ADIEU, SAINT-LAURENT! SALUT, AQP2 & NCR!

Nous sommes très heureux d’annoncer la création du nouveau section québécois, l’Association québécoise pour la participation publique (AQP2), d’AIP2 Canada. L’AQP2 rassemble les professionnels, les praticiens et les défenseurs de la participation publique pour réfléchir à l’amélioration des pratiques au Québec et de partager leurs expertises et leurs expériences. Au cours de la prochaine année, nous souhaitons organiser des activités de réseautage, des activités d’apprentissage et de réflexion, des formations en participation publique, et aussi diffuser du contenu portant sur la participation publique au Québec.

AQP2 est en train de planifier son premier événement de réseautage. Les détails seront annoncés sous peu.

Pour de plus amples informations sur AQP2, contacter Raphaëlle Aubin: raphaelle.aubin@gmail.com.

Les membres de l’ancienne Section Saint-Laurent qui demeurent en Ontario, ainsi que ceux qui demeurent à Gatineau, feront partie d’une autre nouvelle section, La Région de la capitale nationale (NCR — National Capital Region). Le contrat établissant cette section sera finalisé sous peu: pour de plus amples informations sur cette section, contacter Peter Wilton — peter.wilton@hkstrategies.ca.

ADIEU, SAINT-LAURENT! SALUT, AQP2 & NCR!

As part of the commitment to become a truly bilingual organization and broaden its reach, IAP2 Canada is re-aligning one chapter. As of January 1, the St Lawrence Chapter / Section-Saint-Laurent is no more. In its place is now l’Association québécoise pour la participation publique (AQP2), consisting solely of members from Quebec and soon, the National Capital Region (NCR) Chapter, covering the Ontario members and those in Gatineau.

In the next year, AQP2 is planning on organizing networking events, reflective learning activities, training sessions, as well as sharing relevant content about P2 Quebec news. For more information about AQP2, please contact Raphaëlle Aubin: raphaelle.aubin@gmail.com.

APQ2 is planning is planning its first networking event soon. Watch for details to come.

Ontario members in the former St Lawrence Chapter, as well as those in Gatineau, will be covered by a new National Capital Region (NCR) Chapter. The NCR chapter agreement will be finalized soon. For more information on the NCR Chapter and to get involved, contact Peter Wilton — Peter.Wilton@hkstrategies.ca.

Chapter News – March/April 2019

WILD ROSE

Save the date: 2019 IAP2 Signature Event & AGM

Mark your calendars for the IAP2 Wild Rose Signature Event happening May 30, 2019 in Calgary! The signature event and AGM is a wonderful opportunity to learn and network with your peers. Details and timeline for the day will be made available on the iap2wildrose.ca website as well as in our monthly newsletter. Stay tuned!

SEEKING CANDIDATES FOR 2019-2021 WILD ROSE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Wild Rose Chapter of IAP2 is seeking members to serve on the Board of Directors for a two (2) year term, to begin following the Annual General Meeting scheduled for May 30, 2019.

Board service is voluntary, and all IAP2 Wild Rose Chapter members in good standing are eligible. If you would like to support a fun, thriving community of engagement professionals, review the 2019 Nomination Form or visit http://www.iap2wildrose.ca to submit a brief expression of interest to president@iap2wildrose.ca  by May 15, 2019.

IAP2 Foundations at 20:

The Lyrics Have Been Updated but the Melody Remains the Same

by Lewis Michaelson, Marty Rozelle and Doug Sarno MCP3

Lewis “Moose” Michaelson

“It was 20 years ago today, Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play.” Well actually, it was 20 years ago that the IAP2 President, Marty Rozelle, President-Elect, Lewis Michaelson and the Executive Director, Doug Sarno got together to create a training for IAP2 based on its Core Values. The intent of the training was to guide best practices in the field of public participation, provide legitimacy for our practice and create a sorely needed new income stream for an organization that was struggling financially. Little did we imagine at the time what it would become.

The precursor to the current Foundations Course in Public Participation was first offered in 1999 at the IAP2 International Conference in Banff. Since then, dozens of trainers have contributed their own intellectual capital to the original trio’s, expanding and updating the training to ensure it remains relevant and preeminent year after year. As a consequence, unlike St. Pepper’s Band, it has never “gone in and out of style.”

Dr Marty Rozelle

What many may not know, though, is that there was a darker side to the decision to create an IAP2-influenced training. At least as practiced in the United States, too many of the training programs at the time were predicated largely on a “neutralize the opposition” and/or “get-them-to-agree-with-you” approach. Too little of the commercially available training was based on a central notion that the public had something valuable to contribute or that public participation was essential to making better, more sustainable decisions.

Doug Sarno, MCP3

That realization was directly responsible for the themes of the Foundation course, which emphasized that there was a legitimate, intrinsic purpose for conducting public participation and that the practice of public participation should be based on IAP2’s Core Values. It also led to the concept of the three “Foundations”: Decision-oriented, Values-based, Objective-driven. As hard as it may seem to imagine today, the notion that public participation should be objective-driven instead of technique-driven was borderline revolutionary 20 years ago.

The initial offering of the IAP2-branded public participation training also ushered in another staple of IAP2’s contributions to the practice: the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation, perhaps the most recognizable trademark of the organization. As we were creating the training, we were searching for a way to explain to people what public participation was without the usual hierarchical descriptions that placed “empowerment” at the pinnacle and “consultation” at the bottom. As experienced practitioners, we understood that different decisions demanded different levels of involvement. We also knew that government organizations often were not in a position to delegate that much influence to stakeholders, given their statutory and regulatory strictures. That led to the inspiration to create a horizontal spectrum, rather than a vertical one.

We hope you enjoyed a little historical musing on the origins of the IAP2 Foundations Course in Public Participation on its 20^th Anniversary. Thanks to all of the IAP2 members who have contributed over the years to updating and refining it so that it continues to hit the mark. However, the core tenets remain the same, based on our organization’s values and the deep respect we all have for the ability of stakeholders (when astutely engaged) to contribute to better public decisions. That is why, while the lyrics may have evolved over the years, the melody is still the same as it was 20 years ago.

Lewis Michaelson, Marty Rozelle, Doug Sarno

MESSAGE DE LA PRÉSIDENTE – Mars/Avril 2019

Sarah Rivest

Bonjour chers amis et collègues!

Le printemps est enfin à nos portes et je crois que plusieurs de nos membres et bénévoles sont prêts, tout comme nous, à profiter de plus d’ensoleillement et de clarté. Le thème de ce message portera sur la gratitude.

Merci à tous les participants, les formateurs et les membres du personnel qui ont assisté au deuxième Symposium des compétences de l’AIP2 Canada à Gatineau. Nous avons été heureux d’apprendre que vous avez trouvé les formations utiles, pertinentes et stimulantes. Notre comité chargé du perfectionnement professionnel et de la formation travaille déjà à évaluer l’événement et à préparer de futures formations – de plus amples renseignements suivront! Le travail réalisé par ce comité est l’un des éléments les plus importants qui ont été soulignés par nos membres, c’est pourquoi nous souhaitons adresser nos plus sincères remerciements aux membres de ce comité pour les orientations et les initiatives déjà en cours!

Les membres du conseil se sont quant à eux réunis à la suite du Symposium, et l’accent a été mis sur les priorités futures du comité de perfectionnement professionnel et de formation, la structure du conseil d’administration et la gouvernance internationale, les partenariats stratégiques, et notre plan stratégique pour 2018-2020. Ce furent deux journées bien remplies et j’aimerais remercier les membres du conseil pour leur apport et leur contribution à la réussite de l’AIP2 Canada.

Cette année, la Semaine de l’action bénévole aura lieu du 7 au 13 avril. Le thème souligné par Bénévoles Canada sera « Le facteur bénévole – pour élever les collectivités » afin de reconnaître l’incidence exponentielle du travail réalisé par les bénévoles et la façon dont ils contribuent à élever nos collectivités. Les bénévoles de l’AIP2 Canada seront reconnus de façon particulière lors de cette semaine (et aussi souvent que nous le pourrons!), et je souhaitais vous dire à quel point j’étais fière de faire partie d’un organisme comptant plus de 170 bénévoles qui, d’un bout à l’autre du pays, font don de leur temps, de leur énergie et de leur passion. Soulignons également le travail exceptionnel effectué par notre personnel qui appuie nos bénévoles.

Dans le cadre de l’engagement de l’AIP2 Canada à appuyer les praticiens et à promouvoir l’avancement de saines pratiques de participation publique, les dirigeants des sections et les membres du conseil, des comités et des groupes de travail ont été invités à participer au programme de sensibilisation à la réalité autochtone à l’intention des dirigeants de l’AIP2. Je m’estime chanceuse d’avoir pu participer à ce programme l’an dernier et je suis convaincue de la pertinence de cette formation pour nos dirigeants et notre organisme. Nous sommes très reconnaissants du travail réalisé jusqu’à présent par le groupe chargé de la sensibilisation à la réalité autochtone dans le cadre de notre plan d’action sur l’inclusion des questions autochtones. C’est avec grand plaisir que je vous tiendrai informés des commentaires de nos dirigeants sur leur participation à ce programme.

La période de nomination a débuté pour les prix d’excellence en participation publique 2019, ce qui veut dire qu’il est l’heure de reconnaître les projets et les organismes qui se sont démarqués! Nous remercions à l’avance les candidats, les juges et les lauréats pour leur participation. Le formulaire de demande est disponible ici, et la date limite pour présenter votre candidature est le 3 mai 2019.

En 2018, la ville de Vancouver a reçu le Prix d’excellence en participation publique pour son projet de revitalisation du centre de services communautaires Britannia. Ce projet comprenait la revitalisation de la stratégie de services communautaires d’un secteur de la ville à forte composante autochtone. La vidéo peut être visionnée ici.

Les prix seront remis le 5 septembre, lors du Gala des prix d’excellence, à l’occasion de la Conférence nord-américaine 2019 de l’AIP2 qui se tiendra à Charlotte, en Caroline du Nord.

Merci à nos membres, à nos bénévoles et à notre personnel pour votre fidèle soutien à l’AIP2 Canada!

 

President’s Message – March/April 2019

Sarah Rivest

Hello et bonjour Friends and mes collègues!

Spring-like temperatures are almost here and I think many of our members and volunteers will agree that we are ready for more sunshine and a few more hours of daylight. The theme of this message is gratitude.

Thank you to the attendees, trainers, and staff who attended IAP2 Canada’s second skills symposium in Gatineau. It is great to hear some of the early feedback that the training was useful, relevant and engaging. Our Professional Development and Training Committee is already evaluating and planning for future training, and more information is to come! The work that this committee does is one of the most important elements our members have identified, so thank you to this committee for the direction and initiatives already underway!

As a board, we met for our planned face to face meeting at the conclusion of the symposium, and on the agenda was a focus on future priorities for Professional Development and Training, board structure and international governance, strategic partnerships and our 2018-2020 Strategic Plan. It was a full two days and I would like to thank the board for providing input and contributing to IAP2 Canada’s success.

 

Canada’s National Volunteer Week is April 7-13, 2019. The Volunteer Canada 2019 theme is ‘The Volunteer Factor – Lifting Communities’. Volunteer Canada choose this theme to recognize the exponential impact of volunteers and how they lift our communities. There will be more special recognition for IAP2 Canada’s volunteers during that week (and as often as we can!) and I wanted to express how proud I am to lead an organization with over 170 volunteers from Coast to Coast, who volunteer their time, energy and passion. I also wanted to recognize the staff who support our volunteers.

As part of IAP2 Canada’s commitment to advance good public participation practice and support practitioners, leaders from chapters, boards, committees and task forces have been invited to participate in the Indigenous Awareness for IAP2 Canada Leaders program. I feel fortunate to have participated in this program last year and feel it is valuable training for our leaders and our organization. Thank you to the work the Indigenous Community of Practice has completed so far on our Indigenous Inclusion Action Plan, and I look forward to providing future comments about how our leaders feel about the program.

Nominations have opened for the 2019 IAP2 Core Values Awards, so it’s time to recognize good projects and organizations! Thank you in advance to the applicants, judges and winners for participating. The application form is available here, and the deadline is May 3, 2019.

I would like to highlight 2018 Core Value award winner in Indigenous Engagement: City of Vancouver for Britannia Renewal Master Plan. The project involved revitalizing a community services strategy for an area of the city that has a higher proportion of Indigenous people. The video is available here.

The awards will be presented at the annual Core Values Awards Gala as part of the 2019 IAP2 North American conference on September 5 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

 

Thank you to our members, volunteers and staff for your continued support of IAP2 Canada!

Join us in celebrating the IAP2 Canada Story!

Meet the new IAP2 Canada! Our revitalized look and feel includes a unique logo and new graphic elements that make us allow us to stand up for what we believe in. It is more than just a design – through our new look and narrative, we strive to strengthen our P2 culture, provide a sense of community, differentiate us from others, and connect people to the IAP2 Canada community of practices.

As Canadians seek greater and more meaningful opportunities to be involved in the decisions that affect them, IAP2 Canada is a community for public participation advocates to connect, learn from, and support each other.

– IAP2 Canada

With this brand narrative, the Marketing and Communications Committee began creating a communications strategy and implementation plan in spring 2017, ensuring that the plan responded to member feedback, IAP2 Canada organizational needs and the needs of the P2 profession.

The Message:  The plan’s implementation started with building IAP2 Canada’s brand messaging to base all marketing and communications decisions. A consultant led the committee through the messaging structure and development. Six messages were tested for emotional reaction and comparative ranking through a survey sent to over 40 stakeholders including IAP2 Canada Board – chairs of committees – trainers – CP3s – chapter liaison committee – staff – communications committee – and other external allied professions.

Results:  The overwhelming favourite when asked which of the six messages inspired, was “Inspiring better decisions together”. Thanks to AIP2 for the translation, “Ensemble pour des décisions éclairées”.

The Logo:  The committee used the brand narrative and the branding message, to translate into logo options. Four logo treatments were tested for emotional reaction and comparative ranking through a survey sent to over 40 stakeholders who participated in the message test. In this way, the logo was co-designed by our own members.

Results:  The emotional responses, “circle, collaborative, energized, inspired” confirmed the logo.

Our logo is the most visible graphic element of our brand. It unifies us and signals to the market who we are and what we stand for.

During the process, we identified the colours as reflective of IAP2 Canada’s guiding principles. The colour purple relates to knowledge-sharing (collaboration, inclusivity), while orange promotes enthusiasm for P2 practice (passionate).

The Committee conducted intense research and analysis during the strategy plan, resulting in three pillars:

WE ARE A COMMUNITY – IAP2 offers connections to other practitioners across Canada and around the world who are trying to advance the same important work.

WE ARE CREDIBLE – IAP2 is the recognized international leader in public participation.

WE ARE CHAMPIONS – We are champions of meaningful public participation in decision making, across Canada and beyond.

In the coming weeks, you will see our new brand pop up emerge on the website, printed materials, social media, chapter logos – everything visual for IAP2 Canada. This is our IAP2 community that inspires better decisions together.

We know that our brand is more than just a logo and visual identity – it also resides in our members. You remain our biggest ambassadors of our organizational brand. Join us in celebrating this major milestone for the organization. Stand up for what you believe in!