Challenges and Rewards of Advisory Group in Large Geography

How can we design and run Advisory Groups to ensure they reflect differences across various geographic levels and interests, and that participants are actively and meaningfully connected and engaged?

Join us on December 3, 2012 (11:00-12:00 PST) for a free 60 minute webinar as our panel of experts discusses the use of advisory groups to engage stakeholders across large geographic areas. The webinar will include case studies from the field, a discussion/Q&A session, and will enable you to have live access to your peers and share your experiences with the broader Community of Practice. Read More »

Recap: Online Public Consultation

Increasingly, citizens expect to influence decisions and voice their opinions and concerns online. On the other hand, project proponents realize that in order to make sustainable decisions they need to offer more inclusive, accessible, timely and relevant ways for those who will be impacted by the decision to provide input. In this webcast, CEO and Founder of PlaceSpeak discusses how their platform advances online public consultation and “enables inclusive, informed participation, policy development and decision making.” Read More »

Using Photos and Maps to Engage the Community

I recently attended a 2-day workshop on Participatory Photo Mapping (PPM)- “a tool for exploring the experience of place, for communicating this experience to community stakeholders and decision-makers, for surveying communities and for leveraging decision-making at the policy level”.  Day one consisted of theory and a fieldwork exercise, while day two focused on building an interactive map and a deeper discussion of the process.

While the workshop was aimed at health researchers who are planning to use this tool for community-based research, there were also some takeaways for broader use in community engagement projects such as environmental monitoring.

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Recap of Our Online Engagement Webinar

Last week we hosted our second Community of Practice webinar, Introduction to Online Engagement Tools and Techniques. We look forward to continuing the series with more in-depth presentations on select topics in (offline and online) public engagement but in the meantime, check out the recording of the webinar.  Read More »

From Energy Security to NIMBY

The American Wind Energy Association‘s annual conference (Wind Power Expo 2012) held in Atlanta this week brought together international experts on wind energy, public policy, the environment, and technology. Richard Delaney represented D&A Inc. on a community development panel and delivered a workshop on the importance of community engagement in wind energy projects. Read on to view the slides from the workshop and find more ways to stay informed on wind energy. Read More »

How to Creatively Engage Your Community and Stakeholders

Drawing credit: Tanya Gadsby, Drawing Out Ideas

This year’s IAP2 BC Chapter Annual Symposium brought together 20+ practitioners from transportation, health care, environment, planning and private/consulting sectors and stimulated our minds with presentations on Creative Engagement. The symposium was a wonderful opportunity to learn about some of the creative, accessible and culturally sensitive ways public participation specialists can engage the community, broader public and other stakeholders. It was also a great opportunity to connect to fellow P2 professionals across Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, and Calgary, with Richard (D&A Inc. President) and Valerie Delaney (D&A Inc. Principal) joining us from our home office in Ottawa.

Read on for a quick recap of the presentations. Read More »

Free Webinar: Online Engagement Tools and Techniques

As part of our professional development webinar series, we are holding a session on Online Engagement Tools and Techniques. This second webinar in our series will provide a high-level overview of the social media landscape and the top trends in social media use for local government. We’ll also go over the tools and techniques for effective management of social media and answer participant questions during the Q&A session. Read More »