There is an old but relatively famous set of videos by John Cleese and others called 'Meetings Bloody Meetings' in which John is brought to trial for hosting meetings that actually serve very little purpose. We have all been in those types of meetings!
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Community engagement for the next generation calls for a re-thinking around the who, what, where, how and why of sharing information, uncovering unheard voices and collaborating with your constituency. Knowing who your audience is and what spaces they occupy is key to ensuring your engagement efforts are fully optimized.
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If you are serious about tackling complex issues and changing systems in an ever-changing world, then you should be serious about Developmental Evaluation (DE). Michael Quinn Patton popularized the approach in his groundbreaking 2010 book, Developmental Evaluation: Applying Complexity Concepts to Enhance Innovation and Use. In it, he provided a comprehensive account of how evaluative thinking and practices could assist - rather than short circuit - the efforts of social innovators.
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I was one of more than 250 delegates from around the world who attended the 2015 Collective Impact Summit in Vancouver. I came to the CIS 2015 with three primary questions:
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The Canadian Council on Social Determinants of Health (CCSDH) has recently released a new paper, A Review of Frameworks on the Determinants of Health that reviews 36 frameworks from a variety of sectors on the determinants of health, from Canada and abroad, and provides an indepth assessment of seven frameworks that are particularly relevant to the Canadian context.
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When I think of a "wellness" centre, I imagine a place where one might be able to exercise, see a nutritionist, take a course on personal development, learn more about parenting, or see a counselor. Some of you might imagine a wellness centre as something akin to a health spa where you can spend an arm and a leg to get your arms and legs massaged or exfoliated or poked with acupuncture needles.
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