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Project Experience

We have 30+ years of success in the design, delivery, management, and evaluation of literally hundreds of collaborative action projects on multiple continents. Capacity-building, innovation, collaboration, and positive change are core to this exciting work.

Selected Current Projects

Title:

Strategy, Guide and Toolkit for Digital Engagement and Facilitation on the Increasing Health Risks of Climate Change

Client:

Health Canada, working with rural, urban, and northern Health Authorities

Summary:

The HealthADAPT program provides financial and technical resources to help health authorities better assess, prepare for, and respond to the health impacts of climate change. We created a formal strategy to help program participants build digital engagement skills, a DE project design guide, and a set of 20+ suitable DE tools, all now being piloted in a range of community settings.

Title:

Global Inclusive Health Strategy for People with Intellectual Disabilities

Client:

Special Olympics International, Golisano Foundation

Summary:

With total funding of almost $150 million USD provided by the CHC and the Golisano foundation, this innovative engagement and service provision imitative seeks to achieve health equity for $11 million PWIDs. For more than 4 years, Vince has helped align and strengthen the capacity of program leadership, the founders and staff of all eight clinical disciplines involved, and over 100 athlete leaders drawn from 40+ countries.

Title:

Facilitation and Engagement Capacity Building for Social Innovation

Client:

Living Lab Monastir (Tunisia), with the support of COMMITT Consulting Group

Summary:

We designed and delivered a highly successful three-day training in the foundational principles, practices, and tools/formats for facilitation of team and stakeholder events. This customized and highly interactive program was in service of a group of 15 trainees gathering to launch a new “social innovation” group, working out of a new technology hub near the seaside city of Monastir, and funded by the governments of Tunisia and Germany. The concepts and skills shared with this team will undergird their efforts to engage with community members and develop action projects.

Selected Past Projects

Title:

Community Health Centre Programs, Partnerships, and Services Engagement

Client:

Luther Court Housing Society

Summary:

Design, publicize, organize, conduct, and report from a series of four Digital Focus Groups with 30+ community and agency stakeholders. Each session helped senior management of this new multi-million dollar and 5000 sq. ft. community facility better understand the priority health needs of local seniors, indigenous, youth, and marginalized populations; possible service delivery models, partnerships, and educational placements were also identified.

Title:

Poverty Reduction through Participatory Planning and Engaged Pedagogy

Client:

Viet Nam, University of British Columbia

Summary:

Coordination and facilitation of a five-year, $10 million, seven university action-research and curriculum development project with ambitious poverty reduction and gender equity goals. Research centre network establishment, training courses, community service projects, curriculum units, national policy advice.

Title:

Service Review, ParaTransit Services

Client:

TransLink Transportation Authority

Summary:

Working with a new stakeholder advisory body, and a series of technical reviews and policy backgrounders, this project required effective facilitation throughout as well as a commitment to a shared and progressive agenda. Service standards and service models were improved as a result, with greater understanding of needs and capabilities on all sides, and stronger relationships all around.

Title:

New Green Residential Development Standards and Bylaws

Client:

Township of Langley

Summary:

After a decade of rancorous debate among stakeholders, council and staff, a neighbourhood plan for this rapidly growing but historically agricultural community is nearing completion. Having successfully established a strong consensus on the primary directions for this plan in 2020, we are now engaging the community on how detailed development standards will respond to the recent declaration of a climate crisis by council. Conservation subdivisions, passive house standards, green transportation options, aquifer protection, etc.

Title:

Marine MicroPlastics Science Summit, Ottawa

Client:

Six Ministries and the Privy Council Office, Government of Canada

Summary:

Design, publicize, organize, facilitate, and report from a three-day summit of 75+ senior scientists and policymakers across seven federal ministries. Generated a focused ten-year science research agenda (announced immediately by Prime minister Trudeau) supporting the G20 nation’s commitment to remove micro-plastics from the global marine environment.

Title:

Cawley Point Wilderness Retreat, Visioning and Land Use Plan

Client:

TELUS Communications Inc.

Summary:

Seeking to serve vulnerable youth and local First Nations, and pursuing its “social capitalism” commitments, TELUS recently purchased a 124-acre site on the Sechelt Inlet. Vince designed and facilitated the launch of the master planning and rezoning process, leading a “strategic visioning” retreat of 15 people on the site, before the full project team began to work on the full land use plan.

Title:

Rural Education for All in Ethiopia

Client:

Imagine1Day Foundation, the Wilson 5 Foundation

Summary:

This charity (established by Drew Boshell and Vince Verlaan) seeks to ensure that all Ethiopian children will have access to quality education, free of foreign aid, by 2030. Working under Ethiopia’s public education system and in partnership with the country’s federal, regional and district government education offices, its programs and activities have improved the education of over 265,000 children. Community engagement and government leadership have also substantially increased across ten districts and 507 schools.

Title:

Conflict Resolution between Municipality, Citizens, and Park Users

Client:

District of Squamish, BC, Canada

Summary:

The recent siting of a racquet sports facility near a residential development, and increased usage of the facility, led to conflict between different court user groups and local residents, and was beginning to draw in advocacy groups, council members, and the staff of different District departments. We worked digitally to engage with and interview a range of concerned parties, to identify all relevant concerns as well as some key facts, to share that information, and then facilitated a consensus-based approach to reach a well-supported resolution. Rather than having the issue blow up further, all involved were grateful for the emergent solution and for the way in which it was achieved.