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Bring a customized presentation or workshop on public participation to your classroom.

In Canada and around the world, governments and organizations are increasingly innovating with approaches to democratic participation that engage impacted communities and system actors to inform co-create solutions to complex challenges and inform the development of policies and programs. Understanding when and how to effectively invite public participation into decision-making is becoming a key competency for emerging professionals across sectors.

Drawing from the Centre for Dialogue鈥檚 years of experience leading public participation initiatives and developing resources on engagement methods, the Centre collaborates with  天美mv天美 Faculty across departments to develop learning opportunities on democratic participation and innovation. Ranging from short presentations to hands-on workshops, these offerings are customized to complement course curriculums, deepening students鈥� understanding of the role of public participation in their field.

Embedding Equity in Public Participation

Hearing from people with diverse lived experiences leads to more equitable, effective and sustainable policies and programs. However, many groups of people remain under-represented in decision-making due to systemic barriers and inequities. Drawing from the Centre for Dialogue鈥檚 award-winning guide, Beyond Inclusion: Equity in Public Engagement, this workshop introduces students to concepts of inclusion, accessibility and equity within public engagement processes. Outlining eight principles for equitable engagement, the workshop invites critical reflection of public consultation processes and draws connections to equitable practices in community-based research.  

This workshop will:

• Define鈥痚quity,鈥痠nclusion鈥痑nd accessibility in public participation;
• Outline鈥痚ight principles鈥痮f鈥痚quitable鈥痚ngagement, illustrated by real-world case-studies;鈥痑nd
• Provide鈥痚xamples of鈥痵pecific strategies to address common barriers to accessibility.

In a workshop format, students are invited to engage in experiential activities to practice applying the principles of equitable engagement to engagement planning scenarios in their field, such as mapping impacted communities or designing accessibility strategies. 

Catching the Deliberative Wave

Among the range of public participation tools and methods, 鈥渄eliberative鈥� models, such as Citizens鈥� Assemblies, are increasingly being used to engage members of the public in informed discussion around complex challenges, leading to the development of robust policy recommendations. This workshop introduces emerging models of deliberation, with case studies from relevant policy areas, and orients students to the growing scholarship on deliberation. 

This workshop will:

• Define and鈥痯rovide a brief history of deliberative鈥痙emocracy;
• Outline common models for public deliberation, highlighting case studies of recent developments in local and global contexts;
• Explain when engaging the public through deliberation is most appropriate and how deliberative models can complement broader engagement tools; 
• Outline key planning considerations; and
• Introduce key sources of information and scholarship on deliberative democracy

In a workshop format, students are invited to engage in experiential exercises, such as identifying policy challenges within their field that would lend themselves to a deliberative鈥痯rocess. 

Five Types of Engagement to Accelerate Climate Action

Successful climate action requires a sustained whole-of-society response that is strengthened by engaging diverse members of the public and civil society to navigate trade-offs and co-create solutions. Using real-world examples from local to global contexts, this workshop introduces students to emerging approaches to climate engagement and introduces key sources of information and scholarship on climate engagement.

This workshop will:鈥�

• Present鈥痶he business case for climate engagement, contexts where engagement can add value, and common reasons for/against engaging;
• Outline鈥痜ive types of climate engagement and how these can be combined to advance鈥痵ystems鈥痗hange, including deliberative, relationship-based, place-based,鈥痩arge-scale鈥痑nd systems-oriented engagement;
• Share real-world鈥痗ase studies that illustrate planning considerations鈥痜or climate engagement;
• Direct鈥痵tudents to鈥痑dditional鈥痩earning鈥痳esources on climate engagement.

In a workshop format, students are invited to engage in experiential exercises, such as identifying approaches to climate engagement that are best suited to specific policy challenges.