Community Development and Capacity Building

Community Development & Capacity Building
First Nations & Inuit Health Branch

September 2012

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©FNIHB-HC 2

CDCB Framework approach
• Indigenous community development is dependent on the combined
capacities of the community’s individuals, public service and governance
– community development happens from within.
 Role and opportunity for governments and partners - to support the
capacity of community individuals, organizations and governance
excellence.
 By supporting capacity which leads to community development, First
Nations and Inuit communities will address their own social
determinants of health, based on their own assets, including
Indigenous knowledge and culture.
• This is the game-changer to improve health outcomes.

• For governments and partners - Strengthened knowledge and
competencies in effectively partnering with communities (including cultural
competence), and strengthened community partnerships are necessary
elements for success.
©FNIHB-HC 3

Theory of Change
• Previous policies to implement community-centred approaches have
resulted in momentary shifts, but policy alone does not result in
transformative change.
• CDCB is using an organizational change approach to increase the
likelihood of transformative change:
 Empower community members, FNIHB employees and external
partners with knowledge and competencies – “to know more is to do
better” (Elder Paul Skanks).
 Encourage natural networks of people that provide supports and
opportunities for discussion on how to implement Indigenous
community development
 Build champions at every level
 Maintain a vision of the future that generates hope and commitment

©FNIHB-HC 4

Healthy Community is the Vision
Krawl, 1994, Indicators of healthy • Adapted from Whanāu Ora, New
community Zealand approach to Māori family
health and wellbeing.
• people getting involved in their
community • Community and family well-being will
be realised when [extended] families
• greater sense of trust, caring and are:
sharing among community members
 Self managing
• positive parenting
 Living healthy lifestyles
• sharing of intergenerational wisdom
[and culture]  Participating fully in society
• openness and communication among  Confidently participating in the
community members, without blaming First Nations/Inuit world
or shame  Economically secure and
• clear role expectations and people successfully
taking responsibility  Involved in wealth creation
• sense of connectedness and sensitivity  Cohesive, resilient, nurturing
to one another which promotes healthy
partnerships and collective action

©FNIHB-HC 5

Working Definition: Community Development

• The foundational value and belief of community development
is that the people themselves can improve their community
by working together, building consensus on priorities and
actions, building on community assets, and developing
individual and community capacity.
• Community development is a principled, values-based
approach to support better outcomes in First Nations and
Inuit health, by empowering communities to manage their
own services, building on their own strengths including
culture.
• Community development is not a program – the principle is to
embed community development knowledge and expertise
across the whole branch, in every policy and program.

©FNIHB-HC 6

Community development is not new

• This increasing level of health in Aboriginal
communities must be built on three pillars. The first,
and most significant, is community development,
both socio-economic development and cultural and
spiritual development, to remove the conditions of
poverty and apathy which prevent the members of
the community from achieving a state of physical,
mental and social well-being. (1979)

©FNIHB-HC 7

Commitment to Community Development

• Community development is a priority of the Health
Canada Executive Committee workplan.
• FNIHB ADM’s speech to the AFN’s Health Policy
Forum highlighted community development
• Linked to FNIHB draft Strategic Plan
• FNIHB Regional Directors have shown their support
and commitment to the content and approach, and
an RD co-chairs the National Advisory Committee
• AFN and ITK both participate and are co-chairs of
the National Advisory Committee.

©FNIHB-HC 8

Community
Development Community
Capacity
and Capacity
Building
Strength-
Framework and Indigenous Based
Knowledge &
Principles
Culture

Holistic Community Community-
Health & Development Centred
Well-being
Government & Partnerships for
Partners Community
Knowledge & Leadership in Health & Well-
Competencies Community being

Cultural Competence ©FNIHB-HC 9

Pillars of the CDCB Framework
• Pillars or entry points to support
Indigenous Community
Development (ICD) in
communities.
 Building our own knowledge
and competencies in ICD
and cultural competence, to
be better partners.
 Working with innovative
partners such as other
governments, corporations
and non-profits to support
community well-being.
 Always supporting ongoing
development of capacities in
communities.

©FNIHB-HC 10

Principles of the Framework

©FNIHB-HC 11

Community Capacity – What is it?
• Capacity of individuals + capacity of community organizations = building blocks for
community development.
• For example: Capacities in communicating and sharing plans for the future,
working together to achieve a shared plan, and evaluating progress.

Why is it helpful?
• Community development is built on individual and organizational capacities.
• Successful communities have the capacity to identify and address their own
determinants of health.

In practice – how do we implement?
• First do no harm – do not compromise community
capacity, decision-making, self-determination and hope
• Focus on opportunities to leverage partnerships to support capacity development
in individuals and organizations.

©FNIHB-HC 12

Community Capacity definitions

• What community insiders need to have, to know, to do, and to be, in order
to effectively influence the primary determinants of health that are
affecting them (United Nations Development Program).
• Sometimes described at three levels:
 Individual Level - development of conditions that allow individuals to
build and enhance existing knowledge and skills, the establishment of
conditions that will allow individuals to engage in the “process of
learning and adapting to change”
 Institutional Level - aiding and supporting institutions/organizations in
forming sound policies, organizational structures, and effective
methods of management and controls
 Societal Level - support the establishment of a more “interactive
public administration that learns equally from its actions and from
feedback it receives from the population at large.” Capacity building
must be used to develop public administrators that are responsive and
accountable.

©FNIHB-HC 13

Community Capacities
Individual Public Service Capacity Governance
Capacity Policy and decision
Service Delivery Organizational
Capacity making
Safety Communication and
Continuing education
Healing for work and career negotiation
Communication and
Personal health Communication negotiation Organizational design
practices Project management Public administration Management &
including culture E-technology Policy and decision- controls
Sector-Specific making
Social supports Community
Capacity: health, ECD HR management
Ready to learn and education, housing engagement & moral
Financial mgmt &
Ready for work & public fundraising
authority
works, PSE, lands & Strategic Planning Leadership
resources, family & Information management Partnerships &
community Performance Collaboration
supports, social measurement Accreditation
development, economic Community engagement
development, policing, Partnerships &
membership Collaboration 14
Accreditation ©FNIHB-HC 14

Indigenous Knowledge & Culture - WHAT is it?
• Culture (traditional and cultural activities, indigenous intelligence) is an
important, and perhaps the most important protective factor in community.
• Culture acts as a buffer against crisis. Cultural discontinuity is a risk factor,
particularly in mental health.
Why is it helpful?
• Strength of culture in community is a
determinant of community wellness.

• In practice, how to implement:
• Culture is an essential determinant of
health in communities, and an eligible
expense in FNIHB health programs.
• It is the responsibility of FNIHB and of
FNIHB employees to be culturally
competent.

©FNIHB-HC 15

Indigenous Culture & Knowledge
• Culture
 The commonalities around which a group of people have developed
values, norms, family styles, social roles and behaviours, in response
to the political, economic and social realities they face
 Culture and identity are central to Indigenous perceptions and
definitions of health and ill health.
• History matters:
 Colonization and residential schools discounted Indigenous cultures,
churches and society labelled culture as “evil” and uncivilized, and the
federal government criminalized cultural practices.
 Community healing from colonization and residential schools
includes the process to reclaim and revive cultural knowledge and
traditions – and this is a foundation for community development.
• Successful communities
 Community cultural identity, esteem and strength is associated with
strong social support networks, inclusive social structures, and sense
of hope for the future.

©FNIHB-HC 16

Strength-based - WHAT is it?
• A strengths-based or assets-based approach balances risk and protective
factors, and respects the resilience of communities.
• A recognition that every community has assets – some are just more
readily identifiable.
WHY is it helpful?
• Builds trust
• Builds individual and community
esteem
• Supports potential and hope

In practice:
• Design programs and policy starting
with community strengths including
culture and social connectedness.
• Always look for strengths and
assets.

©FNIHB-HC 17

Community-Centred - WHAT is it?
• Community-based: The majority of health risk and protective factors are local.
Capacity and activity to address them must also be local. A community builds on its
own strengths and assets to address health risk factors.
• Community-paced – Sustainable action builds on capacity in the community, at the
stage of community development (continuum).
• Community-led: The community’s sense of ownership and control over activities to
address wellness is likely just as important as the activity’s outcomes.

WHY is it helpful?
• We all share a vision of communities self-
managing with control over their own social
determinants of health, with support from
governments and partners.

In practice:
• Facilitate community initiative and ownership,
and reduce prescriptive policy and programs.
• Facilitate community capacity in decision-
making, facilitation and strategic planning.

©FNIHB-HC 18

Leadership in Community - WHAT is it?
• Leaders create vision for the future: “The ultimate task of a leader is to
take his or her society to where it has never been.”
• Community leaders include those paid to lead, and also those who have
leadership roles and influence in the community.

WHY is it helpful?
• Formal and informal community
leadership is a protective factor
against crisis, and an essential
factor for success.

In practice:
• Support short- and medium- term
leadership development and
emerging leaders in communities.

©FNIHB-HC 19

WHAT is it?
• First Nations, Inuit and Métis define health as holistic
(physical, emotional, mental and spiritual), and activities that have impact
across the circle of health will have more impact than those which focus on
only one.
WHY is it helpful?
• Factors contributing to health and wellness,
and healthy communities, are larger than
any one department or partner.
• Successful communities have innovative
partnerships with neighbouring
communities, NGOs and additional funders.
In practice:
• Leverage commonalities and partnerships
within FNIHB, with other departments
including AANDC.
• Facilitate relationships between First
Nations, Inuit and Métis - and the NGO and
private sectors.

©FNIHB-HC 20

Cultural Competence
• Important enough to spend much of
the afternoon on this foundation of
the CDCB Framework.

• An expectation held by Aboriginal
communities and clients
• A lens – principles are seen and
interpreted through it
• A process - reflected in
communications.
• An indicator and an outcome –
evaluated by Aboriginal partners and
clients
• A lifelong learning opportunity.

©FNIHB-HC 21

FNIHB & AANDC
CDCB Framework Goals

Communities
have the
capacities to
As communities plan, deliver and
request, innovat evaluate their
ive corporate own quality
ICD and cultural and services and
competence is philanthropic public
implemented in partners administration, a
FNIHB & AANDC support the nd negotiate
daily work to develop development of effective
Employees and policies and community relationships
organizations have programs, and capacities, and with provinces
knowledge and decision-making that contribute to and territories to
competencies in ICD affects communities. improved health adapt the larger
and cultural FNIHB & AANDC are and well-being. systems to
competence, in order effective partners better meet their
to build effective with communities to needs (ie.
relationships with support their work to Health, educatio
communities and develop and address n, etc)
22
clients. SDOH. ©FNIHB-HC 22

For more information:

Rose Sones LeMay
Branch Lead, Community Development and Capacity Building
FNIHB, Health Canada
Rose.sones@hc-sc.gc.ca

APPENDICES Draft Workplan
Lessons learned in CDCB Pilots

©FNIHB-HC 23

Draft Workplan 2012-13
• Community Capacity
 Review options for FNIHB to actively support capacity in communities
including emerging leaders, and options on joint work with AANDC
 Complete pilot with Public Safety on community planning, and report on
outcomes
• FNIHB Knowledge and Competencies
 Train 20% of FNIHB in Indigenous Community Development course
 Develop structures to support ongoing learning including GC-
Connex, Forums
 Complete resource kit for regions to support communities in
crisis, perhaps with a specific workshop
• Partnerships for Health
 Contribute to knowledge translation on building
and maintaining effective innovative partnerships
 Increase corporate and philanthropic contribution
to community capacity and health services
delivery

©FNIHB-HC 24

Lessons Learned in CDCB Pilots
Internal Organizational Change Indigenous
• Takes time in focussed training to build champions at Community
every level of organization Development
curriculum

Community Capacity is the lever Kitigan’zibi, joint
• Successful communities have strong capacities in how funding with Public
to do strategic planning Safety, FN Health
• Communities plan to their own internal authorities first Mgrs Assoc
• Community peer support networks can offer immediate
and sustainable supports, and better positioned to share
messages about effective management and governance
Innovative Partnerships Ahp-cii-uk
• Negotiation skills, shared sense of benefit both important
to community partnerships with corporations, non-profits,
other governments

©FNIHB-HC 25

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