Urban Aboriginal Community Dialogue Process

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Urban Aboriginal Community Dialogue Process

• Originally Prepared by Shalene Jobin
• December 19, 2006
• Updated March 8, 2007

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Aboriginal Community Dialogue Process

• Undertaken by the City of Edmonton, EAUAC,
  Western Diversification, Aboriginal Affairs and
  Northern Development and Edmonton Housing Trust
  Fund.
• Elders Circle a key element in the process.
• Survey, talking circles, open houses, and an
  executive forum, engaged over 1800 people between
  July 2005 to December 2005.
• Three main themes emerged
• Acknowledgement that there needs to be new ways
  of working together
• Collaborations already exist concerning
  Aboriginal Edmonton, but further collaborations
  need to be explored
• Action on key priorities identified by the
  Aboriginal community

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Guiding Principlesfor the Community Dialogue
Process

• Maintain an Aboriginal community-led and
  community-driven process that is inclusive of all
  interested individuals and organizations.

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Community Dialogue Process Creating Options
Phase

• Community Leaders Gatherings, July 2006
• New Ways of Working Together (NWWT) volunteer
  working group August November 2006
• Community Action Circles, Sept 2006 and ongoing
• November 30th Aboriginal Community Gathering to
  conclude this phase of the Dialogue Process and
  to help move forward on the communitys wishes
  concerning ongoing collaborations

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New Ways of Working Together (NWWT)

• Purpose
• To develop options for an Aboriginal community
  coordination mechanism.

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NWWT Group Activities

• Beginning in August, we met most Thursday
  evenings, until early November
• Also held a one day workshop October 21st
• Engaged a neutral facilitator to guide our work
  together
• Reviewed models for Aboriginal community
  mechanisms from other Canadian urban centres and
  internationally

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NWWT Activities

• Also reviewed all input from community collected
  throughout the Community Dialogue Process,
  including Your City, Your Voice Report, Community
  Leaders Gathering notes, Executive Forum notes,
  and more
• More than 1800 voices were honoured in the
  materials reviewed
• Based on community input, four possible options
  for a made in Edmonton community mechanism were
  identified

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Community-led Action Circles

• Improvements to Shelter Housing
• Respect for Aboriginal Histories, Cultures,
  Languages
• Improved Employment Appropriate Skills Training
• Improvements in Aboriginal Health Well-Being
• Services That Help People Who Are New to the City
• Culturally Appropriate Education
• Improvements to the Justice System
• Aboriginal People Helping Each Other Through
  Volunteerism
• Note listed in order of community identified
  priority

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Community-led Action Circles

• For an update on the Community-led Action
  Circles that resulted from the Urban Aboriginal
  Community Dialogue Process, please visit website
  
• www.aboriginaledmonton.ca/aboriginal accord

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Aboriginal Community Gathering

• Four Aboriginal coordination models were
  developed, presented, and a choosing activity
  undertaken at the Aboriginal Gathering on
  November 30, 2006
• There were 130 people who attended this gathering

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Draft OptionsAll Options begin with the community

• Community
• Edmonton Urban Aboriginal Dialogue process

All Options
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DRAFT OPTION Aboriginal Elected Council

• Membership is free or paid to vote for the
  elected council within Edmonton
• Action Circles form subcommittees to initiate
  planning on the identified priorities and bring
  forward issues and to the elected council
• Elder Counsel provides guidance and input to
  addressing the priorities
• Aboriginal Elected Council will be elected to
  represent and advocate on behalf of Urban
  Aboriginal Edmonton

Aboriginal Elected Council
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DRAFT OPTION Existing PoliticalRepresentatives

• Aboriginal representative organizations develop a
  mechanism to better work together for the greater
  good of the Edmonton Aboriginal community
• Needs to be established by the respective
  leadership groups

Representative Political
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DRAFT OPTION Coalition on Service Providers

• Action Circles - eight specific priority areas
  take action on the community identified needs and
  priorities. Each action circle nominates a
  service agency as Chair to promote and
  cross-coordinate initiatives at the Leadership
  Circle
• Elders identified by Action Circle participants
  to provide guidance and input
• Leadership Circle - unified voice to speak and
  advocate on behalf of urban Aboriginal Edmonton
  to the levels of government. Each Action Circle
  will have a service agency Chair as well as an
  identified Elder represented at the Leadership
  Circle

Coalition of Service Providers / Deliverers
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DRAFT OPTION Traditional Leadership/Stewardship

• Action Circles priority areas that will create
  action strategies. Participants will nominate a
  Speaker to bring forward the voice on the Shared
  Circle of Responsibility/Leadership Circle
• Shared Circle of Responsibility/ Leadership
  Circle address and implement solutions created
  by the work of the Action Circles. Participants
  include reps from Action Circles and orders of
  govt with participation from Elders, Youth, and
  Women
• Elders Circle - provide guidance and input
• Youth Circle - guidance and input
• Women Circle - guidance and input
• Secretariat - administrative, technical, and
  logistical support

Traditional Leadership / Stewardship
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Choosing Options for a Community Mechanism

• Each participant had 2 dots to make choices
  amongst the four options
• Placed the red dot on the preferred Option
• Placed the yellow dot on the Option diagram that
  represents the option they could live with

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Choosing Options for a Community Mechanism

• Of the 84 people who participated in the choosing
  activity, the choices were
• Traditional Leadership/Stewardship Model
• Red 52 Yellow 17 Total 69
• Coalition of Service Providers/Deliverers Model
• Red 15 Yellow 38 Total 53
• Aboriginal Elected Council Model
• Red 10 Yellow 13 Total 23
• Existing Political Representatives Model
• Red 4 Yellow 11 Total 15

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Traditional Leadership/ Stewardship Option

• Provide the Aboriginal community with a mechanism
  that brings forward their concerns, needs,
  issues, and priorities through interested
  individuals, community agencies, groups, or
  organizations that currently operate within the
  Edmonton region

Traditional Leadership / Stewardship
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Traditional Leadership/ Stewardship Purpose

• Address community-identified needs, issues,
  opportunities, and priorities in a planned and
  coordinated way
• Form long-term sustainable relationships
• Open and inclusive mechanism

Traditional Leadership / Stewardship
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Structure - Roles and Responsibilities

• Action Circles priority areas that will create
  action strategies. Participants will nominate a
  Speaker to bring forward the voice on the Shared
  Circle of Responsibility/Leadership Circle
• Shared Circle of Responsibility/ Leadership
  Circle address and implement solutions created
  by the work of the Action Circles. Participants
  include reps from Action Circles and orders of
  govt with participation from Elders, Youth, and
  Women
• Elders Circle - provide guidance and input
• Youth Circle - guidance and input
• Women Circle - guidance and input
• Secretariat - administrative, technical, and
  logistical support

Traditional Leadership / Stewardship
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Next Steps

• There will be a community meeting/forum early in
  2007 to move forward on this initiative
• The Canadian Native Friendship Centre offered to
  host this meeting at its location