Our Model

From the outside in: Community consensus building

“The essential feature of a common thought is not that it is held in common but that it has been produced in common.”

- Mary Parker Follet  1868-1933

The model for a social planning mechanism described in this document is based on a very simple premise. Cities, and the people who live in them, have the essential wisdom necessary to address all challenges, to find solutions that yield profound change and to create new opportunities that work for everyone.  Simply put, the resources - money, people and solutions – are available to address the challenges and opportunities that present themselves as social issues in the community.

The first activity to empower a Community Social Planning Mechanism is the gathering of wisdom from its citizens and the attainment of a commitment to a community social  planning agenda for the whole community for a period between two and five years.  For a community social plan to be truly comprehensive, contributors to the process must come from all sectors - public, private, voluntary and quasi-governmental organizations and include citizens, agencies, organizations and networks from all the diverse aspects of community life.

Step one involves community intelligence gathering through a process that leads to the development of a vision and strategic directions for a community social plan for the community.  Processes to achieve this outcome do exist that are democratic and empowering and engage all participants in the creation of a shared agenda. Open Space Technology developed by Harrison Owen and put into practice by corporations, governments and voluntary sector organizations world-wide is one example of a proven process.

The shared vision and mission created by the community, and the corresponding strategic directions delineated, influence what happens next.  It is anticipated that this process of consulting with citizens from all walks of life in the community will take place on a regular basis as issues and concerns in the community are constantly emerging and ever changing.

”True collaborations are not just about working together and doing essentially the same things – but rather they are about setting collective priorities,using resources in different ways, incorporating different perspectives.”

-Julie White, The Trillium Foundation

Brief Overview of the Model at Work

The process of creating the shared vision and strategic directions will result in groups, organizations and individuals committing to collaborate on one or more aspect of the strategic directions.  Such collaborative initiatives will coalesce into Working Groups represented in the model by the three circles. It is anticipated that existing collaborations such as the Community Planning Group, the Network for Healthy Living and the Affordable Housing Committee may choose to come to the table as a Working Group.

The broken lines indicate that each Working Group remains responsive to the shared vision determined through a community visioning process as well as to the constantly changing external environment as each Working Group carries out its work. Where community social challenges are held in common between two or more Working Groups, the potential exists for the creation of sub-working groups or the formation of a new Working Group.

A person is nominated by each Working Group to serve on the Stewardship Committee.  This Group plays a key role in providing stewardship or guidance to the entire social planning mechanism.  The Stewardship Group is a permanent structure essential in the model.  Members of the Stewardship Group may change regularly based on changes in Working Groups and their representatives.  More permanent members of the Stewardship Group may be representatives from Key Stakeholders, who have an abiding interest in social planning for the community over the longer term.

A Secretariat supports the work of the Stewardship Group and acts at the permanent coordinating body for the entire decision making process.  Following is a detailed description of each of the elements of the model starting with the Working Groups.