OPERATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR PARTNERSHIP LEADERSHIP TEAM: “When individuals are invited to join the Partnership Leadership Team, it is because there is ‘a job to be done’. The Province’s Living Water Smart strategy guides what we do. The Partnership’s expectation is that individuals and organizations they represent are committed to advancing the sustainability goals in the Water Sustainability Act (WSA) and its implementation,” states Mike Tanner, Founding Director
Note to Reader:
The umbrella for Partnership initiatives and programs is the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia. In turn, the Action Plan is nested within Living Water Smart, British Columbia’s Water Plan. Released in 2008, Living Water Smart was the provincial government’s call to action, and to this day transcends governments.
Incorporation of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia as a not-for-profit society on November 19, 2010 was a milestone moment. Incorporation signified a bold leap forward. Two decades earlier, a group of like-minded and passionate individuals, including representatives of three levels of government, came together as a technical committee. Over time, this “water roundtable” evolved into The Partnership.
The “BC Process” for moving from Awareness to Action is founded on alignment, collaboration and partnerships
“Membership on the Partnership Leadership Team is based on feeding back Water Sustainability Action Plan outcomes into member organizations. When individuals are invited to join the Partnership Leadership Team, it is because there is ‘a job to be done’. Invitations are restricted to individuals who are willing to provide energy and commitment to implement Action Plan elements,” explains Mike Tanner, Founding Director and Treasurer.
“Representation criteria are two-fold. First, that individuals will represent an organization that has a specific interest or mission in implementing the Action Plan. And secondly, that those individuals will feed back the Partnership outcomes into their organizations. The expectation is that the process of feeding back outcomes will be guided by the BC Process for moving from awareness to action.”
Water Sustainability Action Plan
“The Action Plan is a partnership umbrella for an array of on-the-ground initiatives. It comprises interconnected program elements that provide local governments and practitioners with the tools and understanding that will help them better manage land and water resources.”
“Action Plan elements are also categorized under three ‘threads’ to reflect the breadth of roles that the Partnership plays:
- Thread One – Initiator: The Partnership is the vehicle for direct action.
- Thread Two – Collaborator: The Partnership is the vehicle provider for others.
- Thread Three – Educator: The Partnership spans boundaries as the connector of initiatives or is an education facilitator.”
“The Action Plan is advancing a Whole-System Approach to integration (or interweaving) of land and water management. The goal in ‘designing with nature’ is to manage the built and natural environments as one system.”
To Learn More:
Download a copy of the Operational Framework for the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia
More About the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC
“The Partnership’s guiding philosophy is to help others be successful. When our partners and collaborators are successful, we are successful. The Partnership is led by a team of community-minded and mission-focused elders. Although many on the team are retired from their jobs, they continue their water-centric mission as volunteers,” states Kim Stephens, Executive Director.
“Technical knowledge alone is not enough to resolve water challenges facing BC. Making things happen in the real world requires an appreciation and understanding of human behaviour, combined with a knowledge of how decisions are made. It takes a career to figure this out. The Partnership leadership team brings experience, knowledge, and wisdom – a forceful combination to help collaborators reach their vision, mission, and goals for achieving water sustainability.”
“The Partnership has a primary goal, to build bridges of understanding and pass the baton from the past to the present and future. However, inter-generational collaboration is a two-way street. Minds must be open and receptive to accepting the inter-generational baton and embracing the wisdom that goes with it. When that happens, decisions will benefit from and build upon past experience.”
To Learn More:
To mark the 10th anniversary of incorporation as a not-for-profit society, the Partnership published Celebration of Our Story: Genesis / First Decade / What Next.
The reader will learn that the combination of a guiding philosophy, committed team members and timely actions built the foundation for The Partnership’s record of success. The Partnership’s mix of program initiatives are building blocks for reconnecting people, land and water.
DOWNLOAD: https://waterbucket.ca/atp/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2020/11/PWSBC_Story-of-First-Decade_Nov-2020.pdf