Navigating
new edges
for the field
October 19
1 day at the Barns
Sunday, October 19, 2025 | Wynchwood Barns | Toronto, Canada
The Systems School invites you to the RSD14 Leadership Retreat for those of us seeking to enable the greater emergence of systemic leadership. This is a calling-in for folks who design and lead systemic leadership capability-building programmes so that together, through listening, sharing, and collective sense-making, we can create new edges for the field.
The Barns are on the Dish With One Spoon Territory, a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee that bound them to share the territory and protect the land. Subsequent Indigenous Nations and peoples, Europeans and all newcomers, have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship and respect.
Artscape Wychwood Barns Interior
gathering & building collective wisdom for systemic leadership
Hosted by The Systems School and the Systemic Design Association
1 day
towards new vantage points and new perspectives
calling in
folks who design, fund, lead, and participate in systemic leadership capability building programmes
structured creative facilitation for generative sharing, learning and building
Facilitator: seanna davidson
facilitated by Seanna Davidson
collective impact
Once a transit industrial site, the Wychwood Barns has become a place of regeneration. Built between 1913 and 1921 as streetcar repair barns for the old Toronto Civic Railway (and later the TTC), they are representative of the industrial energy that helped shape the modern city. By the 1980s, though, they stood silent and boarded up—symbols of a system that had run its course.
What followed was an inspiring example of collective impact. After years of community dialogue and collaboration, an adaptive reuse plan came together with support from the City of Toronto and Artscape. The redevelopment, completed in 2008, reimagined the space as a living system—one that connects art, housing, and community in new ways.
one-day retreat
- This ticket includes all RSD14-ONLINE sessions and RSD14-LEADERSHIP. This is a non-profit, professional gathering co-organised by The Systems School and the Systemic Design Association.
navigating new edges for the field
During our retreat, we’ll work to:
- Cross-pollinate current concepts and approaches being actively applied in the field for building systemic leadership
- Consider how different concepts and approaches of systems leadership sit in relationship to each other to offer both definition and diversity to the concept and approach
- Develop and further enhance relationships between and amongst those delivering systems leadership capability building
Access to outdoor space, all-day refreshments, and a delicious lunch are included.
gathering and building collective wisdom for systemic leadership
PHOTO: Streets of Toronto | Toronto Islands Best Things to Do
travelling toward new vantage points
RETREAT AGENDA
peaks and valleys
Sharing on what we appreciate/are inspired by in the field and what challenges we experience.
how we build capacity
Participants are invited to create a rough sketch of their program, outlining the overarching aim, structure, and key principles/process elements.
Photo: Wychwood Barns, 1924. City of Toronto Archives. TTC Fonds, Series 71, Item 3255.
systems leadership
Participants invited to articulate their theory of change for systems leadership, followed by sensemaking on how the different approaches sit in relationship.
Photo: Wychwood Barns, 2023. Wikimedia Commons.
co-organiser & facilitator
Seanna Davidson
Director, The Systems School
Seanna is a systems practitioner and process designer dedicated to navigating complex change. Currently, much of her work is based in Australia; however, she is well-known to the Canadian social innovation community for her work with the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation (formerly WISIR), her dedication to water governance, and her commitment to building confidence in systems thinking and reflective practice. Now based on Kabi Kabi Country, with recognised Native Title, Seanna continues to cultivate connections between people and systems, drawing inspiration from the natural world, early morning stillness, and meaningful dialogue. Seanna’s full profile
ticket pricing explainer
3 ticket types
RSD14 ONLINE: Pay what you can, includes all online sessions (RSDX, Paper Talks, special events. Starts at $1, with a suggested minimum of $40 (Canadian dollars).
RSD14-TORONTO @OCADU: Supporter $400, Self-Funded* $250, Concession* $100. Includes all online sessions.
*Limited availability—for people who face financial barriers to attending.
RSD14-SYSTEMS(IC) LEADERSHIP RETREAT: $200 Toronto Island retreat includes lunch and refreshments. This ticket also includes all online sessions.