| Workshop
Is Poverty a Concern for Everyone?
Presented
by Bob Stranach and Sue Rickards, representing Policylink NB
This workshop involved
the presentation of PolicyLink’s participatory model for increased collaboration
and cooperation for addressing poverty in New Brunswick. Forging the model
with group discussion they tried to work out ways to “make poverty everyone’s
concern” by increasing the understanding and participation of members
of the community, organizations and government to address this issue.
Participants were able to reflect on their personal experiences and understanding
of the issues, as well as reviewing how and with whom, they currently
work in their communities.
This model of an engagement
strategy has arisen from work of the PolicyLink NB project which is intended
to reach a multi-sectoral community of organizations and individuals interested
in the work of social development in New Brunswick. To effectively forward
their goals, PolicyLink NB believes we need to engage in the following
objectives, to:
- broaden
the community understanding of poverty and vulnerability through
the building of a knowledge network and community of inquiry;
- enhance the bonds
between existing networks of progressive social change
agents in N.B., both Anglophone and Francophone;
- actively encourage
and to the extent possible, nourish the emergence of new multi-sectoral
networks in several areas where they do not presently exist
but are known to be wanted and needed;
- strengthen local/regional
capacity through connecting these networks to larger, pan-Canadian
networks, information sources and other resources critical
to their work;
- introduce
new and complementary elements and potential partnerships
to the mix, specifically allies outside the traditional voluntary sector,
including private sector organizations, all levels of government, and
social research professionals/academics.
Workshop
Community and Government Together
Presented
by Cathy Wright, formerly Executive Director of the Human Development
Council and Policy Intern, Human Resources Development Canada, N.B. Region
This workshop was
offered twice during the conference with discussions about the desire
of governments to work more closely with community groups, and the hopes
of community groups to have more input into the direction of government.
Some key questions
used to frame the presentation and discussion were:
- Why is it important
that government and community groups work together?
- What can we learn
from our differences and our similarities? Included learnings from the
internship experience.
- What changes can
we make for the future? Importance of assessing the impact of our work.
Combining the experiences
of the presenter and participants, they focused on several key factors
influencing how governments and communities work together.
Key Points from the
discussion during the two workshops included:
- Importance of understanding
each other and that this lays the basis for developing a working relationship
- Parallel to parenting
– learning new skills, respecting each other, realizing control is not
the issue. Element of choices, and that you may not agree, but can live
with the decision
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