Surfacing Shared Leadership Across the Human Service/Criminal Justice Community

What would be possible if we deepened relationships and synergies between our human service and criminal justice silos and agencies?

That was the invitation that brought 40 people together yesterday. The majority of them are engaged in human service and criminal justice work across the Haliburton, Kawartha and Pine Ridge regions.

Sketch notes by Yvonne Hollandy. Click for a larger version.

The daylong gathering was presented as “an opportunity to understand one another’s roles even more deeply, break down barriers across counties, connect our community members with the right people and resources, build synergy and get traction on the ground. By doing so we will develop that sought after sense of cohesion and connection.”

Those attending were promised they would have a chance to discuss what is most important to them, see and meet their partners in new ways, and discover and design initiatives and projects of their dreams.

The day blended opportunities to connect with the intentions of relative strangers in small-group conversations, jumpstart new community projects through a high-speed design lab and offer support and resources to one another through a gifts circle.

The gathering surfaced new shared leadership as three live projects emerged from the resulting small groups.

Sketch notes by Yvonne Hollandy. Click for a larger version.

That leadership also came through as people in the room expressed their intentions and aspirations. Many of those centred on several core themes:

• The absolute need to collaborate
• Finding ways to do things differently without extra resources
• Holding a “we can” versus “we can’t” mentality
• “Stretching beyond our mandates,” being creative and “manipulating the system in a positive way” in order to ensure the best supports for those the community serves.

The video below captures some of what participants took away from the day.

The gathering was sponsored by the HKPR (Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge) Regional Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee, which seeks to co-ordinate resources and services, and plan more effectively for people who are in conflict with the law.

Axiom News, the creator of the Peterborough Dialogues, facilitated the day’s events.