A few weeks ago, I spent a truly enjoyable evening with friends honoring the great work of the Human Rights Campaign in Utah. Just hours later, I woke to find that the worst mass shooting in US history had occurred in a gay nightclub, Pulse, in Orlando. As more information became available, I began to wonder how the specifics of this event could change the kind of conversations we’ve been having about terrorism, gun-control, religion and human rights in this country. So far, I’ve experienced a range of emotion – sadness, surprise, anger, outrage, confusion, a sense of loss for the victims and their families, hope for the future, and finally determination to make things better.
A hopeful moment in the dialogue surrounding this tragedy surprisingly came from Utah Republican Lieutenant Governor Spencer J. Cox who apologized to the gay community for “not treating them with the kindness, dignity, and respect – the love – that they deserved.” Statements like this give me hope that change is beginning. But, as a P2 practitioner, I believe that all people should be treated with kindness, dignity, and respect – period. Statements like the Lt. Governor’s are appreciated, but I believe what is really needed is a call to action; a call to conversation; a call for the public to participate in decisions affecting Americans.
It’s here! IAP2 USA is pleased to announce the course line up for the 2017 Skills Symposium, taking place in San Diego, from Monday, February 28th to Friday, March 3rd, 2017 at the Bahia Resort. We believe that there is something for everyone – whether new to the practice or with years of experience.
Our 2016 Skills Symposium got rave reviews from the attendees, and we have upped our game for 2017. Over the next few months we will be providing in-depth information on the courses, the trainers, and the extras we are planning. But don’t wait – take a look for yourself and take advantage of the Early Bird rates. Plan to join us in San Diego!
In her role with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Deanna oversees the outreach and engagement for major capital construction and neighborhood-focused projects conducted by the agency. “We have hundreds of staff who conduct public outreach and engagement as part of the work they do for the agency. The challenge was how to bring authentic public engagement to scale.”
“We had identified a number of pain points. The community expressed growing frustration with the Agency’s approach to public outreach and engagement, and we would receive complaints about outreach occurring too late in the process, difficulty in reaching the agency and understanding who is in charge of a project, and a lack of consistency across projects. When this frustration turned to opposition, it created costly delays in project delivery in several ways, such as threatened lawsuits, negative press, protests and political pressure."
To take on the challenge, Deanna embarked on a process to develop a Public Outreach and Engagement Team Strategy (POETS) that would help develop public outreach notification standards for all staff conducting outreach and engagement.
The IAP2 August Webinar: MANAGING CONFLICT AND EVALUATING YOUR PROCESS
They’re two questions that can nag at the mind of a P2 practitioner: how do you handle a tough crowd, and how effective has your hard work been?
The first two White Papers commissioned by the IAP2 Canada Research Committee tackle those very issues, and on Tuesday, August 9 (2 pm Eastern / 11 am Pacific), the authors of those papers will discuss their findings in our Monthly Webinar.
WEBINAR REWIND: UNDRIP and the New Face of Indigenous Consultation
President Obama supports the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The July IAP2 Learning Webinar featured a discussion of what UNDRIP means for P2 practioners, looking at (UNDRIP) and the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and how those align with IAP2 principles.
Bob Joseph, the CEO of Indigenous Corporate Training, Inc., was joined by Anne Harding, Senior Stakeholder Relations Advisor for Aboriginal Communities at Suncor Energy, as webinar hosts .
We are excited to report that all the spaces are filled for the 2016 IAP2 North American Conference. There is a waiting list; and that is now capped, as well.
The conference sessions will be recorded and posted online, as will the keynote speeches.
There is still the opportunity to take part in the general discussion reflected in the theme: why should people care about P2? Join the conversation on the IAP2 Canada blog.
And listen to interviews with our two keynote speakers: Dicki Chhoyang, a Montréal native who’s former Minister of Information in the Central Tibetan Administration; and Jean-Paul Gladu, CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. (Click on their photos to listen to the interviews.) We’re grateful to radio station C-FAX Victoria, for their assistance in producing these interviews.
Important Date! August 28 is the deadline to pay for 2016 IAP2 North American Conference: People on waiting list will have the opportunity to register for unclaimed spaces as of August 29.
The IAP2 Federation Welcomes a New Professional Development Manager
August 1, 2016 - The IAP2 Federation Board is pleased to announce the selection of Cassandra “Cassie” Hemphill as the new Professional Development Manager.
Cassie commenced her duties on Monday, August 1, 2016. Cassie brings to IAP2 more than 25 years of experience as a communications educator and consultant. As an educator, she teaches university and outreach courses in public speaking, interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, technical writing, and dialogue and deliberation at the University of Montana. ...
Cassie is active at the national and regional levels of IAP2 USA. She is on the IAP2 USA Certification Task Force and is the Montana state representative for the Intermountain Chapter. She serves on the editorial board of the Northwest Communication Association Journal and has previously served that association as a conference planner. One of the highlights of her year is serving as chief judge for the 8th grade physical science division at the Montana State Science Fair.
GUEST BLOG POST: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean It Up
Dave Biggs of MetroQuest interviews James Hoggan, author of ‘I’m Right and You’re an Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean It Up’, published by New Society, May 2016.
Dave Biggs: I’m always on the lookout for emerging best practices in community engagement. Government agencies are hungry for strategies to improve the dialogue in face to face events as well as online. What lessons can you share to help them broaden the dialogue to a wider demographic and collect meaningful and constructive public input to inform their decision making?
James Hoggan: We often don’t even get the basics right. Learning to engage in emotional dialogue is a good place to start.
Mike Dahlstrom Appointed Manager of Washington County Oregon's Community Engagement Program
Congratulations to Mike Dahlstrom, IAP2 USA Chapter Liaison Chair and Student Scholarship Task Force member, and Cascade Cascade Chapter Treasurer and Chapter Scholarship Award Chair, for his new assignment as the Washington County Community Engagement Coordinator.
Mike will assist with a variety of community engagement activities and be part of the team that coordinates the Community Participation Organization (CPO) Program. He will play a key role is assisting members of Washington County's increasingly diverse community, especially those who are historically under-represented, to have a voice in the decisions that may affect them, and will help shape the future of the County's community engagement program. Kudos Mike!
The IAP2 USA membership map shows P2 commitment and growth across the nation. Zoom in on your chapter area for a more focused look at IAP2 USA membership as of June 2016. Not a member? Join today!
CHAPTER NEWS
Cascade hosts successful PI Works! conference in June. Congratulations to the City of Beaverton and Portland Water Bureau/JLA Public Involvement for winning the Best Practices Awards presented at the conference. Learn more about Cascade Chapter of IAP2 USA and view the PI Works presentations on the chapter webpage.
Grand Canyon doubled its membership in 2016 to 62 members, thanks to the government membership plan, and plans to meet August 29 to revitalize the chapter, set goals, and begin scheduling regular meetings.
Intermountain is please to present the IAP2 Foundations in Public Participation program in Salt Lake City, Utah the week beginning Monday, December 5.
Greater Los Angeles(emerging) schedules fall slate of events:
Wednesday, September 21 - Our friends at Manhattan Beach will be talking about their experiences with engagement both in-person and online in their beach town, Manhattan Beach Library, Manhattan Beach.
Friday, October 7 - Envisioning California: "Our Voices: Advancing Civic Engagement in California" - You're invited to join the Center for California Studies, Sacramento State and the IAP2 Los Angeles (Emerging) Chapter for a full day of exploring California at the 27th annual Envisioning California Conference, Our Voices: Advancing Civic Engagement in California, Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, downtown Sacramento.
Thursday, October 20 - Ashley Trim, Executive Director of the Davenport Institute, will speak about the work of the Institute and Pete Peterson, will speak about the importance of preparing a new generation of leaders for engagement and how education around policy and engagement is shifting and needs to shift more, Pepperdine School of Public Policy, Malibu.
November 15, 2016 - November Chapter Meeting: Gathering at the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority, details TBA, West Covina.
Omaha, NE - Techniques for Public Participation, Thurs-Fri, Aug 11-12
Fort Collins, CO - Planning for Public Participation, Tues-Thurs, Aug 30 - Sept 1; Techniques for Public Participation, Thurs-Fri, Nov 3-4
Denver, CO - Foundations in Public Participation - Planning & Techniques, Mon-Fri, Oct 24-28
Anchorage, AK - Foundations in Public Participation - Planning & Techniques, Mon-Fri, Oct 31-Nov 4
Salt Lake City, UT - Foundations in Public Participation - Planning & Techniques, Mon-Fri, Dec 5-9 (Hosted by the IAP2 USA Intermountain Chapter)
ISO ...???
Are you in search of something?
Welcome to a new IAP2 USA newsletter feature. From time to time we get requests from members looking for information or recommendations on tools, projects, policies, etc., so we are turning to you to see if you can help. The following request is from Theresa Gunn who is:
Seeking innovative mobile apps that have been used to keep the public informed during large transportation construction projects.
If you have some suggestions for Theresa or you would like to ask your own question, please contact us at info@iap2usa.org. We will post the answers we receive in our Resource Section – so stay tuned.
It's time to update your profile!
Your profile displays in the public and members-only (login required) online member directories, and you control what information is displayed.
The Members-Only Member Directory provides advanced search options such as by geography, interest areas, company name, and more, increasing your opportunities to network and build relationships with other members.
Add a photo and update your bio, then make your profile searchable by adding city, state, chapter affiliation, and selecting the radio button options for years of experience, areas of P2 experience, and interest areas. The more detail you add, the more others will learn about you!
Once you're done, save your changes, and then click on "My directory profile" to see what displays. Select "Back," "Edit profile," and "Privacy" to control what information gets displayed.
You're in the driver's seat when it comes to what gets shown in the directory.
If you have any questions, contact Jennifer at info@iap2usa.org.
11:00-12:30PM (PDT) Deadline to pay for 2016 IAP2 North American Conference: People on waiting list will have the opportunity to register for unclaimed spaces as of August 29.
Tues, Sept 13
11:00-12:30PM (PDT) IAP2 September Learning Webinar - Topic TBA
Weds, Sept 21
12:00-1:30PM (PDT) IAP2 USA (Emerging) Los Angeles Chapter September Meeting, Manhattan Beach Library, Manhattan Beach
Sept 28-30
2016 IAP2 North American Conference, Montreal, Canada - Pre-Conference events are free for those attending the North American Conference; $50 for IAP2 members not attending the Conference; $75 for non-members not attending the Conference.
In her role with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Deanna oversees the outreach and engagement for major capital construction and neighborhood-focused projects conducted by the agency. “We have hundreds of staff who conduct public outreach and engagement as part of the work they do for the agency. The challenge was how to bring authentic public engagement to scale.”
They’re two questions that can nag at the mind of a P2 practitioner: how do you handle a tough crowd, and how effective has your hard work been?
Kate Nelischer surveyed best practices for 
Bob Joseph, the CEO of Indigenous Corporate Training, Inc., was joined by Anne Harding, Senior Stakeholder Relations Advisor for Aboriginal Communities at Suncor Energy, as webinar hosts . 
We are excited to report that all the spaces are filled for the 2016 IAP2 North American Conference. There is a waiting list; and that is now capped, as well.
Important Date! August 28 is the deadline to pay for 2016 IAP2 North American Conference: People on waiting list will have the opportunity to register for unclaimed spaces as of August 29.
Cassie commenced her duties on Monday, August 1, 2016. Cassie brings to IAP2 more than 25 years of experience as a communications educator and consultant. As an educator, she teaches university and outreach courses in public speaking, interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, technical writing, and dialogue and deliberation at the University of Montana. ... 
Dave Biggs: I’m always on the lookout for emerging best practices in community engagement. Government agencies are hungry for strategies to improve the dialogue in face to face events as well as online. What lessons can you share to help them broaden the dialogue to a wider demographic and collect meaningful and constructive public input to inform their decision making?
Congratulations to Mike Dahlstrom, IAP2 USA Chapter Liaison Chair and Student Scholarship Task Force member, and Cascade Cascade Chapter Treasurer and Chapter Scholarship Award Chair, for his new assignment as the Washington County Community Engagement Coordinator.
members of Washington County's increasingly diverse community, especially those who are historically under-represented, to have a voice in the decisions that may affect them, and will help shape the future of the County's community engagement program. Kudos Mike!
Welcome to a new IAP2 USA newsletter feature. From time to time we get requests from members looking for information or recommendations on tools, projects, policies, etc., so we are turning to you to see if you can help. The following request is from Theresa Gunn who is:
