He was addressing more than 100 community leaders representing newcomer-serving agencies and mainstream community organizations last week at a day-long workshop held by Peel Newcomer Strategy Group, to highlight the challenges and opportunities of collaborative leadership and its social impact.

The workshop, which was organized in partnership with Peel Leadership Centre at Living Arts Centre, Mississauga, sought to advance collaborative endeavours to address the complex and changing social needs of our communities.    

Said PNSG Director Evelyn Myrie: "We strongly believe that community collaboration is a key strategy in meeting the complex social needs of our time."

Born added: "Collaboration between organizations is a dynamic and complex process filled with opportunities and challenges.

"The challenge is agreeing on how and what to work on together, the opportunity is creating a community movement for change."

During the workshop, Born explored and explained the latest thinking and key questions related to collaborative leadership. He challenged the community leaders with stories and research from some of the most successful collaborations in Canada.

"Given the complex and interconnected nature of issues our communities are facing, non-profit leaders must develop the skills of collaborative leadership recognizing that everyone has a stake in our common future," said Vanita Varma, chair of the Peel Leadership Centre Steering Committee.

"Only shared responsibility and leadership can create meaningful solutions to our complex and interconnected problems," Varma added.

PNSG was formed in 2005 by United Way of Peel Region in collaboration with the Region of Peel. Its mission is to champion a collaborative strategy for the successful integration of newcomers in the economy and community of Peel.

The Peel Leadership Centre (PLC) is a community collaborative, whose mission is to cultivate, enhance and support leadership of the non-profit sector in Peel. Its mandate is to provide and facilitate learning opportunities for non-profit leaders, through programs, services, resources and events that are local, formal and encourage community engagement.

The workshop was funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Region of Peel.