June 2nd & 3rd, 2009

Purpose

The aim of the forum was to allow participants to come together, network, and learn from each other by sharing best practices and solutions as well as efforts to solve regional problems together. Through presentations made by 2 keynote speakers (Claudette Bradshaw and Fraser Mustard), and through table discussions using the World Café model, participants discovered common points across four impact issues: literacy, youth engagement, early childhood, and community food security.

Background

This 2 day bilingual learning and sharing event involved roughly 100 participants and took place on campus at Mount Allison University and in the town of Sackville, NB. It was funded through the discretionary fund of the United Way and various corporate sponsors and partners of the United Way, as well as with in-kind support from the Tantramar Family Resource Centre.

World Café Conversations are an intentional way to create a living network of conversation around questions that matter. A Café Conversation is a creative process for leading collaborative dialogue, sharing knowledge and creating possibilities for action in groups of all sizes. The methodology of the World Café is simple: The environment is set up like a café, with tables for four, tablecloths covered by paper tablecloths, flowers, some coloured pens and, if possible, candles, quiet music and refreshments. People sit four to a table and have a series of conversational rounds lasting from 20 to 45 minutes about one or more questions which are personally meaningful to them. At the end of each round, one person remains at each table as the host, while each of the other three travel to separate tables. Table hosts welcome newcomers to their tables and share the essence of that table’s conversation so far. The newcomers relate any conversational threads which they are carrying—and then the conversation continues, deepening as the round progresses.

Discussion

All four café’s (“Literacy” café, “Youth Engagement” café, “Early Childhood” café, Community Food Security” café) began with the same questions: 1. What question, if answered, could make the most difference to the future of (topic) 2. If our success was completely guaranteed, what bold steps might we choose? As participants moved through rounds, they were invited to capture their thoughts in words and drawings on the placemats at their table, and to record insights or “aha!” moments on the paper bricks available to them. Table hosts encouraged a positive approach centred on possibilities, and help to name connections and patterns. All the placemats and bricks were collected and posted on walls in a common space, and further connections and actionables were discovered across issues and sectors.

Conclusion

Common Themes:
Respect,
Dignity,
Access,
Strength based,
Trust,
Non-traditional,
Awareness,
Communication,
Universal

Some Connected Themes:

1. Access → Participation → Engagement

• Physical accessibility, social accessibility, mental accessibility, economic accessibility
• Access does not guarantee engagement, only the choice to participate. AND it is only through participation that a person has the opportunity to become engaged so they may choose to ACT.

2. Cross pollination of Heroes/Champions/Advocates

• Community engagement, one person at a time, across issues, based on values, passion, vision
• Story telling across issues to make the connection and thus the case: Literacy, Employment, Poverty, Food Security i.e. Learning/Literacy “Hero” shares at sports banquet; Agricultural/Community Food Security “Hero” story shared in Youth Engagement; young person speaks to poverty, etc.

3. Collaboration → Community Asset → Repurposing

• Asset based/Strength based
• Building on identified community resources. Respecting original purpose but daring to envision a wider more inclusive purpose to better meet community needs and afford greater opportunity for community. i.e. ALC “repurposed” common foyer as combination internal dream centre and Community room for non-profits; schools “repurposed” as Community schools, etc.

4. Intergenerational → Inter-human-relational → Interdependent

• Moving from mentoring and coaching to recognizing we need one another’s gifts
• Shadowing or Mentoring: learning from each other, regardless of socio-economic situation, community position, geography. Respecting what another has to offer and intentionally looking to draw individual strengths out.
• Embrace and Value Diversity: Cultural, Linguistic, Ethnic, Spiritual and Individual (skills and competencies)
• Family Resource Centres for ALL families – traditional and non-traditional

5. Policy: Person-to-Person → Neighbourhood-Community → Municipal/ Regional/Provincia/National Engagement

Areas of common interest regarding Food Security/Insecurity shared by the participants:

• Social implications of food insecurity
  • As access to food, crime and prostitution, etc.
• How do we learn how to eat seasonally?
• What percentage of our food is imported to NB?
• How do we build awareness around the issue of Food Security?
• Elementary/Middle School/High School – gardening/growing – cooking -> take it home!
• Support people to make healthy choices
• How do we know what we are eating? What will make us care?