Who should take this training?

Regardless of the arena in which you work, IAP2’s Foundations in Public Participation can broaden your toolkit and bring greater creativity to your approach. This program will give you a broad-based understanding of how public participation works across the world.

Foundations is right for anyone working for or involved in public participation and community engagement projects in:

• Government—municipalities, provincial and federal agencies
• Corporations and consultants
• Utilities
• Environmental Agencies
• Community Organisations
• Universities

Calendar - Upcoming Foundations Training Sessions

Planning for Effective Public Participation

A major reason that initiatives fail to reach their goals is inadequate preparation. Our planning module provides you with a proven structure that will greatly increase your odds of a successful project. This hands-on course gives you the opportunity to delve into your own challenges using the essential elements of effective public participation planning.

• Evaluating the scope of a decision and identifying the processes needed.
• Identifying the decision steps including timing and needed resources.
• Establishing roles and responsibilities of the primary parties.
• Developing a comprehensive, decision impact analysis to identify the stakeholder community, their concerns, and hopes.
• Selecting the appropriate level of public participation.
• Setting clear and achievable objectives.
• Developing a detailed public participation plan.
• Planning for communications initiatives that support the process.
• Identifying appropriate evaluation tools to measure the effectiveness of the initiative.
• This course is a prerequisite for the subsequent module, Techniques for Effective Public Participation.

Techniques for Effective Public Participation 

Once you have completed the planning course, you are ready to add 50+ practical tools and methodologies to your public participation toolkit. Working experientially with seasoned IAP2 trainers and your peers, you’ll now learn powerful techniques you can put to immediate use in your next project.

This module breaks down specific methods including World Café, Interviews, Revolving Conversations, Deliberation, and Advisory Groups. You’ll leave armed with a wealth of reference material, IAP2 tipsheets, and the ability to select appropriate procedures for each new project. You’ll also learn how to establish and maintain effective communication during the process.

Foundations Certificate versus Certification

Upon completing the 2-module Foundations in Public Participation (Planning and Techniques) training, a Foundations certificate of completion is issued from IAP2. The completion of Foundations is also the first step towards becoming a Certified Public Participation Professional (CP3).

The Professional Certification Program (CP3) is a new professional designation available to IAP2 members. Certification proves, through independent assessment, that you have demonstrated the basic knowledge and skills required to perform the role of a public participation (P2) professional. The designation Certified Public Participation Professional (CP3) is the assurance that you meet a set of internationally-recognized criteria. Credentials are awarded upon completion of a three-step assessment based on Five Core Competencies developed through a membership consultation process.

Licensed Delivery Partners 

IAP2 Canada delivers training for its courses by partnering with licensed delivery partners. To register for a course being held by our delivery partners, please contact them directly with any inquiries or to register.