Ascentum presenting at the next Social Media for Government conference
Friday, September 17th, 2010
Ascentum’s delighted to be speaking at the next Advanced Learning Institute (ALI) Social Media for Government conference in Ottawa, September 27-30.
We’ll be presenting on a recent high profile public engagement project we were involved with – the online consultation on a Digital Economy Strategy for Canada. We’ll be describing the process design, launch, the challenges we encountered along the way, and our principal learnings, alongside the great team from Industry Canada. (more…)
Vitalizing Democracy: Vote for the Mental Health Commission of Canada!
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
Last year, we had the privilege of working with the Mental Health Commission of Canada as it embarked on an epic journey to develop a mental health strategy for Canada.
I say “epic” because the magnitude of this task cannot be under-estimated. Consider: the prevalence of mental illness and mental health problems in Canada (one in four Canadians will at point or another in their life struggle with mental health issues); the chronic under-funding and fragmentation of the Canadian mental health system (which is in effect a patchwork of systems held together by a mix of goodwill and duct tape); the complex constitutional context in which any reform must occur (not to mention that many social services are delivered by municipal and regional authorities) and… Well, you get the picture. (more…)
The Value of Different Engagement Methods: Community Summits
Friday, September 24th, 2010
Most people have some preconceived notion of what a public consultation may look like: a crowded room, people talking back and forth, and a person standing at the front fielding questions. However, meaningful engagement can be achieved in a wide variety of ways, and as a result, should look different depending on the situation.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing a few examples of different methods, which I used recently in a course at the University of Victoria to conduct ‘simulation’ consultations. (more…)
Tags: Community Summit, Engagement Methods
Posted in Commentary and Opinion | 1 Comment »