Regional Differences in Program Delivery

Partnerships:

• In Nova Scotia, Dalhousie University’s Henson College of Continuing Education, and Tatamagouche Centre partnered to offer Leadership Connext. While the two partners shared a common educational philosophy, each brought to the project complementary expertise and skills. CCE had a stronger content and theoretical focus particularly in the areas of interpersonal communication, conflict resolution and negotiation as well as a lot of experience with self-assessment questionnaires and role-playing techniques. In addition to the venue itself, Tatamagouche Centre’s strengths lay in the area of reflective learning, group dynamics, racism and diversity education, and social justice. The two organizations made a significant in-kind investment of professional and, in the case of Dalhousie, institutional resources. This would not have been possible without both a personal and organizational interest in voluntary sector development, an enthusiasm for developing new approaches to facilitating learning, and an expectation that as a result of the project they would receive further recognition as educational resources for the voluntary sector.

Participant application and selection:

• In Nova Scotia, the participant selection process involved the submission of personal statements and letters of support from a VSO, by each applicant, . Organizers there believe that this process added significantly to the participant commitment to the experience and to their self-esteem, as well as to facilitator understanding of the needs, expectations and strengths of each individual coming into the group.
  
• In Yellowknife, potential participants received personal invitations from the YWCA as host organization, based on knowledge of the sector in this relatively small community. There was no application process. The group which emerged from this was diverse in many respects, and homogenous in the sense that almost all participants held senior positions within their organizations – which may in part be a characteristic of northern organizations, with extremely limited staff.
  
• In Niagara-on-the-Lake, participants were required to apply – but it was anticipated that the applicant numbers would be higher than they turned out to be. Ultimately all applicants were admitted. The facilitators did not see the applications prior to the workshop, meaning that in at least one case, an issue arose due to mental health concerns of one participant.

Educational model underlying planning and delivery of the program:

• In Nova Scotia, the educational model that was employed in the planning and delivery of the program was of critical importance. The curriculum was built around the application of the theory-action-reflection model of learning that is the basis of the Tatamagouche approach to program design and one that underpins or guides much of the continuing education work at Dalhousie University.
  
• In Yellowknife and Niagara-on-the-Lake, the educational model that was employed in the planning and delivery of the program was the Generon model, which identifies that the quality of our outcomes depends on the quality of our thinking, the quality of our conversations, and the quality of our relationships.

Facilitation:

• In Nova Scotia, the facilitation team was made up of both senior and junior facilitators. Grant MacDonald from Dalhousie University’s Henson College for Continuing Education, and Wayne Edgar, from the Tatamagouche Centre, who also developed the specific curriculum used in Nova Scotia, served as senior facilitators throughout the program. The use of two “junior” facilitators as part of the facilitation team both supported the goal of developing the next generation of leaders and provided an important bridge in ages between the team and younger participants.
  
• In Yellowknife, the facilitation team varied greatly. Over the course of the first three days, Glory Ressler, one of the curriculum developers, was the lead facilitator, and she worked with two volunteer facilitators: Bev Suderman, and Carol Pupo, in part because scheduling conflicts did not permit Lyn Russo to go. Dr. Ken Balmer made a guest appearance in this period also. In October, Glory Ressler and Lyn Russo, the curriculum developers and Niagara facilitators, co-facilitated the second three- day session.
  
• In Niagara-on-the-Lake, Glory Ressler and Lyn Russo, the curriculum developers, co-facilitated both sessions. They were supported by guest appearances from Janice Wismer, Senior VP for Human Resources with Canadian Tire, and Dr. Ken Balmer, a futurist, who challenged the group on issues related to trends in the Voluntary Sector.
  
• In Ottawa, Francine Charland, who was also responsible for adaptation of the curriculum to a franco-ontarienne audience, carried the entire facilitation responsibility herself, with the exception of guest appearances by Lynne Toupin and Dr. Ken Balmer.

Daily schedule:

• In Ottawa, participants found that the residential requirement and the long days were counter-productive to their learning. The residential requirement was difficult for them, and aside from the participants from outside of Ottawa, they did not find it beneficial. Additionally, participants criticized the evening components of the program, after long days of workshop, as being excessive.
  
• In Niagara-on-the-Lake and Nova Scotia, participants really appreciated the residential requirement, although for some participants making the necessary arrangements had been challenging, particularly when child care for young children was required. They found¹⁵ that the residential requirement gave them the break from their busy lives that permitted them to focus on the task at hand, and nurture themselves – a clear case of a “change being as good as a rest.” There were no complaints about the evening components.
  
• In Yellowknife a number of participants chose to commute each day to the retreat centre, which was a flexible arrangement permitted by the YWCA on the condition that their absence not be noticeable, i.e. commuting participants were present for all meals on-site, and did not leave until evening activities were completed. Given the proximity of the retreat centre to town, and the few participants who availed themselves of this option, there was no impact on the group dynamic as a result – and the needs of all parties were met.

• In Nova Scotia, project resources were allocated to purchase various self-assessment instruments (e.g. Learning Style Inventory and FIRO-B). Although they were expensive to purchase, they were, according to participants, very valuable to their learning.
  
• In Yellowknife and Niagara-on-the-Lake, the emphasis was on self-assessment instruments that were freely available through the Internet or other sources. While participants engaged with these instruments, they found that the results were fairly lightweight, and not very useful, although had the advantage of being readily available for on-going work within their organizations.
  
• In Ottawa, the daily journaling exercise, in a journal provided by the program, merited specific recognition as a valuable tool in aiding participants’ learning.

Use of e-learning and other technology

• The opportunity to connect via the Internet, and access the facilitators, and post assignments, was embraced in Yellowknife. Participants were very excited about the potential of this technology to assist them with connecting to each other, and to the broader world, despite challenges in the implementation.
  
• Challenges in the implementation of the Voluntary Sector Portal support to the pan-Canadian pilot project proved a barrier to participants in Ottawa, both from a technological point of view, and because the supports were not offered in French.
  
• The Nova Scotia participants, particularly the younger ones, used an on-line discussion board over the summer, with nearly 100 postings. They reported that it was a valuable way of staying connected with one another.
  
• Web-based discussion is a useful supplement to face-to-face leadership development experience, but its value will vary depending on the unique characteristics of the group, assuming that there are no active barriers on place to its usage.

Community Impact

In Yellowknife:

Based on the participant evaluations and verbal feedback from the group, as well as work they have completed, it is fair to suggest that Leadership Connext was a success in the Northwest Territories, and that participants derived significant energy, skill and insight from the program.

The Yellowknife participants as a group had well-developed leadership skills and therefore required a very high level of facilitation and content. They were eager for hands-on activities, time to discuss and explore ideas and concepts, and to collectively develop solutions to local challenges.

The following are the major developments and challenges of Yellowknife Leadership Connext, as identified by the group:

1. The group is moving ahead with efforts to form a NWT Voluntary Sector Coalition, although both ‘voluntary sector’ and ‘coalition’ are problematic terms for the group. They prefer the term non-governmental organization (NGO) to voluntary sector (VS) and are reticent about using the term coalition due to past failed efforts in this regard. Their initial focus, which emerged out of a discussion on inclusivity, is ‘Building Healthy Communities’. The group committed to begin personal outreach with other NWT VS leaders concerning whether there are additional needs that might be addressed by a larger group. Connext participants scheduled a combined in-person/conference call meeting for Nov 16, 2004 to discuss these conversations and potentially plan some sort of community consultation process and strategy for procuring funding for such a meeting (particularly travel costs). The group also plans to use technology to support future collaborative efforts. To this end, individuals have put forward their name as trainees for the Portal Online Moderator training project.
   
   
2. The group also expressed hope that Connext would be repeated in the NWT and asked whether it was likely that the facilitators would return. They indicated that there has been significant community interest. The evaluation process on the Pilot was outlined and sustainability issues introduced. No guarantees were made, with regard to either the school or specific facilitators. Two individuals expressed an interest in working on another school in the NWT and, hopefully, facilitating at it. The entire group is interested in receiving updates on this issue.
   
   
3. The movie ‘The Corporation’ became a pivotal piece for this group. Due to circumstances outside the program, it became necessary to show it in three parts, which proved to be fortuitous, in that it allowed the group more time to integrate the concepts and reach their own learning response. They identified that leadership (for them) means acting on and connecting their personal passions to the larger stories and issues within their community, the Territory, country and world. Their discussion revolved around the voluntary sector as the only sector whose prime motivation is the ‘common good’; the sector that can build broad-based relationships; and the sector which has the potential to deepen civic engagement and the democratic process within communities. They were energized by the notion of civic engagement and critically assessed how far they would go in pursuit of the common good (which was linked back to the Ethics piece of the curriculum).
   
   
4. Paradoxically, the suffering depicted in the movie (coupled with a recent community trauma) reinforced the notion that vision and relationship are critical elements of voluntary sector leadership. These were identified as a universal human need – particularly during times of crisis and change. The need for outreach and education (telling their visionary stories and engaging with the stories of other groups and leaders) became a key learning for the group. They explored some present barriers to working with government and aboriginal leaders and groups, and identified the necessary changes they would need to make in order to improve these relationships (ex. ask them, don’t assume we are more healthy, morally superior or have all the right answers, be sensitive to the experience and challenges of other groups, be open to learning from them, we need them more than they need us – explore this, speak your truth, etc.). Additionally, the group came to realize that work with story is a natural connecting point with aboriginal individuals and groups – and that they have much to learn from them in this regard.

   One of the most important Ah! Ha! moments happened when one of the participants realized that they (the Leadership Connext group) need the aboriginal community far more than the aboriginal community needs them. This changed the tone and focus of the discussion to how to create opportunities to listen to what aboriginal citizens want.

5. Finally, the group found the section on ‘Building a Case for Support’ extremely helpful. Plans were made to use the techniques outlined to pursue both funding and general support for a coalition.

In Niagara-on-the-Lake:

Participant and facilitator feedback, as gathered from evaluation results, personal anecdotes and follow-up conversations, revealed Niagara’s Leadership Connext to be a very positive experience. There was a high level of enthusiasm and participation by those in attendance. Overall, participants indicated this training was something they had been waiting for, that it filled a large gap in higher level training opportunities. The major developments and challenges revealed include the following:

1. Group dynamics – the ratio of youth participants to more experienced leaders was much higher than anticipated, resulting in a challenge to facilitators as they attempted to focus and engage two groups with very different levels of experience and needs. Consequently, the content was less challenging for those participants of a more senior level. A positive outcome of this gap in experience level was that a mentorship role developed between youth leaders and experienced leaders. This relationship gave new leaders much-needed direction, while reenergizing the mentors.
   
   
2. Participants indicated the most beneficial learning components were Building a Healthy Organization, Mind Mapping, Strategic Planning and Building a Case for Support. One participant who came to the school struggling with building a case for support has since gone on to pitch several large funding proposals. Another participant took what she learned of strategic planning back to her organization and has since embarked on a reexamination of their vision, mission and entire future direction.
   
   
3. One of the greatest benefits of the Leadership Connext as whole was the personal interaction and the connections that developed among participants. Facilitated by group learnings and activities, as well as the sharing of personal projects, participants had the opportunity to network, explore partnerships and generally learn from one another. Some of these relationships are expected to continue into the future, providing support to Voluntary Sector leaders.
   
   
4. Leadership Connext sparked an interest in future training for the participants. They cited governance, fundraising, human resources management, conflict resolution, fund development, succession planning and negotiation skills as areas of particular interest for further learning.
   
   
5. Over the course of Leadership Connext, it became apparent that participants would welcome the opportunity to nurture the connections that have been made through future events for alumni. To this end, facilitators are exploring the possibility of holding an alumni dinner in the form of a World Café in the hopes it will continue to foster connections, networking and support, and also provide the opportunity to explore the potential for partnerships.
   
   
6. Unlike in Yellowknife, Niagara participants primarily chose to pursue individual projects as part of their leadership journey. Since Niagara’s Leadership Connext, one youth participant has procured her first position in the Voluntary Sector as Outreach and PR Specialist for the Fair Housing Council of Central New York. In addition, she has begun to work on her Leadership Connext goal and has not only incorporated the Gifted Spirit Foundation, but has applied for charitable status and lined up a significant donor!

In Nova Scotia:

The learning process that was designed for the Nova Scotia group attended to the whole person and was successful in engaging both participants and facilitators in a rich exploration of voluntary sector leadership, for each person individually, and for our changing world. The program was valuable in terms of enhancing participant’s sense of themselves, encouraging a more reflective learning practice, and developing specific skills.

1. The program met its objective of encouraging participation from “the next generation of voluntary sector leaders”. More than half the participants were under the age of 35; most were not in executive leadership positions in voluntary sector organizations.
   
   
2. The program sought and was successful in facilitating the creation of a learning community that enabled participants to fully express their thoughts and feelings to one another, to the whole group and to take some risks.
   
   
3. Participants indicated the most beneficial content pieces of the program were the sessions on interpersonal communication, managing conflict, diversity, organizational health and multi-stakeholder negotiation.
   
   

   I am in a leadership role without much knowledge about that role. This program has given me the confidence I need to be a better leader and manager.

   
   
4. All participants found the personal interactions and the connections that were built over the course of the program of great value; many of these connections are expected to continue.
   
   
5. Leadership Connext sparked an interest in future training for participants themselves and their organizations. They cited adult education, facilitation, and negotiation as areas of particular interest for further learning.
   
   
6. Participants liked the self-assessment instruments and role-playing exercises that were used. The participant evaluations suggest more of these kinds of opportunities for learning should be used in the future.
   
   
7. The program experimented with the use of some creative approaches to communication, including exercises involving drawing, painting and the making of collages. These were very successful in stimulating new insights into self and leadership.

What we learned:

About social inclusion:

• The Ah! Ha! moment in Yellowknife regarding the relationship between non-aboriginal voluntary sector organizations, and aboriginal peoples and organizations in that community, i.e. that the non-aboriginal organizations need the aboriginal people much more than is the reverse, raises the question about whether social inclusion of aboriginal peoples requires as a pre-condition a reconciliation process, after a long history of colonization.
  
• Without specific outreach to those parts of the voluntary sector serving marginalized people with Canadian society, it will not be possible to meet their specific needs.
  
• Given high demands with limited resources on organizations serving marginalized peoples¹⁶, there are specific challenges to be addressed in marketing leadership development opportunities such as this as relevant, justifying the investment of time and funds.
  
• Participation in a learning opportunity such as this presents challenges to the participants, particularly for those with chronic illnesses. A significant number of those participants with chronic illnesses, or working for organizations serving those with chronic illnesses, were unable to return for the second part of the program due to their own illness, or illness within their families.
  
• The provision of leadership development opportunities in rural and remote locations requires the support of high capacity organizations, as occurred in the Yellowknife Leadership Connext, for the development, facilitation and delivery of programming. Having an outside partner, who is sensitive to the dynamics of remote/rural communities, is crucial to any successful delivery of Connext in this environment.

About Voluntary Sector Needs:

• The voluntary sector has a diversity of needs with regard to leadership development, and these are distinct, although several can be met at once through initiatives, as long as the developers and facilitators are clear on their objectives. These needs are:
  • Strengthening the existing cadre of voluntary sector leaders, due to the rapidly changing environment which requires new skill sets (the focus in Ottawa and Yellowknife)
  • Cultivating the upcoming cadre of voluntary sector leaders from younger staff and volunteer within the voluntary sector (the focus in Nova Scotia)
  • Building relationships across generations for mutual benefit (the focus in Niagara)
    
    
• There are high rates of staff turnover within the voluntary sector, so that programs such as this are affected. A significant number of participants did not return for the second residential component because of changes in their employment, and their new employer did not give them permission to complete the program.
  
  
• There is a hunger for educational opportunities specific to meeting voluntary sector needs. 96% of Niagara/Yellowknife participants indicated, in their evaluations, that there was a great need for this type of voluntary sector education and training opportunity. Yellowknife participants hoped that it would be repeated for other community members, who were unable to participate due to scheduling conflicts in the first round.
  
  
• A key benefit to the voluntary sector is the initial curriculum that has been developed for Leadership Connext/ Leadership Réseau. However, costs of offering the program were even higher than anticipated they would be. Finding a sustainable middle ground, where educational institutions can afford to offer programming (on a break-even basis), and voluntary sector participants and their organizations can afford to pay, will be an on-going challenge.

About leadership development:

• While this may be true for all sectors, the voluntary sector participants demonstrated a clear preference for learning opportunities based on adult learning principles:
  • Based on learners’ own experiences
  • Allowing learners to set their learning agenda
  • Providing a mix of learning activities to engage the whole person (including skills development, personal reflection, creativity, and action)
  • Small group size (15-20 is best)
  • Learning from each other – which requires the facilitator and agenda to provide time for relationship development to occur.
    
    
• Learning is a risk-taking activity. Therefore, programs of this type need to create safe learning communities, where participants can take risks in a (relatively) consequence-free way. This suggests that some aspects of leadership development are best done away from the employment situation.
  
  
• While participants appreciated the breadth of materials they were able to take away with them from the workshop (some called it their “toolkit”), it became clear that participants benefited most from in-depth focus on relatively few topics, rather than quick overview of many topics.

About collaboration:

• Collaboration between educational institutions and the voluntary sector takes time, patience¹⁷, and openness to new ideas. Specific requirements are that a space and context for dialogue to occur is in place , assumptions are set aside, and lots of questions asked, so that a shared framework for working together can be developed. The process must also engender trust amongst participants.
  
  
• Prior relationships between the voluntary sector and educational institutions assist with getting the word out to the sector about an opportunity. La Cité collégiale faced recruitment challenges due to interruptions of several years in their voluntary sector offerings.

About successful implementation:

• Organizations or institutions which mount a program of this level of complexity need the skills, experience, and infrastructure to do so. Close attention to detail is mandatory, given the myriad duties of meals and accommodations, travel arrangements, room bookings, preparation of materials, and so on.
  
  
• The passion, dedication, and knowledge of the facilitators are key factors in successful implementation. Facilitators must bring a level of care to the learning experience that enables risk-taking amongst the participants. Facilitators must also be deeply connected to the sector, to understand the perspectives brought by participants (and be able to credibly challenge those perspectives when necessary).

What would we do differently?

Based on the participant and facilitator evaluations, the following changes would be looked at before offering a program like this again:

1. The program would have benefited from more time at the front end for participant recruitment and developing organizational sponsorships. The “commitment phase” (participant application and selection) was good, but needed more time, i.e. at least six months from the point of being announced to the first on-site session. In the future, this longer timeframe will be used for program planning and development. Le plan de marketing pour le programme doit être amélioré pour élargir l’accès des Francophones situées dans les régions éloignées. Élaborer un plan de marketing formel pour la communauté francophone dans les divers secteurs et régions du Canada. Le déploiement de celui-ci doit se faire au moins 6 mois avant l’offre des modules comme tel avec rappels en temps et lieux.¹⁸
   
   
2. The timing of the program would be different. Summer is not the best time of the year for participants to undertake projects. Both their own time and the time and resources available from sponsoring organizations are more limited this time of year. We would also avoid a September session as this is busy month for many people, making it more difficult to make time available¹⁹.
   
   
3. We would introduce a “leadership model” for participants to work with at the outset of the program rather than hoping one would emerge for each individual. This would help us to delve deeper into the subject of leadership.
   
   
4. Le nombre de fondements théoriques, outils et stratégies à incorporer dans un programme d’une durée de 6 jours ne permet pas l’approfondissement des connaissances et de compétences; il faudrait épurer le contenu et s’assurer du lien entre chaque contenu²⁰. We would be more restrained in the number of discrete learning objectives we identified and would give more attention to fewer content items.
   
   
5. We would provide more structure and direction for the individual or group leadership projects undertaken in the interim period between the on-site sessions. While not every participant requires this, for some it would be very helpful.
   
   
6. We would give more explicit attention to articulating the learning outcomes or objectives throughout the course of the program. In other words we would consistently make the link between objectives and learning activities.
   
   
7. In the recruitment process we would give greater attention to gender balance and would seek more participants from visible minority communities.
   
   
8. We would give greater consideration to including, as a member of the facilitator team, an educator from a visible minority group.
   
   
9. A program such as this needs excellent resource materials, particularly background readings specific to trends relevant to leadership in the voluntary sector as an instrument for democracy and justice. La présence d’invités pourrait permettre de varier les approches d’enseignement, mais aussi d’apporter d’autres défis propres à ce milieu²¹. While the materials provided by Dr. Balmer were somewhat useful, they were not a good fit with the transformational leadership model of the program. Individual participants could not fit themselves, or their organizations, into the trends presented in the paper.
   
   
10. In the curriculum design we see the need for further experimentation with methods for developing greater awareness of what it means to be a voluntary sector leader in a globalizing world.
    
    
11. L’appui informatique et l’accès au portail doivent être améliorés; cet aspect du programme n’a pas été géré de façon adéquate et a été une réelle source de frustration pour tous²². It may be that the use of Internet connection, given the varied adoption of it between the regions, should be a matter for regional discretion, rather than part of the mandatory program requirements.

Recommendations re Voluntary Sector leadership development and expansion of the National Learning Initiative

A number of recommendations stem from the assessment of the program by participants and facilitators. These are important in terms of future efforts facilitating learning aimed at leadership development in Canada’s voluntary sector. These recommendations are directed both to voluntary sector organizations, especially national bodies, and to colleges and universities.

1. The learning process associated with developing competencies for voluntary sector leadership is a complex one. Fundamentally it is not about information transfer or skill development; it is about self-awareness, passion and sense of purpose. Creating the necessary alchemy for transformative learning requires a complex set of ingredients. Great attention needs to be paid to learning processes as well as content, to the commitment and openness of participants and facilitators
   
   
2. There is a place for high-profile leadership development programs that require participants to compete for places through an application and selection process. Ideally these should be considered at a national, regional or community level and be oriented to a broad range of non-profit organizations. Such programs can stimulate interest in leadership development in the voluntary sector, create public interest and help generate support from public and private sources.
   
   
3. Effective leadership development education must challenge program participants, voluntary sector organizations and facilitators. In other words both the content and the process of learning must be challenging, take people (and their organizations) outside of their comfort zones.
   
   
4. Leadership development in the voluntary sector will require a greater commitment of resources than is currently fully appreciated. The “dollar costs” of training is only one element. Other elements include the recognition that VSOs need to invest time, change the way they manage work²³, and be open to taking risks. VSOs need to invest in longer-term human resources development with a sectoral, not just organizational, focus. Voluntary sector organizations need to identify professional development in leadership training as a priority and make adjustments to allow staff to take part in these opportunities. In recognition that budgets are tight, there could be a cost-sharing arrangement requiring investment from the employee and the organization.
   
   
5. Leadership development involves a personal journey that includes both intellectual and emotional development. Organizations need to encourage skill development associated with particular jobs and personal growth required for real leadership within the sector.
   
   
6. The learning environment created must be a safe one in which participants can voice their concerns and experiment with new ideas and skills. This finding suggests that some aspects of leadership development may be difficult to address within the context of a person's own organization.
   
   
7. While the internet promises to make learning more accessible, the voluntary sector could benefit from a more thorough understanding of the complexities involved, including how face-to-face and distance learning complement one another, as well as a better understanding of the size of the actual versus perceived market for distance learning by voluntary sector staff and/or volunteers.
   
   
8. Building on the model of linking educational institutions and voluntary sector learning, it became apparent that a large part of the success of this program was because it tapped the champions of voluntary sector education and training within the partnering educational institutions. This leads to the insight that voluntary sector leadership development programs will be more effective where they attempt to link the interests and passions of participants, their organizations and the champions of voluntary sector education and training within the partnering educational institution. In other words, more meaningful learning will result when educators teach their own areas of expertise and from their own passions not to a prescribed curriculum.
   
   
9. One of the recommendations resulting from that study (Niagara Voluntary Sector Labour market study) was to increase the knowledge and respect for the profession of voluntary sector leaders/managers (investigate means of validating the profession such as certification, accreditation, competency development and benchmarks). It was also identified that the sector should apply the recommendations that are evolving form the voluntary sector “National Learning Initiative” that is focused on developing national skills and learning framework for the voluntary sector.
   
   
   
10. Explorer divers modes de prestation du programme pour rendre le programme plus accessible : cours sur Internet, vidéocassettes, divers sites, diverses durées (par exemple trois sessions de 2 jours)²⁴.
    
    
11. Créer un programme avec reconnaissance formelle des acquis de la part des collèges communautaires et l’appui formel des Associations provinciales et fédérale de bénévoles et du secteur à but non lucratif. Tenter d’obtenir l’appui et le parrainage des instances gouvernementales municipales, provinciales et fédérales et faire en sorte que ce programme devienne une exigence lors de l’embauche et du plan de perfectionnement des leaders des secteurs bénévoles, communautaires et à but non lucrative²⁵.
    
    
12. Fournir des ressources en français pour les leaders francophones. Par exemple préparer et publier un guide à l’intention des leaders communautaires; tenter d’obtenir du financement de Patrimoine Canada pour parrainer cette initiative²⁶.
    
    
13. Renforcer la composante appui informatique du programme : par exemple créer un site Internet avec ressources dans les deux langues officielles, réseau d’échange de pratiques, affichage d’articles, d’outils pratiques, création d’un forum d’analyse continue des besoins, établir un principe d’adhésion annuelle pour avoir accès au site Internet, promouvoir activités et offres de modules à divers sites, etc.²⁷

Next steps:

In Niagara:

Following the success of Leadership Connext in Niagara, the Centre for Community Leadership approached a local foundation to sponsor a Youth Voluntary Sector Leadership School, resulting in funding in the amount of $59,000 to host the school in 2005.

In Ottawa:

Plans are underway to replicate and build on the success of Leadership Réseau in 2005. Marketing plans are underway. The pilot participants are anxious to serve as mentors and advisors to the project, as well as to find a way to work with La Cité collégiale to continue their own learning.

In Yellowknife:

Negotiations are underway to determine whether or not the “Caring Across the Boundaries” workshop developed by the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada would be appropriate to address the needs identified by the group.

Participants have signed up for Moderator Training with the Voluntary Sector Portal, to facilitate their on-going use of the technology.

Although participants expressed an interest in having Leadership Connext offered in their community again, and a number were interested in assisting with the facilitation, no proposal has been forthcoming to date.

In Nova Scotia:

In Nova Scotia, Dalhousie University and Tatamagouche Centre will continue to collaborate in their voluntary sector leadership development efforts and hope to offer the program again, possibly for a sub-sectoral constituency. Funding is currently being sought to support broad access to such a program.

In addition, both organizations are actively incorporating voluntary sector leadership development into their strategic planning with the intent of gaining recognition as national resource for voluntary sector learning. They are also applying their own experience from the pilot project to the design of existing and new workshops and courses.

Appendix A: At a glance Comparison of pan-Canadian pilot project locations

*This amount is probably under-reported, due to changes in personnel over the course of the project, combined with a rigid accounting system, which would not permit variance from originally budgeted amounts.