The Energy Futures Lab (EFL) is a social innovation lab that mobilizes innovators and influencers from across Alberta to explore and take action on the question of Alberta’s energy future.  A dynamic core team of people manage and animate the EFL’s activities, which include communications, workshops, partnership building amongst others.  

Each year this team gathers together to take stock of the past year and the shifting context that it is operating within to tease out strategic implications and make plans for the upcoming year.  Due to the COVID pandemic this team was not able to come together in-person.  This posed a challenge:  how can an intimate, personal and meaningful retreat experience be created, while participants are all in different places? 

The answer was to co-create an three-day online experience with a diversity of ways to engage and connect with each other and the content of the workshop.   This included, but not limited to:

• The use of a shared online workspace to allow for real-time collaboration.
• The mixing in of physical activities (dance, walks, exercise) to engage the body, spirit and mind.
• Liberal use of non-screen time discussions in small groups (i.e. by phone!) in an outdoor setting. 
• Exploring personal development topics and themes around courage and vulnerability.  
• Intentional one-on-one connection to share appreciation
• Creating space for humour, fun and sharing personal stories.
• Optional in-person fireside chats.

The result was a workshop that was able to both achieve strategic clarity for the EFL going into the Fall and allowed the team to further build personal connections and trust.