Signing Off
As Evergreen + Munk comes to end, I can’t help but think about what an amazing time I had in the course. No, I’m not just saying this to say it, or because I feel compelled to — but because this is how I truly feel. I don’t always leave my courses feeling satisfied, content and empowered but with Evergreen this has been the case. I think this has to do with a number of things, the first recognizing that Evergreen is far from your conventional MPP course — with this course we were encouraged to step outside the box, be bold, be fearless and to engage with the material in a way that we haven’t really been encourage to do. One thing I appreciated about this course was this very part — blog writing. What a creative and modern approach in allowing students to communicate their thoughts, ideas and feelings about the material we learned in class. Ideas and reflections don’t always have or need to be typed and handed in on an 8 x 11. Recognizing that there are other methods to achieve the same end goal is equally important, and I think this what we all learned throughout the past 5 weeks at Evergreen.
There are many means to an end and in the context of policy, community-based policy-making is one of them. Looking back from when we first started class on January 23, there are several key takeaways that I would like to share.
Class 1: It’s all about the process
This is where I learned that the next six weeks would be devoted to the process of community-based policy making. Understanding the key players and drivers that create change, understanding who has influence to create change and who has the authority to enact it.
Class 2: Meet them where they are
By far one of the most important quotes and concepts that I will remember and take with me as I begin my career in policy. As Brian Kelsey mentioned last week, there is no substitute for a site visit — half of fixing the problem is meeting the community where they are at. If we want to truly engage with a community, we also need to show that we care and that we are willing to listen and meet them their as Faiza Mehboob says “physically as well as figuratively.”
Class 3: Embrace the courageous conversations
There are going to be tough conversations that need to be had, but just as Melissa Nicholls’ mother encourages her class of six-year-olds, we too, need to embrace courageous conversations.
Class 4: Transparency is key
One of the most important components of the ‘process’ is transparency — for me, this was the biggest takeaway of week 4. After visiting 307, chatting with my peers and reading the Toronto’s Star article on Google’s plans for expansion, I realized that the process all boils down to transparency. While people are free to disagree with policy, what is appreciated is the ability to be transparent. Being transparent increases trust and builds relationships which is needed for effective collaboration at the community level.
Class 5: Collaboration happens at the speed of trust
Building trust in communities is important to enable change. Achieving trust can be difficult, but we need to remember that empathy goes along way. Being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes is a skill that will take you far and bring you closer to achieving your goal. Being empathic allows us to create bonds of trust and provides insight into what others may be feeling.
As we think about community-based policy making, I end my blog post with the following: “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much” — Helen Keller.
