In the early fall of 2019, we envisioned an opportunity to gather small groups within our personal and professional communities to have fulsome discussions on myriad topics that are impacting our everyday lives.
 
We named this passion project IMPACT Salon, with an initial commitment to a series of 3 events over the ensuing six months to engage in a modern salon-format in which to learn, consider and share perspectives on current-day meaningful issues. The salons would include subject matter experts and be led by a host, but the intent would be to allow for, and strongly encourage, open and interactive discussion in a forum of peers. In our dedication to a true salon-format of bygone eras with a mix of learning and socializing, and to ensure a comfortable environment to ask questions and share views and opinions, we aimed to hold these intimate evenings in private homes.
 
We launched the IMPACT Salon series on October 2, 2019 in Toronto with the ambitious topic of The Future of (Digital) News in An Age of Misinformation. In this inaugural event, the focus was on the (digital) media news space and misinformation’s impact on healthy public discourse and, ultimately, democracy.  
 
The second IMPACT Salon took place on January 29, 2020 with another ambitious topic namely, Climate Change: What Can You Do? to discuss what actions we as citizens can and should be taking to address this important issue.
 
Unfortunately, our third IMPACT Salon scheduled for early spring was sidelined by the pandemic lockdown in Toronto in March 2020 and for obvious reasons, we have not been able to reschedule as of yet (and Healthcare was our next intended topic!). We are extremely hopeful that we will be able to get together in person to enjoy another evening of great conversation, fun, food and camaraderie in the near future!
 
We’d like to extend a warm thank you to all our IMPACT Salon attendees whose enthusiasm and participation undeniably made the first two evenings a success. We are also truly appreciative of our Salon1 and Salon2 experts for accepting our invitation to be part of our untested vision and we thank them for guiding our discussions with their savviness, passion and professionalism. An extra special thank you to our venue hosts for supporting our endeavour and opening up your homes to us. We couldn’t have made these first two salons happen without you and we are extremely grateful for all your support!
 

All our best,

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Lisa and Bryn

Lisa Lechner and Bryn Currie
Co-Founders,  IMPACT Salon