Jump to Content

About 10C

About 10C Shared Space (10C)

At 10C we inspire possibility and make change happen – now! Our mission is to model and create the conditions for collaborative approaches to social, environmental, cultural, and economic wellness that strengthen community resilience and sustainability. Our vision is that 10C and its members will inspire people to break new ground through collaborations fueled by effective relationships, entrepreneurial spirit and shared discoveries. We will spark new ways to imagine, think, behave and work together – putting Guelph on the map for community-driven social change.

Who is 10C for?

10C is the hub for community activators and changemakers in the City of Guelph. We welcome groups and individuals working across sectors and engaging in collaborative work to build a resilient and sustainable community in Guelph, Wellington County and across Southern Ontario.

10C’s Principles and Values – the (more than) 10C’s of our work

CHANGE – creating social benefit across sectors

CONNECTION – building community and strong relationships

COMMUNITY – where your people meet and where you meet your people

CAPACITY – peer-to-peer learning between individuals and organizations

CREATIVITY – inspiring new ideas and possibilities

CHAMPION – promoting people and our members’ initiatives

CARE – a home for compassion, respect and inclusion

COURAGE – to face change and embrace the unknown

CATALYZE – innovative ideas and community-led initiatives

COLLABORATE – a place for ideas, people and projects to come together

COLLISION – intercepting systems and processes that no longer work to make way for innovation

CELEBRATE – acknowledging and rejoicing over every act of progress – be it small, big, forward or reverse

10C’s Work

The 10C team uses placemaking, social enterprise, social finance, social innovation – and food – to create new ways to connect, collaborate and share resources. The environment is creative, ideas focused and welcoming. Our placemaking work deepens relationships between people and across organizations, catalyzing creativity and innovation through collective action, research and community engagement.

Today, 10C activates 25,000 s.f. of social purpose real estate, including the 10C community coworking and event space at 42 Carden Street (15,000 s.f.), which is also home to the Nourish shared community commercial kitchen, an art gallery and flexible shared meeting and work spaces. While dreaming of a future rooftop urban garden, 10C has engaged in a number of community urban agriculture projects, as a means to support grassroots action.

In 2022, 10C took on the animation of a second community property as an “Activator”, in a long-term lease and community benefit agreement with the City of Guelph to manage the Guelph Farmers’ Market, a well-loved 11,400 s.f. building with 100+ food and arts vendors and 20,000 s.f. grounds. This presents new opportunities for community engagement, local food access, and inclusive economy work.

10C creates collaborative flexible models that support sharing, trust and reciprocity, and is becoming known as the ‘heart of our city’. At the core of 10C’s mission is fostering collaboration and connection within our community of changemakers to inspire possibility and create change – now!

10C’s Main Themes of Activation

10C mobilizes teams, designs and implements programs, and uses collaborative funding, financing and sharing structures to address local socio-economic and environmental issues. 10C puts collaborative, inclusive placemaking at the core of our program areas that help to build local capacity and engagement.

10C programming revolves around these key theme areas:

  1. Placemaking
  2. Community Engagement
  3. Social Finance
  4. Social Enterprise
    (including Circular Economy)
  5. Sustainable Food Systems
  6. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)