From Our Vantage Point

Jennifer Walowic of SFU’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue returns to From Our Vantage Point to expand on democratic engagement and introduce her new workbook, Where to Start? A Workbook for Evaluating Democratic Engagement Impacts. This is a sequel to our February 2020 podcast, The 5 Principles of Democratic Engagement.

Resources:

Podcast – The 5 Principles of Democratic Engagement

Workbook: Where to Start? A Workbook for Evaluating Democratic Engagement Impacts

Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue

Participedia

Time stamps:

00:00 | Intro

🎙️ From Our Vantage Point is a podcast by Vantage Point, sharing real conversations and practical insights from BC’s non-profit sector. Vantage Point provides high quality, practical education, facilitation, and consulting support to BC’s non-profit sector as well as programs that support sector success through convening, facilitation, and advocacy.

Because when non-profits thrive, communities do too.

Generously supported by our partners at Humanity Financial.

Celebrate the end of 2021 with us Vantage Point staff members as Rowan interviews fellow colleagues Cherie Payne, Maria Turnbull, and Shagun Bhanot. After what was a turbulent year for many of us in BC and the not-for-profit sector, we thought it would be nice to come together, enjoy each other’s conversation, and celebrate the challenges we surpassed in 2021 as well as look ahead to the future. We also had a great discussion on where Vantage Point is at and what our most recent changes might mean for you, our community members.

We hope you enjoy our farewell to 2021 and we’re looking forward to the work to come in the new year.

Episode moments:

00:00 | Intro

🎙️ From Our Vantage Point is a podcast by Vantage Point, sharing real conversations and practical insights from BC’s non-profit sector. Vantage Point provides high quality, practical education, facilitation, and consulting support to BC’s non-profit sector as well as programs that support sector success through convening, facilitation, and advocacy.

Because when non-profits thrive, communities do too.

Generously supported by our partners at Humanity Financial.

This month’s podcast features Mark Friesen, a familiar face at Vantage Point for his work on the team as a consultant for many years. Mark was instrumental in the development of our Capacity Lab, a series of learning opportunities designed for not-for-profit leaders to apply the Lifecycles Model. It allows them to take a step back from the day-to-day to identify where their organization’s growing pains exist and strategize how to move forward. In this episode, Mark explains the Lifecycles Model and how Capacity Lab came to be out of a need for this overarching self-evaluation, and a space where leaders can convene to support each other in their assessments and strategic planning.

🎙️ From Our Vantage Point is a podcast by Vantage Point, sharing real conversations and practical insights from BC’s non-profit sector. Vantage Point provides high quality, practical education, facilitation, and consulting support to BC’s non-profit sector as well as programs that support sector success through convening, facilitation, and advocacy.

Because when non-profits thrive, communities do too.

Generously supported by our partners at Humanity Financial.

This month’s podcast shines a light on fat employees and how leaders can build safe working environments for employees of any size!

Sasha Burden joins From Our Vantage Point for a great discussion on what inclusion in the not-for-profit (and for-profit) workplace looks like when it comes to employees of size: What are some things to consider when planning team building activities? How do we account for fat employees’ needs in HR policies? We even discuss healthy ways to talk about health.

We hope this episode answers some of your “taboo” questions relating to culture and policy planning.

🎙️ From Our Vantage Point is a podcast by Vantage Point, sharing real conversations and practical insights from BC’s non-profit sector. Vantage Point provides high quality, practical education, facilitation, and consulting support to BC’s non-profit sector as well as programs that support sector success through convening, facilitation, and advocacy.

Because when non-profits thrive, communities do too.

Generously supported by our partners at Humanity Financial.

In a special edition podcast, Director of Government Relations and Sector Development Cherie Payne guest hosts a conversation with Parliamentary Secretary of Community Development and Non-Profits, Niki Sharma. Niki was appointed her role as a first for BC’s provincial government in 2020 and has lots to say about her work bridging the connection between not-for-profits and government.

Together, Cherie and Niki cover an array of topics, from emerging gender inequality trends and insights in the work force since the start of Covid-19, childcare funding allocation and unique community needs, and how decisions around funding the not-for-profit sector are made in government at all levels.

We hope you enjoy!

🎙️ From Our Vantage Point is a podcast by Vantage Point, sharing real conversations and practical insights from BC’s non-profit sector. Vantage Point provides high quality, practical education, facilitation, and consulting support to BC’s non-profit sector as well as programs that support sector success through convening, facilitation, and advocacy.

Because when non-profits thrive, communities do too.

Generously supported by our partners at Humanity Financial.

We centre food insecurity in the Lower Mainland with Zahra Esmail, Executive Director of South Van Neighbourhood House, and Upkar Singh Tatlay, Executive Director of Engaged Communities Canada Society in this very special podcast.

While food insecurity is the theme, Zahra, Upkar, and podcast host Rowan discuss how racial biases impact the lives of immigrants, refugees, and street-entrenched individuals and how ECCS and Neighbourhood House support the work to meet their needs.

Meet Our Sponsor: Humanity Financial [https://humanityfinancial.ca]

🎙️ From Our Vantage Point is a podcast by Vantage Point, sharing real conversations and practical insights from BC’s non-profit sector. Vantage Point provides high quality, practical education, facilitation, and consulting support to BC’s non-profit sector as well as programs that support sector success through convening, facilitation, and advocacy.

Because when non-profits thrive, communities do too.

Generously supported by our partners at Humanity Financial.

Anna Whelan, Executive Director of the HiVE, and Board Member Juliana Craig, join us to introduce Vancouver’s only not-for-profit coworking space. Here we discuss what the HiVE’s pandemic recovery looks like and how collaboration and community have bolstered and uplifted staff, members, and the sector in general throughout times of change.

HiVE Vancouver is a not-for-profit social enterprise serving the social venture community. Their space is a unique coworking space located in the Gastown neighbourhood of Vancouver, BC. They are home to change makers, social enterprises, environmental sustainability groups, and other creative class individuals that support social and environmental sustainability. With over 100 desks, three board rooms and 9,000 square feet of space, there’s a home for just about everyone at the HiVE.

🎙️ From Our Vantage Point is a podcast by Vantage Point, sharing real conversations and practical insights from BC’s non-profit sector. Vantage Point provides high quality, practical education, facilitation, and consulting support to BC’s non-profit sector as well as programs that support sector success through convening, facilitation, and advocacy.

Because when non-profits thrive, communities do too.

Generously supported by our partners at Humanity Financial.

This week, Nav joins the podcast from the other side of the From Our Vantage Point table and discusses her work at Vantage Point, her vision for the podcast, and what’s next. Nav is the new Marketing & Communications Manager at Take a Hike Foundation, although many know her as the voice of the Vantage Point podcast. Listen in on this brief chat to mark the end of an era and join Rowan as he picks up where Nav leaves off as the third host of From Our Vantage Point.

Take a Hike Foundation engages vulnerable youth in a full-time program of intensive and continuous clinical counselling, outdoor adventure, academics, and community. They partner with public school districts who provide a high-quality education, and together empower youth with the skills and resilience they need to graduate high school, build healthy relationships, and navigate their own path to success.

🎙️ From Our Vantage Point is a podcast by Vantage Point, sharing real conversations and practical insights from BC’s non-profit sector. Vantage Point provides high quality, practical education, facilitation, and consulting support to BC’s non-profit sector as well as programs that support sector success through convening, facilitation, and advocacy.

Because when non-profits thrive, communities do too.

Generously supported by our partners at Humanity Financial.

Our April podcast brings an in-depth conversation with Elodie Jacquet, Manager of Knowledge and Practice at SFU’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. We chat about democracy, equity, climate change, and how they come together to form many intersections within the sector. We chat about what must change, how systems can be addressed, and building the future.

The SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue

🎙️ From Our Vantage Point is a podcast by Vantage Point, sharing real conversations and practical insights from BC’s non-profit sector. Vantage Point provides high quality, practical education, facilitation, and consulting support to BC’s non-profit sector as well as programs that support sector success through convening, facilitation, and advocacy.

Because when non-profits thrive, communities do too.

Generously supported by our partners at Humanity Financial.

In this in-depth conversation with Kris Archie, Chief Executive Officer of The Circle, we discuss the colonial nature of philanthropy and how it upholds white supremacy in the not-for-profit sector and affected communities. Then, we imagine how a decolonized philanthropy model could look and explore the necessary steps to reach an equitable funding system.

The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada (The Circle) transforms philanthropy and contributes to positive change between Philanthropy and Indigenous communities by creating spaces of learning, innovation, relationship-building, co-creation, and activation. The Circle works alongside Indigenous-led organizations, Indigenous informed organizations, organizations with Indigenous beneficiaries, our members, and philanthropic signatories of The Declaration of Action to encourage individuals and organizations to learn, acknowledge, and understand more about reconciliation and the decolonization of wealth.

🎙️ From Our Vantage Point is a podcast by Vantage Point, sharing real conversations and practical insights from BC’s non-profit sector. Vantage Point provides high quality, practical education, facilitation, and consulting support to BC’s non-profit sector as well as programs that support sector success through convening, facilitation, and advocacy.

Because when non-profits thrive, communities do too.

Generously supported by our partners at Humanity Financial.