HIP2015, Session: Facilitating Bottom-Up Innovation

Gavin Ackerly, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Innovation Hub, Robert Hakiza, Young African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID) Uganda, Avila Kilmurray, Global Fund for Community Foundations, Olivia O’Sullivan, Innovation Hub, DFID, Amplify Project. Chair: Louise Bloom, Humanitarian Innovation Project.
This session centres on the fact that the humanitarian sector still has a lot to learn about fully engaging with crisis-affected
communities in innovation practice. However several initiatives have started to support communities’ skills and ideas for new humanitarian solutions. Through a lively conversation with the panel members, this session will introduce the exciting work that has created hubs, funds and other platforms to support community-led innovation around the world. We will learn what some of the successes and challenges have been in facilitating grassroots initiatives, and ask what the future is for more direct involvement of crisis-affected communities in providing innovative solutions to humanitarian challenges. With a panel representing a range of global perspectives we hope to unpack some of the key lessons to good innovation facilitation.