9 am - noon  Tipi Raising - Registration required

Nakoda Îtipi and Ryder Style Craft from Eden Valley in the Stoney Nakoda First Nation will share pre-conference workshops: a tipi-raising in the morning and a tipi-lowering in the afternoon. You’ll experience teepee teachings and Star Knowledge, based on an ancient concept known to early man: “As above, So below”, and which were, for a time, outlawed by the Canadian federal government. There is no pre-requisite and you can choose to attend either the morning or afternoon session. 

 1 - 4 pm  Tear Down the House: Reimagining the Open House or Town Hall Meeting

Veronika Bylicki, Executive Director & Co-founder, CityHive

Rowan Gentleman-Sylvester, Civic Education Program Manager, CityHive; Co-Chair, IAP2 Canada Young Professionals CoP

Interested in exploring new ways to solicit public feedback on decisions? Tired of the same old public hearing formula? Looking to get creative with your engagement practices? Join us as we co-create and ideate new ways to engage our communities together. A little bit role play, a little bit of brainstorming, and a whole lot of fun - this dynamic workshop is for engagement practitioners of all levels to come together in a productive and collaborative environment for the betterment of our collective professional practice. 

 1 - 4 pm  Disrupting Stigma and Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Health Care through Illustrated Storytelling

Katie Mai, PMP, MHA - BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services

This interactive workshop will highlight the benefits of design thinking methodology, in particular – illustrated storytelling, as a tool for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion. It will highlight one storytelling initiative in a healthcare setting that was driven by people with lived experience aiming to amplify the voices of patients living with mental health and substance use in BC and beyond. Mai will bring participants along a journey into the stories of people who bravely share how stigma in the healthcare system has impacted their lives, what has helped bridge the gaps, and what their future hopes. Mai will share the co-design process, lessons learned, and best practices, describe our evaluation strategy and findings, and close with recommendations on how to utilize this approach.

 1 - 4 pm  Addressing Historic Inequities in Texas Housing Investments through Strategic Engagement and Analyzing Root Causes of Inequities

Nefertitti Jackmon - City of Austin, Community Displacement Prevention Officer

Alba Sereno - City of Austin, Chief Research & Strategic Initiatives Officer

Cara Bertron - City of Austin, Planner Senior

John Gilvar - Gilvar Consulting, Owner/Founder

This workshop will highlight the work of projects designed to engage community for the purpose of delivering: 1) an equity tool for anti-displacement investments, 2) an equity-based preservation plan and 3) a racial equity assessment of affordable housing policies. Panelists working in Austin and Dallas used different community engagement processes to address housing inequities. Each project has the bold mandate to deliver outcomes centered in racial equity in cities rooted in housing segregation and the displacement of black and brown communities. From a qualitative engagement process consisting of 30 individuals with lived experiences to a 90-plus member participation process that used interviews and listening sessions with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, this session will provide strategies and challenges to gain participation from “hard-to-reach” community members.