Who cares about P2? It turns out there are a lot of us, and for many reasons. I had the pleasure of attending the (sold out!) 2016 IAP2 North American Conference in beautiful Montreal and meeting some really inspiring and impressive IAP2 members, partners, and friends – people who have or are building P2 programs and implementing processes for clients, for their own employers, within their own municipalities and for others. P2 continues to grow and gain traction across North America…and the “who” in “who cares” is diversifying.
As I reflect back on the people I met and sessions I attended, I can say that there is a growing sense of introspection about P2 as a practice
IAP2 USA is five years old. Over the past two years it has its doubled membership to almost 900 members with over 1,800 contacts, added new services and programs, e.g., mentorship and webinars, re-introduced the Skills Symposium and run sold-out successful conferences. BUT WHAT IS NEXT? Should we do more to reach out to decision-makers or grass-roots participants? Should we develop more training? How about research? What about partnerships with other organizations?
As a Board member you can help shape IAP2 USA’s future. IAP2 USA needs your vision, ideas, skills and experience. Are you prepared to roll-up your sleeves and make a difference?
Nominations are now open and close on Wednesday, November 9th.
Three years ago when Tom Parent, Facilities Director for the Saint Paul Public Schools in Saint Paul, Minnesota, embarked on the process to renew the 10-year Facilities Master Plan, he didn’t foresee winning the 2016 IAP2 USA Core Values Award Respect for Diversity, Inclusion & Culture. What he did see was a district-wide commitment to honoring diversity and inclusion that he was determined to embed in every aspect of the facilities planning process.
Register for the 2017 Skills Symposium
Monday, February 27 – Friday, March 3, 2017
You are good at your job, but you know you can do better. This is your opportunity to learn from some of the best public participation trainers in North America and network with your peers from around the world. Improve your skills. Have your questions answered. Put what you have learned into practice. So what are you waiting for - SIGN UP TODAY!
Take advantage of the Early Bird Rates – now through November 30!
What are you waiting for? Click here to learn about the many courses, the trainers and LEARNER OUTCOMES.
Online Engagement
IAP2 USA is pleased to announce the launch of our new online training courses. This is an exciting opportunity for you to update your professional skills — in collaboration with colleagues and without leaving your office.
These courses are designed to support ongoing learning, and are more than a set of worksheets or templates. They include videos, exercises, interactive multimedia examples, case studies, interaction with fellow participants, your trainer, and more.
The best online learning goes beyond the content. Our trainers teach skills and knowledge in a way that connects to your goals, hopes, and values AND demonstrates how these connect to your work and world.
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! IAP2 USA announces the release of 2017 Student Scholarship Awards!
A dream realized, another program born! After months of work, fundraising, and coordinating, we are pleased to announce the IAP2 USA National Student Scholarship Program is now open for applications. Thank you to everyone who contributed their time and energy to making this happen!
Three students will be chosen to receive a $500 scholarship,
totaling $1,500 in scholarships to be awarded in 2017.
Deadline to Apply: February 10, 2017
Like our three pillars, these students will be the beginning of our foundation for scholarship programs to come. Our hope is that we can foster new P2 practitioners and create an environment where students will continue to grow through us and with us.
If you’re not a student, but would like to get involved, please make a contribution to our scholarship fund!
The 2016 IAP2 North American Conference
So … was that a rhetorical question?
Apparently, 241 people involved with P2 didn’t think so: turning out for a sold-out conference at the Sofitel in Montréal at the end of September. They came from across Canada and the US, and from Australia, France and Switzerland to discuss and come up with answers to that question and the sub-topics – Why should people care? How can we get more people to care? And What would happen if people stopped caring?
From opening plenary, which featured a world café on the theme; through the sessions, which covered topics such as: engaging Indigenous communities, spicing up a P2 process with more exciting communications and putting P2 principles to work following the Lac Mégantic disaster; to the keynote speeches; the conference found answers to those questions and opened up new discussions.
There was a lot of knowledge being mobilized, so for those of you who missed it, we’ve posted the session presentations online, along with resources, slides and session descriptions.
But there’s no substitute for actually being at these conferences, so start planning to be in Denver, Colorado next September 6 to 8 for the 2017 North American Conference. The announcements on the theme, opening of presentation submissions and other details will be coming up in the next couple of months.
Conference Scholarship Recipients' eye-view
of the North American Conference
Once again, the Conference offered scholarships to students and members of non-profit or community organizations. The recipients seized on the opportunity to learn, network and feed off the energy at the Conference and then take that experience back to their organizations and communities. Here are some of their insights.
This year I attended my first IAP2 North American Conference in Montreal, Canada. After a late night arrival, I attended the pre-conference workshop titled "Reconciliation and Snowflakes". It was a thought-provoking exercise to compare the Canadian government’s relationship with First Nations to my knowledge of the United States’ treatment of indigenous people.
I am an urban planner, working towards my Masters in urban revitalization practices in an ethnically diverse setting in Montreal.
I arrived at the North American Conference both enthusiastic and apprehensive. French is my mother tongue and I only have a moderate command of English. In fact, I was afraid I’d make mistakes and have moments of hesitation in interacting with my peers in English, which would lead to all sorts of wrong reactions and misunderstandings. Yes – that all happened!
Truth and Reconciliation: A Crisis Management Plan Template from Canada
Debra Duerr, IAP2 USA Conference Participant
I’m thinking about the deplorable dissolution of respect and empathy for other people in our country these days. Who isn’t, right? Here’s a brave conflict resolution strategy from our northern friends that we could do well to take seriously.
I’m exceedingly fond of Canada, having grown up a slingshot distance over the mighty Niagara. And so I appreciate the many fine things our neighbors have given us: (1) hockey, (2) everything else including poutine, curling, moose, tuques, refugee Albertans in January, Stan Rogers and Loreena McKennitt, an excuse to speak French, the polar vortex, and fine airports so we can go visit them.
But at our recent IAP2 conference in Montreal I learned about a new gift that could top them all (except perhaps hockey). Ever the more sensitive and kind species living on North America, the Canadians have taken it upon themselves to recognize and face head-on the subject of colonialism and the resulting cultural genocide of its aboriginal people over the last four centuries. They call it Truth and Reconciliation. Can anyone think of two more powerful concepts?
This past summer, our USA colleagues, John Godec, MCP3 and Doug Sarno, MCP3, conducted a survey of P2 practitioners. The findings were presented at the North American Conference last month. They write,
“Overall, we find these results heartening. Rather than describing a diminished role of public participation in the face of many challenges, respondents noted that agencies who use public participation continue to work hard to use and promote public input in the important work of governing. While none of us is blind to the challenges, this certainly aligns with our experience.”
2016 Core Values Awards Winners
North American Conference, Montreal
The annual Core Values Awards winners for the United States and Canadian Affiliates were presented at the North American Conference in Montreal on September 29. The winners of the Organization of the Year, Project of the Year, and Research Project of the Year went on to compete at the International level.
The International awards were announced Tuesday, October 18 at the Core Values Awards Gala at the IAP2 Australasia Conference in Adelaide. Congratulations to the Jefferson Center / Maxwell School for Public Affairs for receiving the International Award for Research Project of the Year and Nova Scotia Health for receiving the International Award for Project of the Year. (Read the release.)
Please join us in congratulating them and take this opportunity to Learn from the Best of the Best! Check out the special Core Values Awards web pages at IAP2 USA and IAP2 Canada and take some time to look at the winning entries: we’ve provided you with the submissions, judges’ comments and videos describing the projects to help with your professional development.
PROJECT OF THE YEAR
(USA) Maricopa County (Arizona) Flood Control District, for the Pinnacle Peak West Flood Control Plan – engaging residents, many of whom were not convinced they were living in a flood-risk area.
(Canada) Nova Scotia Health Authority for “Embedding Engagement in Models of Care” – bringing health-care providers, patients, families and caregivers together to develop Community Health Teams.
ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR
(USA) The City ofHillsboro, Oregon, for “Hillsboro 2035”, which engaged residents of all sectors in developing a long-term vision for the city.
(Canada) BC Ministry of Health for “Improving Health Care through Patient and Public Engagement” – training hundreds of health-care professionals and engaging 40,000 patients to improve health care in the province, by including patients as partners, rather than consumers.
(USA) Saint Paul Public Schools (Minnesota) for the “Facilities Master Plan”, a redevelopment and re-designing project that involved pupils, teachers, parents and others to help schools meet the needs of the 21st Century.
P2 FOR THE GREATER GOOD (Canada only):The Community Engagement Advisory Network – for the “Advance Care Planning Workshop” program, in which volunteer facilitators discuss with patients the often delicate matter of how they want to be cared for late in life.
"IAP2 Canada and IAP2 USA are proud to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our member/practitioners. Today's Core Values Awards recipients span a range of areas in which P2 is vital to advance the health and well-being of our communities and truly exemplify best practices in the field."
IAP2 ORGANIZATIONS OF THE YEAR & RESEARCH PROJECT OF THE YEAR – the November Learning Webinar
Are you ready to learn some winning techniques and approaches? Coming up November 8 (2pm Eastern / 11am Pacific), you’ll get to hear insights from three IAP2 Core Values Award winners
P2 has been part of the civic culture in Hillsboro, Oregon, for over a decade, and the City took it to the streets to cast its long-term vision, “Hillsboro 2035”. People across the spectrum of a very diverse community just west of Portland were engaged as to what they wanted for the place where they live, work and play. Chris Hartye from the City and consultant Jason Robertson of JRO+CO will join us to tell how they developed the plan and in the process, became the IAP2 USA Organization of the Year for 2016.
And did you know that 1 out of every 4 Americans is affected by an incorrect medical diagnosis? That could be either a doctor getting it wrong, or missing the ailment altogether. The Jefferson Center and Maxwell School for Public Affairs at Syracuse University won the Research Project of the Year award from IAP2 USA and the IAP2 Federation for “Clearing the Error”, their study on how patients, families and health-care professionals are affected by the problem and how it can be addressed. Andrew Rockway of the Jefferson Center and Tina Nabatchi of the Maxwell School will join us to show how they did it and what they found.
Shannon Holms of the BC Ministry of Health will describe how the Patients as Partners Program has lifted patients from being “consumers” or even “outsiders”, watching from the sidelines to being participants in decisions affecting their health care. It’s a culture that built up over the past decade, with some 800 health-care professionals receiving IAP2 training and thousands of patients benefitting. The Ministry was named IAP2 Canada Organization of the Year for 2016.
If you’ve done any online engagement at all, chances are, you’ve experienced your share of highs and lows. Civic engagement specialist Susanna Haas-Lyons is looking for examples of online P2 – great and not-so-great, as part of our December webinar. On Tuesday, Dec. 13 (2pm Eastern / 11am Pacific) Susanna will delve into Social Media and P2 with your real-life examples – and the lessons learned.
She’s set up a brief survey, where you can share your stories and let her know what you would want to get out of the webinar. Click here to register!
WEBINAR REWIND – Decision-Makers and P2 – September
What drives decision-makers to embrace P2? One of the hurdles P2 practitioners have to clear is to convince people in charge of the value of P2. The September webinar gives insight into how one can approach municipal politicians about public consultation.
Three municipal politicians joined us to talk about the value they’ve found in P2: Austin, Texas, Council Member Leslie Pool described the complete overhaul of her city’s culture, during which a Task Force On Community Engagement was set up and an online tool was developed to make sure neighbourhood groups had the information they needed on plans in the area.
City Councillor Blair Lancaster from Burlington, Ontario, told us how they came up with an Engagement Charter – the first of its kind in Canada – which calls for citizen involvement in all decision-making.
Evaluating the effectiveness of stakeholder advisory committee participation in forest management planning in Ontario, Canada
After over a century in the control of big timber companies, local stakeholder advisory committees are becoming involved in forest management in Canada. How well is it working? This month’s contribution from the IAP2 Canada Research Committee looks at an evaluation of the process and results in Ontario.
Active Volunteers like you make IAP2 USA Chapters happen!
Intermountain Chapter is pleased to co-host the IAP2 Foundations in Public Participation program in Salt Lake City, Utah the week beginning Monday, December 5 with Salt Lake County Townships.
IAP2 USA (Emerging) Los Angeles Chapter November Meeting to be hosted by the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority, Tuesday, November 15, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (PST) ...learn more!
IAP2 Cascade Participation Opportunities
IAP2 Workshop in Salem Subcommittee - This subcommittee will work with the PI Network committee (Julie Rawls, Susan Hanson, Heather Coston) to plan a half-day conference in Salem, Oregon. The conference is tentatively scheduled for May 2017. If you would like to help, contact Julie Rawls at jrawls@portvanusa.com.
Equity Toolkit Subcommittee - This subcommittee will develop a racial and social equity and inclusion lens/tool to use for both selecting presenters for IAP2 Cascade Chapter-sponsored events and to guide our presenters to use the lens within their presentations, as well as draft language for a resolution voicing organizational commitment to racial and social equity and inclusion inside the IAP2 Cascade Chapter and in the work we carry out as professionals and practitioners of public participation. If you would like to help, contact Francesca Patricolo at Francesca.Patricolo@portlandoregon.gov.
UO Student Support Subcommittee - UO SP2, a public participation student group at the University of Oregon subcommittee of IAP2 Cascade Chapter, recently expressed a number of concerns about their ability to continue operating successfully. Some concerns include funding, continuity, and institutional support for understanding of public participation. This subcommittee will come up with plans to strengthen our student/UO/IAP2 connections to support and advance the practice of public participation. Subcommittee will begin in early October and will likely meet by phone 1-2 times for an estimated 1-3-hour total time commitment. Contact Francesca Patricolo if you would like to help at Francesca.Patricolo@portlandoregon.gov.
INTERESTING LINKS
We would like to thank our members for submitting these links. If you have something you want to share please send it to info@iap2usa.org.
Denver, CO - IAP2 Foundations in Public Participation, October 24-28
Fort Collins, CO - IAP2 Techniques for Public Participation, November 3-4
Salt Lake City, UT - IAP2 Foundations in Public Participation, December 5-9 (Co-hosted by the IAP2 USA Intermountain Chapter and Salt Lake County Townships)
Phoenix, AZ - IAP2 Foundations in Public Participation, January 23-27
Arlington, VA - IAP2 Foundations in Public Participation, February 6-10
San Diego, CA - IAP2 Foundations in Public Participation, February 27 – March 3 (@the 2017 Skills Symposium!)
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM (PST), IAP2 November Learning Webinar: Core Values Award winners; Organizations & Research Project of the Year
Nov 9 - Dec 12
Deliberative Forums – A Deep Dive: Four-week online training with two live sessions: Tues, Nov 15, 11:00am - 12:30pm & Fri, Dec 2, Noon - 1:30pm Eastern
BUT WHAT IS NEXT? Should we do more to reach out to decision-makers or grass-roots participants? Should we develop more training? How about research? What about partnerships with other organizations?
But there’s no substitute for actually being at these conferences, so start planning to be in Denver, Colorado next September 6 to 8 for the 2017 North American Conference. The announcements on the theme, opening of presentation submissions and other details will be coming up in the next couple of months.
This past summer, our USA colleagues, John Godec, MCP3 and Doug Sarno, MCP3, conducted a survey of P2 practitioners. The findings were presented at the North American Conference last month. They write, 
(Canada) 
Are you ready to learn some winning techniques and approaches? Coming up November 8 (2pm Eastern / 11am Pacific), you’ll get to hear insights from three IAP2 Core Values Award winners
If you’ve done any online engagement at all, chances are, you’ve experienced your share of highs and lows. Civic engagement specialist Susanna Haas-Lyons is looking for examples of online P2 – great and not-so-great, as part of our December webinar. On Tuesday, Dec. 13 (2pm Eastern / 11am Pacific) Susanna will delve into Social Media and P2 with your real-life examples – and the lessons learned.
What drives decision-makers to embrace P2? One of the hurdles P2 practitioners have to clear is to convince people in charge of the value of P2. The September webinar gives insight into how one can approach municipal politicians about public consultation.
After over a century in the control of big timber companies, local stakeholder advisory committees are becoming involved in forest management in Canada. How well is it working? This month’s contribution from the IAP2 Canada Research Committee looks at an evaluation of the process and results in Ontario.
Active Volunteers like you make IAP2 USA Chapters happen!
We would like to thank our members for submitting these links. If you have something you want to share please send it to 
Check the