Certification Pilot Project Up and Running – Apply Today!

It’s here! After two years of development, IAP2 USA is proud to present the pilot professional certification program. Be one of the first IAP2 Members to apply for this brand new certification program for P2 professionals, and help us fine tune the certification process.

In September 2015, IAP2 USA will conduct a pilot for the new professional certification program. The assessment process was developed by a task force of IAP2 members from USA, Canada, and South Africa in consultation with our membership. The program offers a 2-level certification award: Certified Public Participation Professional and Master Certified Public Participation Professional. Credentials are awarded upon completion and evaluation of a 3-step assessment of candidates, based on 5 core competencies that were identified through the membership consultation process.

IAP2 Federation Model Review

IAP2 USA and Canada are reaching out to their members to take part in the IAP2 Federation Model Review – Refinement of Roles, Responsibilities and Funding Model. 

When the IAP2 Federation of Affiliates model was established in 2011, members agreed to a 10-year implementation timeline. As we approach the 5-year point in our new governance model, it is time for a review to determine if any adjustments are needed to ensure organizational sustainability. 

The IAP2 Federation is seeking input and advice from members on the appropriate roles and responsibilities for the Federation and the Affiliates/Chapters as we continue to move forward and grow our organization together. On Wednesday, June 24, a webinar was held to present information and allow for feedback from members. This webinar was recorded, and will be available online next week. 

We will be coming back out to you in July to ask for further feedback so stay tuned. 

For more information and resources, please check here. Further questions and comments can be sent to Amelia Shaw at ameliaiap2usa@gmail.com.

INSPECTING THE SPECTRUM

Is “Inform” a legitimate level of public participation? That’s one of the livelier discussions going on right now in the discussion forum on the IAP2 Spectrum. On behalf of the IAP2 Federation, IAP2 Canada is coordinating a review of this foundation of our profession, to ensure that it still meet the needs of the public engagement environment now and into the future.

Our interactive forum has a number of suggested topics, and there’s always room for more, along with opinions and suggestions you might have. Do you think there are elements of the Spectrum that need to be re-thought? Are there “built-in” limitations that need to be addressed? We’ll capture all the comments through the forum and other avenues and present them and recommendations to the Federation board when it meets at the 2015 IAP2 North American Conference in Portland in September. 

Speak up! We work hard to ensure people affected by decisions have a voice in them; now it’s our turn to do the same.

Member Spotlight: Hannah Litzenberger

Hannah is a young professional practicing P2 in Seattle with EnviroIssues where she works on transmission line and wastewater infrastructure public involvement and community engagement projects. She is a 2009 graduate of North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Hannah has been an active member of IAP2 USA since 2011 when she became active in the Puget Sound chapter and joined the chapter board in 2012. She joined the Certification Task Force in May 2014 in response to a request for Task Force members made during a webinar.

“When I first started getting involved in P2, I actually thought that completing the Foundations course meant I was certified. I didn’t learn until the first day of training that the certificate was a certificate for course completion. Even though I can list the course on my resume as such, I think a certification program is really needed. As far as I know there aren’t any university programs in Public Participation so what we do is somewhat undefined, especially in the broader community. The program will give young professionals clear direction on how to further their careers, and employers and clients a way to know how qualified an applicant or consultant is.”

YOU, THE JURY – The IAP2 July Webinar

Bringing together people affected by a decision is one thing: having them understand the decision to be made, when the factors can be very technical and complicated, is quite another. One solution that’s gaining traction is the Citizens’ Jury. It’s already been used with impressive effect in Edmonton, with the Centre for Public Involvement holding such a process to decide whether to adopt internet voting. On Tuesday, July 14 (2pm EDT), we’ll hear from Sherrill Johnson of CPI and from two of the people who helped conceive the process, Andrew Rockway and Larry Pennings from The Jefferson Center in the US. How do you take technical concepts and turn them into meaningful public engagement? Come and find out. Click here for more information and to register. 

Please note: due to the 2015 IAP2 North American Conference, there will be no webinar in September.

JOINT DECISION-MAKING, TALKIN’ TECH & THE CENTRE OF THE YOUTH-IVERSE

Portland, Oregon, prides itself on being weird, but it ain’t seen nothin’ yet! The 2015 IAP2 North American Conference is looming, our annual Engagement Party with stimulating sessions, networking opportunities and the chance to honor the Best of the Best in the Biz at the Core Values Awards Gala!

The State of Oregon is one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, and you can bet people had a range of very strongly-held views on that. How did regulators wade through the public consultations that brought out 4,000 participants? Rob Partridge, chair of the State Liquor Control Commission and one of the twelve most influential people in America on marijuana policy, and Jeanne Lawson of JLA Public Involvement, will present “Highly Involved: P2 for Legal Marijuana,” and discuss how they dealt with high-turnout meetings, people formerly in the black market and a tight time-frame.

Whether it’s marijuana, climate change, infrastructure or anything else where technical and scientific information is required, communicating that information so ordinary people can understand it is vital. “It’s Geek to Me: Innovative Visual Public Engagement” looks at ways of reaching more people with the information they need to make proper decisions; while Lorrie Bonds-Lopez of the Los Alamos National Laboratory discusses “The Challenge of Science Communications” in a world where people are increasingly skeptical of scientists and other experts.

And is the popular notion that Toronto is old and stodgy a thing of the past? The YouthfulCities index ranked Toronto the Most Youthful City of 2014, and younger demographics are the fastest growing in some parts of the region. So why are young people underrepresented when it comes to public engagement? In “For Youth By Youth,” Daniel Fusca of the City’s Planning Division discusses how he and his staff – including 10 Youth Researchers – have been pursuing the coming-up generation.

You can find out more about the sessions in the Schedule-at-a-Glance.

Don’t forget, too, the special pre-Conference workshop, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion à la Portland” is being held on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and is free for registered Conference participants and is $75 for IAP2 members not attending the Conference (non-members pay $100).

Register now for the Conference, and remember the special Conference Rate at the host hotel – the DoubleTree by Hilton – is only good until August 12 or until the blocked rooms are sold-out (register through the Conference website to make sure you get the special rate).

Silent Auction at North American Conference for New IAP2 Scholarship

The IAP2 USA Board recently voted to develop a scholarship fund for P2 students, and now we need your help to kick start the fund! We’ll have a silent auction at the IAP2 North American conference in Portland this September and are asking IAP2 USA Chapters, individuals and organizations to donate items for the silent auction. Chapters are encouraged to donate something representative of their area. All items are welcome, so have fun thinking up items that will be of interest to attendees from the U.S., Canada and Australia. Please contact Darlene Urban Garrett at darleneurbangarrett@gmail.com to inform her of the item you will donate or if you have any questions. As items are identified, we will let attendees know via social media of the items available for auction. This is a very important fundraiser and a fun way for all chapters to help fund the scholarship fund which will be available to all US student members. Thank you for your participation in this event!

Member Spotlight: Michael Dahlstrom

Mike Dahlstrom is a senior planner with the Washington County Oregon Department of Land Use and Transportation. He was hired to conduct public involvement for large, long-range community and transportation planning efforts and coordinate those efforts region-wide. Mike has been a member of IAP2 USA for almost 12 years, having joined at a time when he was working in public policy mediation. He became involved with the Cascade chapter scholarship program about three years ago in response to a request for chapter members to help with the review and selection process. The scholarship program was launched eight years ago and with the 2015 awards has generated $45,000 in scholarships to date.

EMERGING CHAPTER ACTIVITY!

IAP2 USA Los Angeles Chapter meeting Wednesday, July 8, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Lunch will be provided.

Please invite your colleagues who are interested in P2!

Location: Southern California Edison Service Center, Dominguez Hills 1924 E Cashdan St, Compton, CA 90220

Guest speaker: Genoveva Arellano 

Genoveva L. Arellano is principal and owner of Arellano Associates, a professional consulting practice focusing on communications, public outreach, strategic planning, marketing, and community and government relations. Ms. Arellano has over 28 years of experience, and under her leadership since 1994, Arellano Associates has grown to become one of Southern California’s leading public outreach firms serving predominantly government agencies, local jurisdictions and planning organizations. 

Join us in Atlanta!

Please encourage your contacts in the Atlanta metro area to register for FREE and attend EPA’s Community Involvement Training Conference. Tim Bonneman, Nancy Glock-Grueneich, Linda Ellinor and Amelia Shaw are doing a half-day session.