Guide: Civic Engagement and Governance

From Common Energy UVic

Focus Area - Civic Engagement and Governance, part of the Guide.

Contents 1 Civic Engagement 1.1 Goal: To forge pathways of meaningful and effective civic engagement for the campus community and local residents to work together to go climate-neutral and beyond. 1.2 Objective 1: To empower the campus and regional community with the best information on climate-change issues to improve decision making at all levels in support of climate change planning and action. 1.3 Objective 2: To connect those interested in climate-change issues and/or with a particular area of expertise with those in need of assistance or other support. 1.4 Objective 3: To facilitate the connections between UVic and the region for their mutual benefit from UVic’s resources and the knowledge of the community. 2 Governance 2.1 Goal: To guide UVic beyond climate-neutral through collaborative governance that includes students, staff, faculty, and regional partners working on and impacted by climate issues. 2.2 Objective 1: To establish a multi-stakeholder body to co-ordinate the implementation and renewal of the beyond-climate-neutral strategy. 2.3 Objective 2: To provide accessible and transparent information in a way that invites constructive feedback and engagement. 3 Case Studies - Civic Engagement and Governance - Council on Public Engagement

[edit] Civic Engagement

Common Energy’s Civic Engagement Working Group is launching a number of initiatives designed to (a) connect people who are interested in climate change issues, (b) provide resources to help them empower themselves, and c) facilitate the necessary changes to move UVic and the region beyond climate-neutral. Climate change is a shared challenge and we will meet it through shared effort.

If effective and lasting solutions to climate change are to be realized, every individual, organization, business, and level of government needs to be involved in the creation and implementation of initiatives designed to reduce their contributions to climate change. On a smaller scale, to go beyond climate-neutral at UVIC requires cohesion among the administration, student networks, faculty, and staff and the creation of partnerships with local communities. This proposal looks at ways to connect and engage civil society in climate-change issues. It proposes a governance structure that reflects the shared values of our diverse stakeholders.

Our original project questions were, “What role can UVic play to help our campus and regional communities take advantage of current opportunities and go beyond climate-neutral?” and “How can these developments meet UVic’s goal of becoming more relevant in community issues?” From these questions, we have formulated the following goals, objectives and strategies for a civic-engagement plan for UVic and the region to go beyond climate-neutral.

[edit] Goal: To forge pathways of meaningful and effective civic engagement for the campus community and local residents to work together to go climate-neutral and beyond.

Objective 1: To empower the campus and regional community with the best information on climate-change issues to improve decision making at all levels in support of climate change planning and action.

Objective 2: To connect those interested in climate-change issues and/or with a particular area of expertise with those in need of assistance or other support.

Objective 3: To facilitate the connections between UVic and the region for their mutual benefit from UVic’s resources and the knowledge of the community.

[edit] Objective 1: To empower the campus and regional community with the best information on climate-change issues to improve decision making at all levels in support of climate change planning and action.

Strategies:

1. Host a public lecture series on climate change issues relevant to the community, featuring UVic faculty and visiting authors and experts.(See Teaching and Learning for this entire objective.)
2. With the BC Campus Climate Network, develop and promote an online Knowledge Base featuring best practices, resources, ideas and other sources of inspiration so that it becomes a valuable and dynamic resource for individuals, governments, non-profits and businesses, working on climate change and sustainability issues.
3. Use the Knowledge Base to produce a Citizens’ Toolkit providing people with information on the current state of climate-change planning and policy both on campuses and in the region; let people know how, where, and when to get involved.

Collaborate with other organizations on- and off-campus to host all-candidates forums on climate change issues during federal, provincial, and municipal elections.

1. Provide information to students, staff, faculty, and other citizens on how and where to vote and volunteer in upcoming elections, and where to find information on candidates and parties and their respective climate-change policy platforms, including their past record on the issues.
2. Work with the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) to create an interactive Internet-based display that demonstrates solutions for a beyond climate-neutral campus and region. This display would allow users to create a virtual world where they could visualize the changes and benefits of a post-greenhouse gas society.
3. Work with the Climate Solutions Network to develop the civic engagement component of the “Sustainability 101” course that integrates civic literacy, civic engagement, media literacy, activism, and political campaigning and offer it to all undergraduate students for credit.

[edit] Objective 2: To connect those interested in climate-change issues and/or with a particular area of expertise with those in need of assistance or other support.

Strategies:

1. Work with the Climate Solutions Network to provide bursaries or other funding to students performing climate-change research, outreach and civic leadership on- campus and in the community with the local NGOs, green businesses, and local governments. (See Teaching and Learning for this entire objective)
2. Establish a civic engagement co-ordinator to connect students with volunteer and service opportunities on-campus and in the region, complementing UVic’s Service Learning Internship Program.
3. Establish a fund for civic engagement and service projects initiated by students, staff, and faculty to help cover material costs and leverage support from other funders. Establish mechanisms for members of UVic's community to contribute directly to this fund, for example by donating honoraria from public lectures.
4. Sponsor forums to promote collaboration between environmental, economic, and social justice organizations in areas and projects of shared interest.
5. Learn from Athletics to develop a pilot project that recruits, trains, and supports civic engagement leaders in a similar way that sports teams recruit, train, and support athletes.

[edit] Objective 3: To facilitate the connections between UVic and the region for their mutual benefit from UVic’s resources and the knowledge of the community.

Strategies:

1. Partner with the Climate Solutions Network to develop and implement a comprehensive project called Climate Solutions for the #CRD to support the creation of effective climate-change policy at the local level that is broadly supported by local governments and the public. (See Teaching and Learning for this entire objective.)
2. Host a series of workshops for local governments (elected officials and senior staff) on the best practices of climate-change policies and programs for municipal and regional governments; support the implementation of the regional Climate Action Plan.
3. Host a series of public workshops, seminars and social events to provide information and help develop Climate Solutions for the CRD, offered on-campus, downtown, and throughout the region.
4. Work with the CRD to participate in the development of the revised Regional Growth Strategy so that the process includes transparent public participation and incorporates climate-change solutions.
5. Work with the Business and Economy Working Group to facilitate and host a series of workshops with local businesses to exchange information on regulatory and governance changes that would enable sustainable business operations. (See Business)
6. Publish and promote the progress of the Climate Solutions for the CRD project, inviting students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community partners to comment on the project.

[edit] Governance

To go beyond climate-neutral UVic’s research, education, operations, and external relations must be integrated in comprehensive strategies that are flexible and adaptive over time. This integration will require co-operation between the administration and the students, staff, faculty, and regional partners working on climate change issues. Successful governance will include sharing information, communicating effectively, and working together to evolve the strategies from year to year. The complexity of this task, and the tensions between the creativity and discipline that will be needed to achieve it, require innovative governance strategies that allow for communication and co-ordination without requiring a heavy burden of management.

The form of a governance body should follow from the task that it needs to accomplish. The core functions are solving problems and sustaining the relationships that make those solutions a reality. Both functions require a cyclical flow of information and participation in decision-making by the networks of students, staff, faculty, administration, and regional partners working on and impacted by climate issues. The successful governance of a network requires the governance body to both “host in” by having formal sessions for face-to-face meeting, and “reach out” by using the representatives of the body to ask questions and leverage participation from the networks they represent. The following proposals are not meant to be tightly prescriptive because the right form to meet these needs will require more deliberation with a range of stakeholders.

[edit] Goal: To guide UVic beyond climate-neutral through collaborative governance that includes students, staff, faculty, and regional partners working on and impacted by climate issues.

Objective 1: To establish a multi-stakeholder body to co-ordinate the implementation and renewal of the beyond-climate-neutral strategy.

Objective 2: To provide accessible and transparent information in a way that invites constructive feedback and engagement.

[edit] Objective 1: To establish a multi-stakeholder body to co-ordinate the implementation and renewal of the beyond-climate-neutral strategy.

Strategies:

1. Create a multi-stakeholder body, the Climate Governance Network, responsible for co-ordinating the implementation and renewal of the beyond climate-neutral plan by sharing information, collaboratively solving problems, and engaging partners.
2. Include both people and organisations working on climate issues, and people and organisations that represent broader stakeholders who will be impacted by climate action. The individuals and organizations will continue be ultimately accountable to their current governance bodies, notably the Board of Governors and Senate.
3. Establish sub-groups within the Climate Governance Network to work on specific aspects of the strategy such as the Revolving Green Fund, Climate Solutions Network, curriculum development, scholarship awards, investment, etc. (See Climate Solutions Network, Business, Revolving Green Fund)
4. Have members of the Climate Governance Network establish and maintain connections with the networks and stakeholders they represent by actively reaching out to these networks to share information and engage them in the challenges the Climate #Governance Network is working on between meetings of the Climate Governance Network.
5. Establish an annual cycle of overlapping planning, implementation, and evaluation periods with January-to-January terms for members of the Climate Governance Network to ensure effective transitions.

[edit] Objective 2: To provide accessible and transparent information in a way that invites constructive feedback and engagement.

Strategies:

1. Use a single document that includes both the planned strategies and actions with comprehensive measurable indicators as the primary tool for the Climate Governance Network to:
   • deliberate climate change strategy from year to year,
   • communicate the strategy,
   • and engage stakeholders for their feedback and participation in its implementation.
2. Frame the plans and indicators using backcasting techniques that describe a desirable future of UVic beyond climate-neutral and derive strategies and actions for today that will achieve that desired future state.
3. Provide this document to the broader UVic community as an annual progress report.
4. Ensure that reports on the progress and questions for feedback are made available on the UVic Sustainability Portal, the Common Energy wiki, and other means as appropriate. In particular, frame questions for the broader UVic community to judge priorities and allocate resources for climate strategies and use online voting technology to rank preferences.
5. Solicit feedback from the broader community through workshops and other forms of consultation and collaboration.
6. Host an annual event in early March to both celebrate the successes of moving UVic towards its goal of going beyond climate-neutral and collaboratively plan strategies for the following year.

[edit] Case Studies - Civic Engagement and Governance - Council on Public Engagement

The Council on Public Engagement (COPE) at the University of Minnesota brings together students, staff, faculty, administrators, and regional partners to explore and develop opportunities for civic/public engagement throughout the institution and community. COPE emphasizes that the opportunities for engagement are broadly distributed in research, education, and operations of the institution, and that these opportunities are central to the 21st century mission of the university. Accordingly, the governance of the initiative is broadly shared to promote the communications, networking, and sense of shared ownership that is necessary to leverage those opportunities.

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