Creating Healthy Public Policy relies on partnerships and teamwork. Local and Indigenous governments and other organizations are joining forces to tackle community challenges share resources, collaborate on events and implement joint planning initiatives. As these communities and allies unite to share insights, they build significant relationships and incorporate Indigenous viewpoints into community planning and decision-making processes. Local governments, as they work towards reconciliation and start to recognize the importance of decolonization, increasingly need to be aware of strategic partnerships that lead to establishing more equitable, healthy communities.
BC Healthy Communities invites you to join our webinar on June 28 at 1:30 pm featuring Dr. Sarah Wright Cardinal and three speakers from the City of Mission. Connie Allsopp, Delivery Lead for PlanH at BCHC, will host the webinar.
The webinar discussion will focus on how local and Indigenous governments can forge partnerships and initiate substantial cooperation to establish Healthy Public Policy. Dr. Cardinal will share her distinctive viewpoint as an Assistant Professor at the University of Victoria’s School of Public Health and Social Policy. Her work emphasizes Spirit and land-based dimensions of Indigenous health, Indigenous Resurgence, Decolonizing practices, both historical and current Indigenous Child Welfare, Intersectionality and identity development, and Storied and community-engaged research. Our featured PlanH community speakers will share firsthand experiences of work in their communities.
The team of speakers from Mission includes Kirsten Hargreaves, Manager of Social Development; Jen Cook, Primary Care Network Manager; and Barb Blanchard, Manager of Leq’a:mel Health Center. Their 2022 PlanH Grant Project for the City of Mission was developing a Community Wellness Plan and building partnerships. They specifically reached out to create meaningful engagements with key stakeholders representing the Indigenous community. The goals of these engagements were: a) establishing meaningful relationships with Elders and Knowledge Keepers; and b) creating a plan or process for the City of Mission to dialogue with First Nations People for input on a policy process and to inform the Community Wellness Plan. These speakers will each share their perspectives on the partnership process to create the wellness plan and how their collaboration led to meaningful relationships.
This upcoming webinar aims to provide insights and tools to those creating or influencing public policies within their community. Navigating how to change or influence policy can seem daunting; this conversation is designed to help you and your team better understand the pathway to creating healthier public policies and provide tools to assist in the process. The webinar will facilitate discussion, presentation, and engagement to help individuals and team members understand where they should enter the policy process, and what change they want to affect. Additionally, the webinar will provide examples of indicators that can be used to measure the effectiveness of policy changes. Ideally, this webinar is for individuals and/or organizations engaged in research, policy analysis, or inquiry and looking to advocate for policy changes that work toward creating healthier communities.
PlanH, a collaboration between BC Healthy Communities Society and the BC Ministry of Health, supports the Local Government Leaders Speaker Series on Creating Healthy Public Policy.