It’s almost spring here, although I’ve been saying that to myself for several weeks. In any case, it’s beautiful here right now!
As you know, this spring’s big IAP2 event – the Skills Symposium – is just about to start. It’s taking place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from May 27 – 31. You said that you wanted professional development opportunities and in particular advanced training and we heard and delivered. It will be great, I swear!
A Celebration of Excellence in Public Participation:
IAP2 USA Core Values Awards
You and your team worked hard to deliver a great P2 project: now it's time to make sure it gets due recognition. The application process is now open and continues through June 1. The Application Package and more information are available on the Core Values Awards webpage. Remember that it takes time to write an application, so plan ahead and learn from last year's winners.
NEW - The Conference is offering a terrific pre-conference workshop. “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – Portland-style” will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 9 in the afternoon. It’s FREE for conference registrants (although you need to register; your passcode is included in your registration email), $75 for IAP2 members and $100 for non-members. You can register here.
As David mentioned in his President’s message, IAP2 USA is supporting IAP2 Canada’s efforts to reach out to members and friends on this important initiative.
Even the most solid foundation needs to be inspected every so often, and the P2 practice is no exception. The IAP2 Spectrum is the foundation of our profession, and as things change in the world around us, it’s time to revisit that foundation. Does it still meet the needs of the public engagement environment both today and moving forward? Are there things that need to be re-considered? Are there limitations that need to be overcome?
It’s a constant challenge for the P2 practitioner: determining whether, after the hours of hard labour put into developing an engagement project, the desired outcome was achieved. In our monthly webinar, “Evaluating Your P2 Project,” Dr Julia Abelson of McMaster University and Geoff Wilson of Nova Scotia Health described their work in developing a tool for measuring the effectiveness of a P2 project.
COMING IN JUNE: OPEN MIC -- YOUR QUESTIONS, PLEASE
You’ve got questions? We’ll find the answers in our next Monthly Webinar! On Tuesday, June 9, we’ll bring together a panel of seasoned P2 pros to address issues that matter to practitioners. This is a truly interactive session, and that means we need your participation: we need you to send in questions ahead of time.
What kind of questions? How about:
How do you reach out to and engage the “silent stakeholders” in a process?
Calling All Researchers Or Anyone With An Interest In P2 Research!
IAP2 USA is pleased to be collaborating with IAP2 Canada on a North American Research Committee. Are you interested, do you have questions – learn more or join the Committee by contacting the Committee Chair, Maria de Bruijn.
Take a look at one of the initiatives this Committee is working on.
Stakeholder and Citizen Roles in Public Deliberation
Kahane, David; Loptson, Kristjana; Herriman, Jade; and Hardy, Max (2013) “Stakeholder and Citizen Roles in Public Deliberation,”
Journal of Public Deliberation: Vol. 9: Iss. 2, Article 2.
Through their research Kahane et al. provide a map that demonstrates the relationship between ‘stakeholder’ and ‘citizen’ engagement spaces and public deliberation. With a particular focus on “deliberative public involvement exercises convened by governments as part of policy development” (p. 1), the authors describe “stakeholders” as representatives “of a formally constituted group or organization that has or is thought to have a collective interest” (p. 5), and “citizens” as “functional members of a democratic society by virtue of living within it and being affected by it” (p. 8).
ARE YOU A SOCIAL MEDIA GURU? DO YOU HAVE SOME TIME TO SHARE?
We are looking for someone who is passionate about social media and keen to jump into action to help us engage with others. He/she will use social media outlets to promote IAP2 USA events, engage the public and increase our online presence.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic or presenter for a future IAP2 Monthly Webinar? Don’t hide that light under a bushel! We’re constantly on the lookout for topics that will stimulate and inspire our colleagues in the profession, so if you have an idea to share (even if it’s yourself), contact us.
We have been meeting since November of 2013 (36 meetings to date!) To refresh your memory: we were convened by the IAP2 USA Board to develop a professional certification program for the US – but the task force includes members from IAP2 Canada and IAP2 Southern Africa. It is our goal to define a program that transcends boundaries and could be adopted or adapted by affiliates worldwide, as they see fit
You will recall that about one year ago, we sought ideas and suggestions from IAP2 members about the essential knowledge, skills, and capabilities that are necessary to do quality work in the field of public participation. We used the results to form six draft “core competencies.” The last time we communicated with you (in about November), we asked for reactions on the draft core competencies.
In October, a neighbor approached me with an idea – an idea he wasn’t quite sure was doable in the “realm” of local government. This particular neighbor lives in a civic association that for some time had been advocating for a dog park to be built within the nearby city park. The City had committed monies to help make the dog park a reality, but the amount wasn’t enough to design and construct the dog park, and the neighborhood was asked to fund the remaining amount. The neighbor approached me with the idea to “crowdfund” the neighborhood dog park.
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project, or venture, by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Certainly in the past the City has solicited neighbor contributions to help with special projects and programs, however, the novel idea that comes with crowdfunding is the ability for neighbors to donate via internet in increments completely up to them.
Frontiers of Democracy 2015
The agenda for Frontiers of Democracy 2015 is rounding into shape, and the conference is filling up fast. To register, please use this form. Frontiers is organized by the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, the Democracy Imperative, and the Deliberative Democracy Consortium. This year's "Short Takes" speakers are a diverse and fascinating group:
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