Convening for Action in the South Okanagan: Mini-Summit Showcases Provincial Demonstration Initiative

Building Capacity from the Bottom Up

Convening for Action in the South Okanagan is a provincial pilot for planning with a view to water. An over-arching goal is to establish a precedent at the sub-basin (or sub-regional) scale for implementation of a ‘water-centric’ approach to community planning. At the core of the approach is a water balance way of thinking and acting. This is very much a bottom-up approach that seeks to understand through active listening.

BCWWA Mini-Summit

In May 2006, a Min-Summit was organized as part of the annual conference of the BC Water & Waste Association (BCWWA). This precedent-setting approach to audience participation accomplished several objectives.

• First, the fact that the conference was a provincial forum raised the profile of the South Okanagan as a provincial pilot for water-centric planning.
• Secondly, it provided the Convening for Action team with a focus group opportunity to test an approach to engaging an audience in a dialogue.

Over 100 people attended the half-day mini-summit, of which approximately 40 participated in the interactive portion.

“The summit model was used because it focused on issues and responses and has resulted in an outline for action that follows from presentations on key water management themes in the South Okanagan and dialogue between presenters, panelists and participants,” stated Erik Karlsen, Mini-Summit moderator and the co-lead for the Convening for Action initiative.

To Learn More:

To read the complete story about the Mini-Summit, click on  2006 Mini-Summit on Water Stewardship and Sustainability

Posted May 2006