Activate is a digital leadership lab. More than a conference, Activate is an intensive experience that brings together organizational leadership and digital specialists from coast to coast to coast to learn, strategize, and build long term progressive digital capacity in Canada.

Activate is for progressives. Changemakers. Labour unions. Political parties. Advocacy organizations and non-profits. Agencies and technologists. Communicators. Organizers and campaigners.

At Activate you can expect:

  • A community of progressive leaders, strategists and campaigners from across Canada, the US, and around the world.
  • Critical engagement with the boldest ideas, and the most compelling challenges progressives face when it comes to digital, tech, and culture.
  • Training sessions on best practice digital strategy and tactics.
  • Exposure to some of the brightest progressive minds of our generation.
  • Access to a growing network of like minded progressive digital practitioners from around the world. Opportunities for continuing mentorship and engagement after the Activate finishes.

Some of the sessions we’ve run at Activate include:

  • How the BC Government Employees Union built a digital toolkit for member engagement
  • Video Bootcamp: Shooting and Editing Video for Social Media
  • Digital Analytics: Measuring What Matters
  • Electoral Justice & The Intersection of Racial Justice and Elections in the US
  • Building a Cyborg Army: Using Relational Organizing Tools To Run Offline to Online Field Programs
  • Digital Campaigning on Facebook: History and Future
  • Digital Persuasion: How Australians leverage digital media to activate supporters and change minds and votes
  • Building an Indigenous owned digital agency

Organizations that have participated in Activate: 

PSAC, BCGEU, PIPSC, Canadian Labour Congress, HEU, BC Federation of Labour, CUPE BC, UFCW 1518, National Association of Federal Retirees, SEIU, Air Canada Pilots Association, Squamish Nation, David Suzuki Foundation, Ontario New Democratic Party,  BC New Democratic Party, Organize BC, Dogwood Initiative, Midwives Association of BC, 350.org, Iron and Earth, Progress Alberta, Washington State Democratic Party, Point Blank Creative, Pacific Digital Strategies, Progress Toronto, New/Mode, Engineers Without Borders Canada, Planned Parenthood Action.