New Year Heralds Federation

The Federation of IAP2 commenced on January 1st 2011. Thank you to all the work done locally in countries around the world to build the governance infrastructure to create national and transnational Affiliates. It has been a wonderful year of member engagement at all levels across the association.

When the Federation meets for the first time in February 2011 those sitting around the table will be from: Australasia, USA, France, UK & Ireland, Southern Africa and Canada. There are four groups working to become Affiliates in 2011 and they are in Portugal, Italy, Indonesia and Western Africa. There is also interest in The Netherlands, Poland and Yemen.

The new year commences with an Innovation Summit in Australia to review and re-design the training framework for the Certificate in Public Participation and leaders in the field will be advising IAP2 in this work. Invited to the Summit are distinguished educators, researchers, practitioners and trainers from Australasia, Europe and North America. Amongst the Summiteers will be Lars Kluver from the Danish Board of Technology and 2010 winner of IAP2's Jim Creighton Award; US advocates and networkers in the field of public participation Sandy Hierbarcher (NCCD) and Matt Leighinger (DDC) and internationally recognized for her leading research in random selection and deliberative democracy Prof Lyn Carson from Australia.

There will be regular updates and an opportunity for participation in the Summit via an online blog and input will be most welcome and contact IAP2 HQ to find out how ot link into the event.

Happy New Year to all members of IAP2.

Welcome to Two New Affiliates

Today the Board welcomed two new Affiliates to the IAP2 Federation - Southern Africa and UK & Ireland.

The opening of the Southern Africa Affiliate's submission set the scene and context for their application by saying:

"The practice of public participation in South Africa has flourished over the last decade due to legislative requirements as well as increased emphasis placed on it by the private sector and international organisations. As the practice continues to evolve in Southern Africa region, it has seen a wide range of applications both in terms of methodology and the ability to ensure successful outcomes. The diversity of Southern Africa communities, languages and cultural traditions also requires specialised approaches and expertise, which are enriched by both local realities as well as African traditions of consensus building. For these reasons, it is important to establish a professional body to the Southern Africa experience with linkages to an international body of knowledge. Such an entity could foster the need for a rigorous and ethical approach to public participation - as promoted by the international body - whilst building the capacity of local stakeholders to engage in such processes. "

The UK & Ireland Affiliate are on the cusp of growth and in their sights working the public policy space with government, commerical and not for profit sectors "to understand the public participation processes in developing better decisions which have the buy in of their respective constituents." UK & Ireland IAP2 President wrote in their submission "We are intending to establish a chartership to give professional credibility to the industry and to promote best practice in the UK & Ireland."

Board welcomes with acclamation the two submissions and are looking forward to receiving a submission from Canada next month.

Announcement: New Partnership for IAP2 with DDC

IAP2 would like to announce that it is joining the Deliberative Democracy Consortium’s Journal of Public Deliberation.

For the past three years IAP2 has been publishing the International Journal for Public Participation, as a result of a series of opportunities IAP2 has now formed a partnership with the Journal of Public Deliberation.

This partnership will see more content from practitioners in the Journal for Public Deliberation, the appointment of Dr Lyn Carson as essay editor on behalf of IAP2 and a broad international community of practitioners and researchers networking on line to build debate and dialogues in the field.

IAP2 President Desley Renton said “this initiative builds on the foundations of both journals and will extend the discourse in the field with readers benefitting from firsthand experience of public participation practitioners”.

DDC Executive Director Matt Leighninger said "We are very excited about this new partnership. Working together on JPD will help our networks strengthen the critical links between research and practice, and better support democratic innovation throughout the world."

For more information about the Journal of Public Deliberation contact:
David Procter and Timothy Steffensmeier co-editors
Institute for Civic Discousrse and Democracy (ICDD)
Kansas State University
E-mail: icdd@k-state.edu

Board Approves USA Application for Affiliation

Today the IAP2 Board approved the application from the USA as an Affiliate in the Federation of IAP2 which will commence on Jan 1 2011.

The application was acclaimed by Board members for its quality of presentation, content and activity plans for the year ahead.

In its submission which was presented by Theresa Gunn, IAP2 member of the Grand Canyon Chapter it said that:

IAP2 USA will build on work of existing chapters by supporting, promoting and helping expand these local programming efforts. Over time, IAP2 USA will begin creating and hosting national programming. Despite its initially limited resources, IAP2 USA will focus on delivering value immediately upon launch while working closely with our members to expand our offerings according to their needs. We expect the new board to create the appropriate support structure for this important area of the organization.

Potential activities are listed below.

Programs:
• Coordinate, organize, promote, co-sponsor and otherwise support regional and local events
and get-togethers in both existing and new locations, alone or in cooperation with existing or emerging chapters or other third-party organizations.
• Coordinate, organize, and promote webinars addressing current issues of the field.
• Hold one national event

Member services:
• IAP2 USA website, launched September 1, 2010 (chapter news, member and industry news, event and training calendar, job board, etc.)
• IAP2 USA member intranet (self-service member management, member database, business networking, etc.)

Training:
• Coordinate, sponsor and promote official IAP2 training opportunities
• Help promote other qualifying training opportunities of interest to IAP2 USA members and non-members.
• Partner with qualifying non-IAP2 programs and co-sponsor third-party training opportunities where appropriate.

Research:
• Support, promote and facilitate qualifying research efforts by members, third-party organizations or IAP2 International.
• Host "Core Values Awards" or comparable process to recognize excellence in the field.

The IAP2 Board looks forward to the implementation of this exciting and ambitious agenda of activity for members benefit in the USA!

IAP2 Welcomes France to the Federation

On Saturday 23rd October in Scarborough, UK the submission for Affiliation with soon to be created IAP2 Federation from France was accepted and approved.

Board members "hummed" La Marseillaise to welcome the submission which was presented by Board Member Joana Janiw.

Click here to watch and hear Joana and hear the acclaim from Board members from Canada, UK, Australia and USA.

Gilles-Laurent Rayssac, President of AIP2 said in his correspondence to accompany the submission "Now the world needs public participation to be improved, supported and advocated. If democracy is to rely on national or local legitimate governments, it also needs to be enriched through participatory practices".

The leadership of France within Europe and the Franco-phone community in supporting IAP2 as an Association to grow and its values and principles of practice in public participation is an exciting development for the Association.

Welcome France!

Train-the-Trainer Consultancy Underway

IAP2 is pleased to announce an international group of experienced trainers and consultants have been brought together under the Pattillo banner to be led by Anne Pattillo in association with Viv McWaters, Stephani Roy McCallum and John Miller to undertake the design and development of a process to train future trainers for the organisation's Certificate Program in Public Participation. This project is now underway and will include a range of opportunities for consultation with trainers licensed to IAP2, IAP2 clients and members. The consultants will connect with key stakeholders and advisers to this project. The final products will include a new process to deliver the train-the-trainer sessions, future application and selection criteria for prospective instructors of the Certificate program. Stay tuned!

RFP: Train-the-Trainer Certificate Program Development

IAP2 is request proposals for a project to develop a Train-the-Trainer process for the Certificate in Public Participation. If you have an interest in this field please click here for the RFP. Submissions will close on September 3rd at 4pm (GMT).

Update from Australasia

This week four new trainer candidates from Australia were put through their paces and are completing their requirements to be licensed to IAP2 to deliver the Emotion, Outrage and Public Participation course jointly developed by Peter Sandman and IAP2.

The candidate trainers are Tammie Reid (Western Australia), Emily Jenke (South Australia), Bruce Turner (Victoria) and Matt Hart (Queensland) and in the photo you will see them being congratulated by IAP2 Training Director (Gale Simpson) and Train-the-Trainer instructor and one of the developers of the course Stephani Roy McCallum from Canada.

The Australasian Affiliate also announced this week that 1,000 people this year alone have come to IAP2 events across Australia and New Zealand in all kinds of networking events. This is on top of the training being conducted by the Affiliate and trainers to their clients, communities, public authorities and commercial agencies. Congratulations Australasia!

Australasia have advised IAP2 that they are in the process of completing their documentation to come to the Board to be considered for Affiliation in the Federation of IAP2 which comes into being on January 1st 2011.

Urban Design, Public Art & Regeneration in Lisbon

Lisbon has a deep and immediate relationship between public space, urban design and public participation - it literally oozes out of the landscape! From the redevelopment of the sites established for Expo in '98 through to the inner city spaces where regeneration is taking place; artists and architects are animateurs acting as midwives to these transformations.

If you are working in regeneration you may be interested in learning more about what is happenning in the ancient city of Lisbon by clicking here This is one of the projects of urban consultant and PhD student Pedro Soares Neves who is leading the charge to bring IAP2 to Portugal.

The interest of local government and their experience with Agenda 21 is a firm foundation which IAP2 may compliment and support its development.

AIP2 France

IAP2 International Board Director Joana Janiw was joined by President and members of AIP2 France in a meeting with visitors from Canada and Australia. International Executive Director Moira Deslandes is visiting to learn more about the work of the French Affiliate.

Their first event coming soon is an symposium on social exclusion and public participation. They are very keen to hear from the international community any ideas, key publications or links that will support them in the development of this important topic. The event will be held on October 11th. If you have information you would like to share please let IAP2 know and you will be linked to the organisers of this event.

Scarborough Shines

2009 Project of the Year Winners will be hosting 2010 International Symposium on October 21st. Scarborough will continue to showcase their world beating public participation activities and last night Council and community leaders joined UK IAP2 Board Director Nicky Leggatt and IAP2 Executive Director Moira Deslandes, to plan for this event.

Last year in San Diego Charles Campion from John Thompson accepted the Core Values Award on behalf of Scarborough's Future and last night was able to deliver to the Scarborough's council team the award in person. You can read the award winning project in the 2009 State of the Practice Report.

Cr Derek Bastiman accepted the award on behalf of the Council and is the porfolio holder for Strategic Planning and Regeneration and spoke of the vital importance of public participation and the support of officers of the Council.

The IAP2 Board will be meeting in Europe's most enterprising place after the International Symposium and an invitation will be extended to members and networks to join then in this event, the Core Values Awards for 2010 and the Annual General Meeting of Members.

Core Values Awards

Are you getting enough recognition for the work you do to engage citizens? Do you think you have the most innovative project or your organisation or agency is the world’s best in conducting public participation?

If so, how about entering the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) 2010 Core Values Awards. You could be standing in Scarborough in the UK in October receiving your award from an international judging panel.

Do you do P2 better than any one else? Are you using P2 tools and techniques to engage citizens in decision-making that will stand the test of time? Are you dealing with intractable problems that just won’t go away and because of your approach you are now breaking through with solutions?

Each year IAP2 hosts annual awards to promote excellence and innovation in public participation practices.

There are bound to be potential winners in the GovLoop network who are facing challenges and are overcoming them through public participation.

To see what won last year and to read through the submissions check out the Annual State of the Practice Reports If you think you can do better than those; then you may well be a winner in 2010!

All details www.iap2.org Get your submission in before July 16th 10:00am (Eastern) and get the worldwide recognition you deserve.

IAP2 would like to thank all our networks for their support in promoting these awards and in particular govloop an on line network for government agencies and staff in the USA, all the judges who are being led by co-chairs: 2008 Project of the Year Winner Geoff Wilson (Canada) and Prof. Lyn Carson (Australia, University of Western Sydney).

Seeking Skilled and Talented Trainers

At present IAP2 is finalising the call for the delivery of a Train-the-Trainer course in the Emotion, Outrage and Public Participation program in Australia and South Africa.

The course in Australia will be held on Thursday 5 August 2010 in Melbourne and in South Africa on Thursday November 4th in Johannesburg.

Applications for the Train the Trainer to be held in Australia are now open and close on June 30th.

If you wish to be considered for selection please contact moira@iap2.org and an information pack will be forwarded to you.

Train-the-Trainer dates for the Certificate in Public Participation program are being finalised and it is expected that there will be one in Australia in November and one in early November in South Africa. Additional Train-the-Trainer courses for both Certificate and Emotion, Outrage and Public Participation will be offered in the Northern Hemisphere in 2011 with locations likely to be UK and North America.

New life in IAP2

IAP2 has given many of us great things: new skills, career opportunities, international connections and friendship.

But how many of us can claim an IAP2 link to one of life’s most precious gifts - a baby? Welcome to the world Charlie Louis Butteriss!

This little person was born a few weeks ago to Amy Hubbard and Crispin Butteriss in Melbourne Australia.

Crispin will be known to many on the community engagement scene for his collaboration with IAP2. His company, Bang the Table, is a regular sponsor at IAP2 conferences. Bang the Table also provided the pro-bono support for the recent online member engagement program.

Amy was the Coordinator of the Victorian chapter of IAP2 Australasia during 2008 - 9. It was Amy’s active presence on the IAP2 front that led Crispin to contact her in June 2008 to talk about online engagement. In response Amy organised for Crispin to present to the Victorian committee.

Three months later, while the rest of us were dancing the Ceilidh at the IAP2 conference in Glasgow, Amy and Crispin were catching up again - at the bar outside – and no doubt discussing the finer details of running a world cafe, the benefits of open space and the SpeakOut method.

Amy and Crispin both attended the IAP2 Australasia conference several weeks later in Adelaide and caught up again, this time to talk about wikis, iphone apps and deliberative forums. There seems to be an engaging pattern emerging here!

So that they could keep the conversation going smoothly, Crispin decides to relocate from NSW to inner city Melbourne in October 2008 and then in January 2009 he moves in with Amy. They have a heck of a lot to talk about.

Today Amy and Crispin own a house in a leafy Melbourne street which they share with baby Charlie who was born in April. Oh that's right, Charlie is about to attend his first big IAP2 event on June 11 in Perth. The West Australian chapter are running an event on innovation and Charlie is the youngest IAP2er to register. The committee are discussing a new infant member category. Charlie might be bit small for all this just yet – but as the IAP2 baby he can take advantage of all those Aunties and Uncles….there is no shortage of willing arms ready for a cuddle.

To send a message of congratulations to this fabulous IAP2 trio go to crispin@bangthetable.com or amy_hubbard@capire.com.au.

Desley Renton

President IAP2

IAP2 Core Values 2010 Awards Briefing Session

The Call for Submissions is now open for the 2010 IAP2 Core Values Awards.

To assist you in preparing your submissions there will be two 45 minute briefing sessions:

6:00pm Halifax (Atlantic) Monday May 31st hosted by Geoff Wilson
or
10:00am Sydney (Australian Eastern Standard Time) Tuesday June 1st hosted by Dr Lyn Carson

To register for either session please email iap2hq@iap2.org and in the subject line RSVP Core Values Submissions briefing

You will then be sent the call in details.

In 2009 IAP2 made some changes to the awards entry process, including some format changes and a standardized style for all entries. These improvements helped the judging process and improved the production of the State of the Practice Report. We also introduced a new award category in 2009 - the Innovation Award.

There are three categories:
The Project of the Year
The Organization of the Year
The Innovation Award

Submissions will be accepted until July 16, 2010. Entries must be received by e-mail (in either Adobe PDF or MS Word formats) to Moira Deslandes, mailto:moira@iap2.orgby 8:30am Mountain Time (US/Canada). Click here for World Clock. We will accept entries of the same project in multiple award categories. We do require you to make separate submissions for each category you wish to enter, and that each entry clearly addresses the requirements of the category as outlined in the style guide. Each entry has a $100USD entry fee associated with it and no correspondence will be entered into by the judges. All entries that are compliant with the requirements for submission will be published as a collection. You can see previous entries here. To learn more about these changes and other entry details, please download the 2010 Core Values Award Style Guide.

The winners will be announced in August and the awards ceremony will be in the UK in late October.

Are you in Australasia?

The IAP2 Australasian Affiliate Core Values Awards are also now open for submissions. If you work in Australasia you may also want to consider these awards. Click here for their application kit.

Federation Questions and Answers Edition 1

As previously announced IAP2 will move to a Federation of Affiliates in January 2011.

A transition plan framework has begun to guide activities between now and January 1, 2011, when the changes will take place. The Board will take this transition time to have thoughtful dialogue to lay the groundwork for the future and ensure transparency throughout the process.

To assist in this process a series of Q & A will be produced by the Board. The initial edition has been created and you can click here to see the first edition of Q & A on the Federation of Affiliates for IAP2.

As IAP2 moves to a Federation model of governance there will be other questions being raised by members, colleagues and friends of IAP2.

If you have any questions at please do not hesitate to post them here or send to iap2hq@iap2.org and they will be included in the next edition of a Q & A.

IAP2 will continue to be a relevant, member focussed organisation, providing training, supporting improved and innovative practice, and fostering industry leaders. If you would like to get involved in the transition process in your own region or country please contact iap2hq@iap2.org and you will be connected.

President's video message re goverance structure

IAP2 President, Desley Renton, encourages members and potential members to join in the conversation about moving to an affiliate model.

International Community Sends Congratulations

Congratualtory messages have been recieved from around the world to the IAP2 Board on their decision to become a Federation:

"AIP2-France is very happy with the decision of setting up a Federation of Affiliates as it perfectly meets its needs and ideas. We give our sincere congratulations to the Board for the huge work done into the ME process, and are motivated to be part of the future story of IAP2 international"
AIP2, Paris, France, Joana Janiw


“The IAP2 Southern Africa emerging Affiliate is extremely excited about the decision taken by Desley and the Board. Congratulations on making the decision to become a Federation and for having the courage and strategy to adapt the movement of the organization forward to meet not only current needs by members, but also future needs by potential members! We are proud to be associated with such a dynamic body! Well done!”
IAP2 Southern Africa, Pretoria, South Africa, Antoinette Pietersen


“Woo Hoo! IAP2 Australasia’s congratulations to the International Board and everyone who made the Federation of Affiliates and implementation decisions possible last weekend. What a great decision, well made!

We are very excited that around the world people will have the same opportunity that we, here in Australasia, have had. We believe that this decision recognizes both our diversity and our commonality. Each of the regions in the world has their own distinctive needs, profiles and priorities, the Federation Model gives room for this to be recognised in a way that enriches the whole. It is our experience that the commonality we share is that when you give people who are passionate about our practice; power to make decisions and resources to get them started, then fantastic things happen. It is the power of yes.

Our thanks to the Board for unleashing that power.

We know that over the next few months that we will be working out the details. Lets us know if you need a hand. In Australasia we are happy to help – it’s the very least that good neighbors can do in an international community founded on a strong platform of principle and practice.”

Anne Pattillo , President IAP2 Australasia


Dear Desley,
Thanks for your leadership on this issue - probably the most significant decision IAP2 has made in recent history. Job well done!
Beatrice Briggs, Mexico, a Past President of IAP2


"Little did we realize that in the earliest, informal discussions on whether a Federal structure for IAP2 would be beneficial, we would route ourselves so closely to both the EU Maastrict Treaty of 1992 and the Tenth Amendment of the US Constitution. Clearly great people have got here before us.

‘Subsidiarity’ where central authorities perform only those tasks that cannot be performed effectively at a local level (Wikipedia) is clearly the way ahead for many organisations - including ours – as we move towards an Enabling State. This movement to a Federal structure by the IAP2 Board is a brave and visionary move and reflects its commitment to its core values. My congratulations: it’s a really important step forward." Dr Geoff Fagan, a past president of IAP2 and a founding Director of IAP2 UK and Ireland CEO, The CADISPA Trust, Scotland UK


"I’d like to extend sincere congratulations to all of you for your hard work and intention, for grappling with all the nuances and viewpoints of the decision before you, and for approving a way forward for IAP2 that reflects a marriage between local and international needs and operations. I’d also like to acknowledge the challenges (and opportunities too) of the member engagement process, and the Board’s responsiveness in balancing North American, Australasian, African, Europe and other needs and desires. As many of you know, I’ve been a supportive advocate for a federation of affiliates for many years, and I firmly believe that the future of the field and practice is best met through a federation.Many congratulations and thanks to all of you for working to understand, consider, weigh all of the input, suggestions, ideas and concerns. It is an historic decision you have made! " Stephani Roy McCallum, a Past President, Canada

President's video message

Desley Renton making an announcement of the recent Board decision

Federation Announcement

Message from the President

Thank you to all of our members for your participation in the Member Engagement process which overwhelmingly supported a Federation governance model.

The member feedback led to the consensus decision that this is best achieved at the local level via a Federation of Affiliates. This was clearly reflected in the feedback to the Board's proposition. Input and energy at the local level leads to a vibrant and unique member experience of IAP2. The building block for this will be Affiliates.

The exsiting Chapters, Affiliates and emerging Affiliates have set the bedrock for this transition. This collective wisdom and experience gives us the confidence to take this next step.

While there are still many details to be worked out, Affiliates will be self governing, financially viable and empowered to determine their own scope of work within IAP2 Foundations.

Affiliates will drive practice improvement and membership services. The Federation of Affiliates will focus on an exciting international agenda.

Until such time as the transition is completed all operations will continue to be maintained as they are at present.

The Board is confident that the first stage of this transition to Federation will be in place by 1st January 2011. We remain committed to engagement with members through the coming weeks and months of transition to the new governance model.

On behalf of the Board I would like to thank the many people who helped us to reach this incredible milestone in our evolution.

We now take the next step in our development as an Association. I am excited about the promise and opportunity for the practice. I look forward to working with you all as we move forward together. As always, I can be reached at president@iap2.org

Best,
Desley Renton
IAP2 President

Participation in Board Meeting

Board members Anne Carroll (pictured on skype), John Godec and Geoff Wilson joined the Board meeting via telephone and video.

This enabled consensus decision-making, small group work and advancement of the agenda.

Board Members in Melbourne were: (L to R) from the top Gale Simpson, Terry Koch, Moira Deslandes (Executive Director), Dr Lyn Carson, Kimbra White, Lucy Cole-Edelstein, Amelia Shaw, Desley Renton (President) and Stephanie Boone-Shaw.

UPdate from the Board Meeting: Saturday Afternoon

The IAP2 Board continued in the afternoon and worked on the roles and responsibilities and the criteria for the Federation and for Affiliates and emerging Affiliates. As Board Member Amelia Shaw from Canada said " we have got the bones and now it is time to put flesh on those bones". On Sunday the Board will develop a timeframe to step out and scope the next actions for Federation to be the governance structure for IAP2.

UPdate from Board Meeting: Session Saturday Morning

This morning the IAP2 Board made the consensus decision to become a Federation. The Board Members universally thanked all members who contributed to the process with their thoughts and ideas sharing in focus groups, on line consultation, chapter, country and continental discussions. A vote of thanks was also extended to Dr Gary Cox for his work in collating a summary and synthesis of all the input.

The Board are now spending the afternoon to identify roles, responsibilities, criteria for the Federation, Affiliates and Emerging Affiliates. The final step will be to identify the timeline and steps for transition.

If you want to be a "virtual" visitor to the meeting please register at iap2hq@iap2.org

A set of slides and all agenda papers are on the governance section for members www.iap2.org

Australasia Hosts International Board

International Board members were hosted by the Australasian Affiliate this afternoon to welcome them to Melbourne for their Board Meeting. This event was the third in the day held by the Australasian Affiliate. The day began in Federation Square where the Victorian Committee held a sold out Leadership breakfast with almost 200 people in room listening and learning from the Victorian Chairperson of the Environment Protection Authority Cheryl Batagol and the Chief Executive Officer of the City of Melbourne, Dr Kathy Alexander. This was followed by an invitation only State of the Practice Summit Workshop faciliated by evaluation expert Dr Jess Dart.

The first session of the Board meeting was an opportunity for board members to connect up and review their year, and share their aspirations.

Tomorrow the Board heads into a decision-making phase and there will be regular updates on this blog. Any members interested in dialing in to be 'virtually' at the meeting please send an email to iap2hq@iap2.org and you will be forwarded the details.

Moira Deslandes, Executive Director, IAP2

Information for IAP2 Members Only

If you are a member of IAP2 and would like to register your interest to attend "virtually" the Board meeting in Melbourne from March 26-28 please let iap2hq@iap2.org know before March 24th midnight Pacific Time (US/Canada) so that you can be sent the details on how to participate.

IAP2 Board will be making a decision about the future governance arrangements of the Association having completed a three month worldwide member engagement process.

The agenda is available on the IAP2 Members Only section of the Association's website.

Board Meeting March 26-28 2010

If you are an IAP2 member and would like to attend, either in person or virtually, the next Board meeting please register your interest at iap2hq@iap2.org . All members will receive an eNews next week with more details.

The March 2010 meeting is the first face-t0-face meeting of the Board and will be held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. President Desley Renton works at the City of Melbourne and it will be an opportunity to also learn from members of the Australasian Affiliate who are hosting a leadership event and a State of the Practice workshop. Posts will be placed on the blog during the March Board meeting if you want to stay in touch.

Has Obama made a difference to P2 in the USA?

Latest edition of Journal asks this question and there are some surprising and controversial discussions in this edition. Read the articles and join in the discussion.

South Africa forms Interim Committee

On Friday 12th February - the inaugural interim committee for IAP2 in South Africa formed. This dedicated band of volunteers are establishing four working groups to build the base and presence of IAP2. The committee have set a date for their first meeting and are looking forward to a program of events across the country beginning in Johannesburg and Pretoria and then extending to Cape Town and Durban in the first instance. They will build on the links with other Southern African nations once they consolidated their base in South Africa.

There will be more news soon. If you want to see photos from the events, please go to the IAP2 facebook community site.

The leadership of the interim committee is in the very capable hands of IAP2 trainer and long time member Toni Pietersen and with the support of eight others - 2 each from each of the working groups - and one "member at large" - the foundations are set for a successful beginning to the formal infrastructure for IAP2 in South Africa.

South Africa

IAP2 members, friends and networks in South Africa are preparing for a week of activities. Coming up in Johannesburg will be an information session for people interested in becoming licensed to IAP2 to deliver the Certificate in Public Participation and/or the Emotion, Outrage and Public Participation course. There will also be a workshop for those interested in establising the South African Affiliate of IAP2 and a members only session.

Many thanks to Golder for assistance in getting the schedule of events together and to IAP2 trainers Toni Pietersen and Tisha Greyling for their support and promotion of IAP2 in South Africa.

International Journal of P2 Special edition on Public meetings out now!

We are pleased to announce the publication of The International Journal of Public Participation (IJP2), Volume 3, Number 2. This special issue entitled “The Practice of Public Meetings” is available for download. This unique issue highlights the research of a team of communication scholars examining different aspects of one public meeting. The meeting under investigation was convened in Omaha, Nebraska in a predominantly African-American neighborhood for revealing the local Chamber of Commerce’s plans to improve economic development. An exciting and unique feature of this issue is that it gives readers the rare opportunity to view the same public meeting data under examination by a video posted on the web.

The articles in this issue showcase an approach to studying communication called Language and Social Interaction (LSI). This approach, often used in communication research, provides tools to help scholars look closely at the interactions that occur in public meetings. In this public meeting, members of the audience challenged the public officials and raised issues of trust, race and community membership. The articles in the IJP2 ask questions about how public participation is done in practice, and they disclose how challenges with this meeting are manifested in communication. Each article in this issue takes a close look at some aspect of the communication that happened during the meeting, including the question and answer session, personal stories, nonverbal communication, discussion of race and community, and framing of the meeting goals. The special issue closes with a summary of findings from the individual articles and implications for future public participation research and practice.