In this Issue
- Message from the President
- San Diego Conference Registration Draw!
- Wild Rose Cafe - Club Root, May 25
- IAP2 Vancouver Leadership Workshop, April 23, 2009
- Request for Expressions of Interest - Professional Development
Message from the President
Submitted by Jan Bloomfield, President
As I write this, spring appears to have finally arrived in Alberta. It is lovely to look out my window at the colourful and fragrant blossoms and the leaves budding out all over, imparting a sense of new beginnings.
This spring seems to be a very busy time for public consultation across the province. I keep hearing about public engagement events and activities on a wide spectrum of topics. What is not clear is whether this is just a matter of timing, or a reflection of a greater awareness of the importance of providing opportunities for the public to have input into decisions that affect them. The response to that question will be in how much the input from the public influences the decisions being made.
It is exciting to hear about what is happening in our neighbour to the south. We provided you with an update in the April Rosebush about the Public Engagement Principles discussion that has been occurring involving IAP2, the National Coalition on Dialogue and Deliberation and others. Since then, the Obama administration officially launched the Open Government Initiative www.whitehouse.gov/open, an unprecedented process for public engagement in policy making. Due to the level of interest, the Brainstorming Phase of their online consultation has been extended until June 19, and the Phase II Discussion starts on June 3, 2009. IAP2 members have been invited to join in the conversation. More information about the initiative and how to participate is available at www.IAP2.org.
I also encourage you to attend the IAP2 International Conference being held from September 21 to 23 in San Diego. The conference theme is Making Sustainable Decisions: the Price and Promise of Public Participation and I am sure it will be a most thought provoking event. Early bird conference registration rates end on June 30 (see www.IAP2.org). Read more in this issue of the Rose Bush to find out how you can enter to win a free conference registration.
Lots of things have happened over the past couple of months, including Webinars, the first Wild Rose Café held in Edmonton, as well as the IAP2 Leadership Workshop held in Vancouver on April 23, 2009. Reports on these events are included below. In addition, the IAP2 Wild Rose bylaws that were updated at the 2009 AGM have been registered with Alberta Registries.
The Wild Rose Board will be meeting for a strategic planning retreat in early June, and then will be taking a break from monthly meetings in July and August. That said, we are always interested in hearing from you as members about your ideas for Webinars, Cafés and other events, as well as how you can help us plan and organize them! So, while you are enjoying what we hope will be a great summer, give some thought to what you would like to see IAP2 Wild Rose do to better serve you as members as we start fresh in the fall!
Draw for San Diego International Conference
Submitted by Jan Bloomfield, President
IAP2 Wild Rose Chapter will once again be a sponsor for the IAP2 International Conference being held in San Diego from September 21 to 23, 2009. As part of that sponsorship, we receive two conference registrations and gala dinner tickets. The Wild Rose Board has agreed that we will hold 2 draws for these conference registrations to encourage participation by Wild Rose members on June 10, 2009.
In order to be eligible for the draw, you must submit your name, email address and telephone number indicating your interest in being included in the draw to info@iap2wildrosechapter.org by midnight on June 18, 2009. The draw will be made by someone who has not entered their name on June 19, 2009.
NOTE: If you are the winner of one of the registrations and find that you cannot attend the conference, you will have to advise us by no later than June 22 so that we can draw for someone else to take your place before the Early Bird registration closes.
First Wild Rose Cafe in Edmonton, May 25
Submitted by Jan Bloomfield, President
About a dozen people were in attendance at the first Wild Rose Café held at the Billiard Club in Edmonton on May 25, 2009.
While numbers were small, participants learned a great deal about the science, spread and the impacts of Club Root disease, a fungus that is attacking the roots of the Canola plant, as well as how public participation practitioners are handling the emerging issue in their interactions with farmers, landowners and other stakeholders.
Erin Brock, Canola Council of Canada, set the stage for the discussion by providing information on the science of Club Root and what it is. Murray Hartman, Oilseed Specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Chair of the Alberta Clubroot Management Committee, talked about regulations, surveys and cleaning strategies to help contain the spread of the disease. Larry Mogck, AltaLink Management, shared some of his experiences in negotiating acceptable solutions with landowners relative to accessing their land.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the café.
We are looking for ideas for more Wild Rose Café sessions to be scheduled in the fall. If you have any ideas about interesting topics or potential speakers to lead the discussions, please let us know. We would encourage you to help us organize these, including in areas outside of Edmonton and Calgary. Please contact Paula Kupchak Hall at info@iap2wildrosechapter.org with your ideas.
IAP2 Vancouver Leadership Workshop, April 23
Submitted by Jan Bloomfield, President
On April 23, several IAP2 Wild Rose members participated in the IAP2 Leadership Workshop in Vancouver. The Workshop was well attended, and participants learned about IAP2 international governance and operations. Discussion topics included review of the values and ethics of IAP2, branding and marketing of IAP2 based on some of the values and reasons why people are members of IAP2, as well as what resources are available and what the International Board can do to assist chapters and affiliates. Tracy Hutton who works with Marcus Buckingham, author of such books as GO, Put Your Strengths to Work, led a discussion on building on your strengths, in which participants were asked to challenge their weaknesses and identify the strengths that they have individually that they can share with the organization. For more information about Marcus Buckingham, go to www.marcusbuckingham.com.
Request for Expressions of Interest for Professional Development
Submitted by Brenda Walton, Training Director
This year the Board has decided to issue Requests for Expressions of Interest (REOI) for both the delivery of IAP2 Certificate Training and the delivery of Public Participation Professional Development Training in the fall of 2009. The Training Director and a committee of five will review and select of a slate of trainers for the coming year.
To allow a greater range of potential learning opportunities, we have extended the deadline for REOI for Professional Development Training to June 15, 2009.
For details and guidelines, please visit the IAP2 Wild Rose Website at http://www.iap2wildrosechapter.org/news_and_events/reoi_june , or contact Brenda Walton, Training Director, at brenda@kairoscreativesolutions.com .
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