CONVENING FOR ACTION AT ‘THE DIALOGUE IN NANAIMO’: ‘We want this day to be a springboard to action. We want to create some initial hope for water sustainability solutions,” stated Patrick Ross, Chair of Leadership Vancouver Island, when he opened the proceedings (June 2010)

NOTE TO READER:

The Dialogue in Nanaimo was structured around a water sustainability panel. Rather than talking heads, the panel engaged in a form of ‘improv theatre’ to feed off each other in spontaneously expressing key messages about water. This primed the audience for ‘small group’ dialogues in eight theme areas. The small groups dialogue were followed by a ‘big group’ dialogue. Watch Patrick Ross open the session (1:30 minutes):

The Dialogue is a Springboard to Action

“What is the Dialogue in Nanaimo about? We want to entertain you a little bit. We want to engage you. We want to show you an atypical presentation – that is, a few vignettes taking a wander throughout the world of water sustainability,” stated Patrick Ross.

“So, why are we doing this today? We want you to help us identify an overview of the issues. We want to create some initial hope; and this is really critical – some initial hope for solutions. And we want to structure some dialogue that perhaps will create some networking for the future.

“What outcome do we want? We would hope that the individuals in this room would learn some more about this incredibly critical component of our lives. We want you to seek, greet and meet folks in this room; and find out what other people are doing. We want you to network with like-minded people. And we want you to collectively answer, perhaps at least initially, what next? We want to be in some ways a springboard to action. This is a half day, in a sense, to seed the garden that toward some solution-making on such a critical issue.”

TO LEARN MORE:

Download a copy of Who’s Who – Fresh Water Sustainability Presenters.