THE MINDS PROJECT
Whole-of-Society Defence & Resilience, Mobilizing Canada's Social Purpose Organizations
Map Organizations
Strengthen Resilient Communities
Connect and Uplift
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Funded through the Department of National Defence’s (DND) MINDS Targeted Engagement Grant program, this project examines how community-anchored non-profit organizations—including charities, Indigenous-led organizations, and other social-purpose organizations—can contribute to Canada’s defence, security, emergency preparedness, and community resilience objectives through partnership with DND and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
Supporting DND/CAF's interest in promoting whole-of-society approaches to defence and resilience, the project will map community-based capabilities in selected areas, analyze international “Total Defence” and civil–military partnership models, and engage leaders from the social sector, defence and security communities, Indigenous and Northern organizations, public institutions, and academia through interviews, workshops, and virtual convenings. Findings will be shared through reports, policy briefs, and other knowledge-mobilization activities.
WHY NOW?
Canada faces a rapidly evolving security environment shaped by geopolitical instability, climate-related emergencies, cyber and information threats, and growing pressure on public institutions and communities. These challenges cannot be addressed by defence institutions alone.
Peer nations, including Sweden, Finland, and Norway, have for years advanced “Total Defence” and whole-of-society approaches that integrate civilian institutions, communities, businesses, and civil society into national resilience and defence preparedness. These offer valuable lessons for Canada.
This project’s aims are to inform how Canada and strengthen its own defence and resilience posture by building trusted partnerships towards a safer, more prepared, and more resilient country.
WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP 1: Roundtable at Rideau Hub
GET INVOLVED!
Whether you lead a community organization, work in defence policy, conduct academic research, or simply believe that Canada needs to take whole-of-society resilience seriously, we want to hear from you.
Ways to get involved:
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Nominate an organization: Know a community-anchored organization that should be on our map? Tell us about them.
Share your expertise: We're conducting key informant interviews with leaders across sectors. Request a conversation.
Attend a workshop: Join one of our regional or virtual workshops to contribute to the framework design.
Stay informed: Sign up for monthly updates on our progress and findings.
Send Us a Message!
