Bearing Witness
The Suncor Energy Foundation (SEF) regularly convenes key strategic partners to consider current and future trends impacting our connected worlds. There are four outcomes for this gathering:
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The Suncor Energy Foundation (SEF) regularly convenes key strategic partners to consider current and future trends impacting our connected worlds. There are four outcomes for this gathering:
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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead
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It was early spring 2017 when a collective impact and community engagement capacity building gathering was held in La Tabatiere, Quebec. This tiny, isolated community of 499 residents hosted more than 100 colleagues from across the Lower North Shore region over three days, many arriving by snowmobiles and air as there are few roads that lead to the community in the winter.
The participants experienced a deep dive into four curriculum content areas including collaborative leadership, community engagement, community development and collective impact. The curriculum was designed to create a common language for all participants and to have them discover the great work that was already happening in the Region. In addition, the participants also learned about education and community-based success stories which were already driving innovation into the region.
A common theme often echoed through the voluntary and community sector is the lack of resources available to do the work. Most communities have a range of investments, assets and resources, which, if deployed effectively, could prove to be a launching pad for many collaborative community efforts.
The idea of community asset mapping has been around for several years. John McKnight and Jody Kretzmann in their book, Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets provided a detailed process for uncovering both explicit and hidden assets that might be found in most neighbourhoods and communities.
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Just before the holidays, United Way of Central Iowa, as part of the OpportUNITY Plan, announced that in 2016, 11,000 more individuals were financially self-sufficient in three state counties: Polk, Warren, and Dallas. This is incredibly significant to the community, as it marks the first time in recent memory that Central Iowa has seen a reduction in poverty. The good news reflects well on the hard work of United Way of Central Iowa and their partners, the value of a Collective Impact approach to poverty reduction, and the importance of a robust measurement strategy.
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When we are in the deepest, darkest days of community change work, our sightlines are narrow and our focus usually ends up on the microscopic parts of the process that are frustrating us. We want to move faster. We want to see bigger impact, bigger results. We become impatient with the process recognizing that even our best work may only have limited impact.
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