Searchable database of ICA and ToP facilitation and CD work around the world.

Hydro Lines crossing First Nations Land

nospam@example.com (Top) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:08:10 -0700

Working in Canada with Ontario Hydro and Wahta Mohawks First Nation ICA was engaged to facilitate negotiations over grievances related to the construction and operation of a hydro electric generating station resulting in flooding in the Wahta Mohawks First Nation in Canada. The hydro company had also routed hydro transmission lines across Mohawk territory. This mirrored decades of history of land grievances and threatened to stop the hydro project. ICA Canada was engaged to work with representatives of Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation and the community leadership of Wahta Mohawks First Nation. Wayne Nelson facilitated a team of 12 people over three years affecting 400 First Nations members and the Corporate Management of Ontario Power Generation and Hydro One. The three year project involved designing, facilitating and documenting a process to reach a commonly agreed upon resolution of the grievances. The negotiation process resulted in a settlement that integrated the perspectives of the parties involved and was ratified by Hydro management and the community members. The project was seen as a joint problem solving process and was divided into the seven Phases of Conciliation. Phase 1 - Initiating the Dialogue – Facilitated the development of agreed upon terms of reference and operating protocols. Phase 2 - Clarifying the Situation - Facilitated the documentation of a complete, detailed history of the relevant events. Phase 3 - Expressing the Experience – Facilitated a common understanding of the motives for initiating the project and the feelings and experience of community residents. Phase 4 - Articulating the Substantial Issues – Facilitated articulation of the impact that the generating station has had on the community. Phase 5 - Generating Options – Facilitated the development of ways to address the impacts of the installation. Phase 6 - Creating Resolution – Facilitated final negotiations resulting in an agreed upon settlement. Phase 7 – Planning for Implementation – Facilitated the development of plans for ratification and the foundations of an ongoing relationship among the parties. Several Hydro employees formalized what they had learned through additional training. The entire project used elements of negotiation, conflict resolution, cross cultural communication, facilitation design, process facilitation, Documentation, and report writing. ToP methods were used through the project. Bill Staples, Canada

Tobacco Summit Conference

nospam@example.com (Top) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:05:05 -0700

A steering committee funded by several cities in NorthEastern Ontario decided to hold a major conference, the NorthEastern Ontario Tobacco Summit, (NEOTS) to determine a region wide strategy to deal with smoking. The steering committee consisted of representatives of several health departments, restaurant associations, municipal governments and other groups. The steering committee wanted the conference but could not agree on its outcome because of the opposing viewpoints of the members. ICAs was hired to design and facilitate the conference specifically because of our conciliation approach and our ability to work with the heavy conflict which would undoubtedly occur during the conference. The only prerequisite was there should be outcomes that could be acted upon by everyone. Six months of prep work promoted the conference throughout the region of approximately 200 by 400 kilometers. A team of epidemiologists were hired by the steering committee to evaluate the outcomes of the conference. The three day conference of 185 people opened with eight speeches and presentations from the various and opposing points of view. Participants were then sent into small mixed teams to interview each other using a ToP Focused Conversation on the impacts of tobacco on their lives. Impacts ranged from death, to large expenses to set up smoking sections in restaurants. The Consensus Workshop Method was used to determine fourteen workshop topics for the next section of the conference. Fourteen teams met to determine the key questions they had about their assigned topic, using the Focused Conversation Method. This was followed by a major plenary of reports. The fourteen teams then reconvened, with some reshuffling of participants, to make recommendations on how to answer the questions that had been raised. During the second plenary, a Consensus Table of 5 participants were assigned to listen carefully and determine points of consensus they heard emerging. The five points were: involve youth in all future planning; all future research should be jointly done; 100% smoke-free bylaws should be enacted, except for ceremonial uses of Tobacco by First Nations; a coordinating body should be formed; lobby for provincial funding for enforcement, education, cessation and prevention. Twelve geographic teams were formed to create action plans for each of the consensus points, including stakeholder frameworking, goals and timelines. The major problem that the steering committee had been up against for several years was that there had been a patchwork of legislation about smoking in all the various municipalities, making for unfair competition between restaurants and tourist locations. Also no one believed the opponent’s statistics about smoking. Once all that had been thoroughly aired, all participant were able to recommended an across-the-board no smoking zone. The First Nation perspective on the sacredness of the Tobacco Plant also had a salutary effect on everyone to calm down and respect each another, as well as respecting Tobacco. Three years later the entire province passed no-smoking legislation, but it cannot be proven what effect the NorthEastern Ontario Smoking Summit had on that legislation. Bill Staples, Canada

Kumi Programme - Israeli Palestinian Peace - UK

nospam@example.com (Top) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:50:55 -0700

Kumi (roughly translated as “Rise Up” in Hebrew and Arabic) focuses on helping participants to reflect upon their beliefs about themselves and “the other” and eventually negotiate some of their strongly held goals and interests while at the same time enhancing the capacity of the participants to organize more effectively to address the conflict they are experiencing. The new Kumi method effectively addresses the problematic dynamic of over-specialization of many conflict methodologies which deal solely with one or two aspects of a conflict (e.g. removal of stereotypes). Kumi, on the other hand, is specifically designed to bring conflicting parties together for a deeper analysis of the conflict and a deep and meaningful engagement with each other within the context of a robust and sustainable strategy and action plan. Background The programme was conceived in 2003, at the end of a week-long meeting of young European, Israeli, and Palestinian activists to discuss the European role in the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Inspired by a shared goal of moving toward sustainable peace and development in the Euro- Mediterranean region, and disillusioned about the effectiveness of civil society efforts to have constructive impact on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the programme is based on three basic insights: 1. The conflict is sustained by institutional and ideological structures on both sides. These structures shape the attitudes and the behaviour of the conflict parties. A sustainable resolution of the conflict must involve the transformation of these structures through robust collective action. Many previous attempts by civil society organizations at participatory “people-to-people” projects in the region have had little impact at best and, at worst, reinforced the current divisions, inequalities and asymmetry of capability. Focusing on joint Israeli -Palestinian activities for peace education and reconciliation was a step too soon. 2. While not neglecting the potential positive long-term impact of joint activity, if properly designed, attention needs to shift to working also in each society separately in order to 1 enhance the capability for constructive organized collective action, especially on the Palestinian side, and to transform ideology, especially on the Israeli side. Both of these objectives are intended to address the abuse of the power asymmetry between Israelis and Palestinians, which is seen to be the single most significant obstacle to a sustainable resolution of the conflict. The problem is not the asymmetrical quantity of power existent between two states or two societies: Spain and Andorra, Germany and Luxemburg and other asymmetrical “couples” have had very good and productive neighbouring relationships regardless of the asymmetry of power. The problem in this conflict is the abuse of this asymmetry by the powerful part to oppress the powerless and deprive them of many of their rights. 3. Relative power is not a matter of perception but is anchored in objective reality. It is emphasized that the problem is not the power asymmetry itself but rather the lack of institutions and ideology which prevent or at least contain its abusive use. Changing this objective reality is a long-term process of social change. But meanwhile, targeted interventions can help to ameliorate the asymmetry of power in an intractable conflict such as the Israeli -Palestinian one. On the Palestinian side, this could be done by enhancing Palestinian capability to renewing the basic functionality at the national societal level, greatly disrupted by the policies of occupation, while at the same time forging new alliances, internally and with powerful external actors that aim at a sustainable resolution of the conflict. On the Israeli side, ideological transformation is intended to change perception about how the Israeli power advantage could be more morally utilized in ways which do not increase animosity through innovating new policies towards the Palestinians and the region that can better achieve the long-term security needs of society. Previous Israeli-Palestinian people-centred interventions usually aimed only at the ‘usual suspects’ and when attempts were made to reach those so far excluded they were solely with the aim of shifting their thinking towards that of the ‘usual suspects’. No genuine attempt to modify the paradigm in accordance with their needs was made. Furthermore, existing interventions have not created sufficient linkages between levels of analysis (e.g. structural vs. actor-oriented approaches) and practice (e.g. the famous micro-macro gap). Finally, no theoretical breakthroughs have been made, and no critical mass has been formed. http://www.ica-uk.org.uk/images/stories/Kumi_History_and_Description.pdf

Music and Youth Peer Research - UK

nospam@example.com (Top) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:29:42 -0700

Young people came up with these project aims: We want to carry out a piece of research to find out how music affects teenagers in Manchester. Will will do this through questionnaires, interviews and mystery ‘shopping’. We aim to make contact with 250 people. We will do this through schools and friendship networks, including an online version of the questionnaire too. We will do this piece of research in 4 weeks. Do you think music could change a teenager’s life completely? Lots of people said yes to this question. They generally thought the affects would be positive more than negative. They said it can inspire people and help people to express their emotions, become more social, be a release and an escape, give confidence and a better view of life and be able to ‘see the world in a different light’. They thought it could even help people to become healthier and happier, giving you better life choices and future path, including if it was a focus for your career. But also, people through that it can have a psychological affect on teenagers. It can make you more aggressive and more angry. It is important but as one person pointed out, music isn’t everything, and is not on its own always that powerful, but can be a tool for good if used in conjunction with other things. http://www.ica-uk.org.uk/images/stories/amelia/ICA_UK_Reclaim_Peer_Research_Report_selection.pdf

Lesbian and Gay Peer Research - UK

nospam@example.com (Top) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:27:23 -0700

Young people of Lesbian and Gay Youth Manchester designed and undertook a piece of research about a topic they highlighted as important to their community. The issue they chose to investigate was healthy and unhealthy relationships and the role of abuse in young LGBT people’s lives in a piece of research called ‘How’s Your Relationship’ ICA:UK trained a group of young people to undertake this research, supported the project in action and worked with the group to generate findings and recommendations. http://www.ica-uk.org.uk/images/stories/ICA_UK_LGYM_Peer_Research_Report_low_res.pdf

Peer Research on Community Needs in Manchester - UK

nospam@example.com (Top) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:22:43 -0700

‘Northwest Together We Can’ (NWTWC) invested on an engagement project where young people from five areas across Greater Manchester would assess community needs through peer research. ICA:UK trained and supported the groups of young people to undertake this research. Our aim was to work with the young people, helping them to identify an area of need to focus on and to select a medium of research which would encourage and engage their peers. There is a desire for change in Partington and a high number of young people who are willing to give up time to help improve Partington life. They often feel let down by authorities and need more support from the police in particular. They need community centres to stay open and offer a safe space at all times, and for more positive activities to be set up for and with young people. The research carried out in Oldham for the Breeze Hill High School and Count Hill High School Merger highlighted a fear and concern around racism, as the two schools represent very different communities (mostly white in one school and mostly Asian in another). The study in Brinnington focussed on alcohol use amongst under 18’ s. Alco-pops and clear/white spirits were the most popular choice of alcohol. In Leigh the findings highlighted the desire for change in Leigh. There were a high number of young people who felt that there was a limited amount of options of places to go, and that more activities and places to go should be created in the community. In Leigh the findings highlighted the desire for change in Leigh. There were a high number of young people who felt that there was a limited amount of options of places to go, and that more activities and places to go should be created in the community. A desire for a community centre appears an important part of bringing the residents of Leigh together. Many people felt unsafe in Leigh with a perception of a low police presence in the area. Lots of young people were unhappy with the untidy and vandalized appearance of Leigh in some areas. They felt the local government should provide more reason to come to and stay in Leigh and be proud of the area. ICA:UK, registered charity no. 1090745 - company limited by guarantee no. 3970365, registered in England & Wales registered address: 41 Old Birley Street, Manchester M15 5RF - tel/fax: 0845 450 0305 or 0161 232 8444 In Ashton a research theme of racism and stereotypes was chosen. Although the findings were useful, during the process we discovered a need for anti-discriminatory practice training. http://www.ica-uk.org.uk/images/stories/Peer_Research_5_areas_Case_study.pdf