CREATING A COMMUNICATION PLAN

This fact sheet discusses what a communication plan is and its components. There is also information on how to structure a communication and engagement plan, and how to measure the success of the plan.

ENGAGING YOUTH

This fact sheet discusses what youth engagement is, what the common issues are, and how to improve youth engagement in your community planning process. Engaging youth is important for your Indigenous community planning process because it makes sure all members of the community are aware and involved in your process.

SETTING GOALS & OBJECTIVES

This fact sheet explains how goals and objectives are used in Indigenous community planning. Goals and objectives are an important part of a plan because they connect a community’s overall vision with smaller action items.

ANALYZING SURVEYS

This fact sheet outlines how to analyze survey results, why analysis is important, and how to interpret different types of data. Analyzing survey data is an important step after conducting a community survey because it can help you move from the information gathering stage into making decisions as a planning team.

DIGITALLY MAPPING INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE

This fact sheet shows how to collect and digitally store Indigenous Knowledge (such as important community, cultural, or environmental locations) on computers and through online mapping software.

ENGAGING WITH STAFF

Comprehensive community planning is a holistic, inclusive, and thorough planning process. It intends to identify community strengths, needs, ambitions, and challenges by actively engaging members in discussions and activities that make it comfortable and exciting to share their experiences. When we think about what groups to engage in this process, it is always a good idea to consider departments and staff members.

BUILDING FACILITATION SKILLS

This fact sheet discusses what facilitation is, what the skills and responsibilities of a facilitator are, and simple tools to support facilitation. Facilitation skills are important because they support community involvement and inclusivity throughout the planning process. 

USING ORAL HISTORY

This fact sheet provides information about how oral history can be a valuable tool for Indigenous communities seeking to include oral tradition in their community planning efforts. Oral history provides community planners with a tool to conduct background research on communities, a key step in the planning phase of community plan development. Oral history can help identify what shapes a community’s cultural beliefs, social structures, and practices.

DEVELOPING LAND USE POLICIES

This fact sheet explains the use of land use policies for incorporating broad community aspirations into the day-to-day use and management of land on reserve. The key steps in this process are (1) developing a policy area map which indicates the intended use of land, and (2) developing a set of policies that guide land use and development in each area.

CONDUCTING PRECEDENT STUDIES

This fact sheet discusses how your community can use precedent studies in your planning process.

PLANNING FOR EMERGENCIES

This fact sheet discusses how your community can incorporate emergency planning into the planning process. Emergency planning is crucial because it prepares and helps the community in responding to any emergency that may occur. This fact sheet also discusses roles and responsibilities of governments that can help communities during an emergency.

ENGAGING YOUR COMMUNITY

This fact sheet discusses what community participation is, what the common issues are, and how to improve participation.

DEVELOPING THE VISION STATEMENT

This fact sheet describes what a vision statement is, its importance, how it is developed, and how it is used by a community.

CREATING SURVEYS

This fact sheet is an introduction to creating surveys. It discusses the strengths and weaknesses of surveys, how to select questions, how to be sensitive to consent and confidentiality, and provides additional resources.

CONDUCTING FIELD DATA COLLECTION

This fact sheet explains fundamental information on field data collection. It also outlines a process to plan and execute field data collection according to your project needs. Field data collection plays a role for collecting information that currently does not exist, and it provides evidence that can strengthen community knowledge of the land.

ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE

This fact sheet explains how climate change relates to Indigenous community planning. The United Nations acknowleges that “climate change is the defining issue of our time”. As Indigenous communities can be particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change they are uniquely positioned to manage and plan for it.