Conflict resolution and community change

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Case study abstract

This case describes the effectiveness of youth participation as a mechanism for an entire community – the Teme-Augama Anishnabai community living on Lake Temagami in northeastern Ontario, Canada – to talk to each other and make decisions.

In a context rife with inertia and conflict, our approach overcame differences in opinion and created a shared vision regarding the organization, planning, and direction of the band.

This case study provides a novel contribution to contemporary reflections on collective intelligence models with regard to methods of combining different perspectives in conflict resolution.

Key recommendations

Rigorously select motivated participants that clearly understand expectations. leaving this up to chance may produce

Choose a stellar project manager that can communicate transparently and frequently with the community. The project manager should also benefit from support, via active mentorship, weekly check-in calls, and troubleshooting problems together.

Achieve a balance between driving to an outcome and remaining experts on process only. If you’re objective is capacity building and emporewent, don’t try to solve everything for participants. This is their journey.

When working with an aboriginal culture it is vital to find ways to connect your facilitation model with local traditions and rituals

Read the complete case study “Conflict resolution and community change”

Inspiration, key principles, practical do’s and don’ts

In open acess thanks to the Porticus Foundation