Social Innovation Research Group (Faculty-Wide Research Centre)
The Social Innovation Research Group (SIRG) was founded in 2003 by Ginette Lafrenière, professor in the Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work. This research group was inspired by her commitment to community development and desire to support graduate students in learning the complex nuances of community-based research with equity-denied populations. More importantly, the development of SIRG was guided by her belief that public intellectuals should be of service to the communities in which they live and work.
We are proud to share that since 2003, SIRG has grown into a vibrant research and training incubator for undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate social work students, and is comprised of a multidisciplinary group of researchers and community practitioners dedicated to university-community collaboration (UCC). In winter 2026, SIRG was officially recognized as a faculty-wide research centre.
Since its inception, SIRG has interfaced with more than 130 health and social service agencies across Ontario and Canada. Over the years, SIRG has employed over 150 placement students, part-time researchers, and full-time project coordinators.
Feminism is one of the philosophical foundations which anchors SIRG's work within community. Feminist theories inform the ways in which we work and collaborate with our community partners; as such we understand and our work attempts to disrupt the intersectional inequities such as oppression, homophobia, transphobia, racism, poverty and other injustices with which many of our community partners grapple. As feminist researchers, we pursue and promote the dismantling of power inequities on multiple levels.
If you are interested in volunteering, completing a student placement, or working for SIRG as a research assistant, please send your curriculum vitae and a statement of interest to Ginette Lafrenière (glafreniere@wlu.ca).