Venture Angels
  • Spring Activator

Our Role

Co-Design and Knowledge Mobilization

Sustainable Impact Foundation co-designed and supported the initiative portfolio through systems thinking, partnership support, knowledge mobilization, and evaluation synthesis, helping translate learning into actionable next steps for the ecosystem.

Related Focus Areas

Connected themes

04

Knowledge Commons

Translating collective insight into action across initiatives.

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06

Impact Verticals

Applied system change across multiple domains.

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Interested in this work?

If you are working in Northern innovation ecosystems, community development, or regional capacity building, we welcome conversations about shared learning.

Get in Touch