Engaging Indigenous Communities

Leading Practices in Business Development  
Thursday, Feb 27 Luncheon in Regina

IAP2 Prairies Chapter invites you to join us for a luncheon discussion on how best practices in business development can inform Indigenous engagement and create greater impact for all of our communities. 

Thomas Benjoe, President and CEO of FHQ Developments and John Desjarlais, Jr. General Manager of Great Plains Contracting, an Indigenous majority owned and governed industrial contracting company will share proven practices in engaging Indigenous communities and challenge our thinking on colonial meanings of wealth and community.  Their presentation aims to spark discussion on how organizations can engage beyond Duty to Consult for greater social responsibility.   This is an opportunity for honest conversation,  asking those "awkward" questions, and for reconciliation in action.   Bring a non-engagement professional with you!

Thursday, February 27, 2020
11:30 am to 1:00 pm   
Science Centre, Atrium Room (glass room before entrance to Science Centre)
2903 Powerhouse Drive

Register by Friday, February 21
IAP2 members $30
Non-members $35

Wrap & Roll Buffet lunch provided by Sky Cafe & Bistro.             

About Thomas Benjoe: Mr. Benjoe joined FHQ Developments in the fall of 2016 as the Corporation’s President/CEO.  Thomas brings a wealth of experience in First Nations Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, Community Development, Business Administration, and Commercial Banking.  He has a strong professional background, and a personal commitment to partnership, relationship building and interest-based negotiation.  Mr. Benjoe is strongly committed to Aboriginal Business Development and FHQ Developments’ guiding vision of securing business partnerships that result in wealth generation and First Nation equity ownership in key economic sectors. 

About John Desjarlais, Jr.: John Desjarlais, Jr, P.Eng., MBA is a proud Nehinaw (Cree)-Metis from Cumberland House, and is the general manager of Great Plains Contracting, an Indigenous majority owned and governed industrial contracting company. He is also currently completing a Master’s degree in Governance & Entrepreneurship in Northern & Indigenous Areas at the U of S, and sits as Councilor for APEGS (Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan). 

The IAP2 Skills Symposium is coming to the Prairies!
May 4-8, 2020

Regina, SK

The IAP2 Prairies Chapter is thrilled to be hosting the IAP2 Canada Skills Symposium in Regina, SK on May 4 to 8, 2020!

Make plans to join us for an empowering five days of learning new tools and techniques in the company of like-minded public participation colleagues.   

Symposium registration rates are $325/day for members and $375/day for non-members - please add $50/day for IAP2 Foundations courses and Strategies for Dealing with Opposition and Outrage in Public Participation.

Registration is now open and early bird rates are in effect until March 3, 2020.  Visit IAP2 Canada to register.

The symposium is taking place at the Double Tree in Regina; room rates are $148.00 per night (+ taxes).   Book early! 

Symposium offerings include:  

• IAP2 Foundations: Planning and Techniques (5 days): Hit the ground running armed with the knowledge and confidence you need to plan and execute effective initiatives for any area in which you may be working. This course is divided into two modules, each focusing on one of the two major phases of public participation, planning (3 days)  and techniques (2 days). Upon completion of both modules, you will receive a certificate of completion from IAP2.
• IAP2 Strategies for Dealing with Opposition and Outrage in Public Participation (2 days): This two-day training course combines the work of risk communication expert Dr. Peter Sandman with the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) core concepts for meaningful and effective public participation and stakeholder engagement. In these challenging times you need strategies and behaviours to work together more effectively with communities and stakeholders are outraged. This two-day course is recommended for seasoned practitioners who have practical experience working with the public. The workshop is practical, hands-on and participatory with a mix of video, lecture and group exercises.
• Everything You Need to Know About Creating, Facilitating and Managing a Citizens' Committee (French or English): A committee that is set-up and managed according to best practices can create a rich space for dialogue and exchanges, and also help a project’s social acceptability. On the other hand, an ad hoc citizen committee can waste people's time or even interfere with the process. Based on hands-on experiences and practical tips, this course will use group discussions and activities to teach you how to create, facilitate, lead and manage a citizen committee.
• Social Social Media and P2: Online tools can reach new participants and enable different kinds of conversation. But, it’s an emerging field and there is still much trial and error, so this course will give you a leg up by examining what’s worked and what’s failed. This interactive course will teach you to create social media campaigns that gather input creatively, enable collaborative online interactions, and sustain participation over time. You'll also learn how to use social media for participant recruitment, and how to integrate mobile communication into your participation strategy.
• Evaluating Public Participation: In this hands-on course, you will apply foundational tools like logic models, examine the differences between process and impact evaluation, and review the components of an evaluation plan. You will craft evaluation questions, and identify indicators and sources of information to help you answer those questions. Above all, you will learn how to employ evaluative thinking as a learning strategy, in order to strengthen your work and achieve greater impact.
• Large-Scale Public Participation Techniques: Engages with three popular methods for large-scale, dialogue-based public participation on public policy issues: the 21st-Century Town Hall, Deliberative Polling, and Citizen Juries. Each process helps participants learn about an issue, create space for in-depth deliberation and generate detailed feedback on public policy options. Participants will also explore, and apply to their own work, key ingredients of large-scale processes, including developing discussion content and questions, as well as outreach strategies that involve large numbers of diverse participants.
• Indigenous Inclusion: Putting the TRC Calls into Action: . This course offers foundational knowledge, real-life examples, and dynamic problem-solving for individuals working to advance Indigenous inclusion within their professional and personal communities.  Gain knowledge and understanding with respect to the history and experiences of Indigenous Peoples in Canada; participate in an experiential learning exercise to better understand basic facts about Canada’s history of colonization, the Indian Act, Indian Residential Schools, and inter-generational trauma; understand the purpose of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission;  understand complexities related to Indigenous inclusion in decision-making contexts; and discuss and define strategies and activities related to Indigenous inclusion and the relevant Calls to Action.
• Brave, Honest Conversations: Bravely Leading Challenging Conversations: It’s time to build your leadership skills – to practice courage, compassion and responsibility for impact. When you build your capacity to lead others, groups and the world around you, you create the momentum for positive change and the opportunity to move from stuck to possible. Foundational to leading others is the ability to lead yourself, to practice courage, compassion and kindness for yourself, and to make choices that allow you to bring your best self to your work.
• Facilitation Skills and Methods for Community Engagement:  This two-day workshop will focus on learning and practicing the skills and methods facilitators require to guide effective public meetings and consultations. The workshop contains a facilitator’s toolkit of seven facilitation methods. As a participant you will be provided with the opportunity to co-facilitate one of these methods in a small group setting during the workshop.
• Designing for Diversity: Gain a deeper understanding of the “spectrum of diversity,” identifying and analyzing key stakeholders, skills and tools to design robust and inclusive engagement processes, guidance on how to develop a comprehensive and effective implementation plan using the right tools and techniques, and key learnings about rigorous P2 evaluation.
• When Things Go Sideways: Uncover what’s driving emotion and outrage in P2 processes and discover what triggers these natural responses. Through exercises, discussion and multi-media presentation, participants will learn about AND PRACTICE highly effective, collaborative strategies to transform conflict and outrage and create an environment for constructive engagement.
• Meaningful Tools Powerful Outcomes:  Fill your toolbox with some new, innovative and effective public engagement techniques that will help you host better, powerful conversations, achieve objectives and create momentum positive change. Techniques covered include:  Ideas Fair – get ready to take your open house to a whole new level, PhotoVoice & Story Telling; Socratic Circle and more.