MEMBERS’ PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT FUND
The purpose of the ACIC Members’ Public Engagement Fund is to support good practice and innovative methods of engaging Atlantic Canadians in global development issues.
Although the results of a public opinion poll (ICN/Vision Critical) revealed that one third of all Canadians polled ranked global poverty as a top concern, 43% felt unaffected personally by global poverty. This disconnect indicates a need for the international cooperation sector to develop a stronger, more effective narrative to engage Canadians on the interconnected nature of the issues related to global poverty. ACIC members play an important role in transforming the ways in which the public understands and engages with these issues within Atlantic Canada.
NEW for 2020 onwards! We updated the purpose of the ACIC Members Public Engagement Fund last year and are looking to support novel practices, risk-taking, and creativity towards innovative methods of engaging Atlantic Canadians in global development issues. We are actively encouraging members to consider creative, non-traditional approaches that allow for deeper engagement—leading to personal involvement and informed action. See past recipients on our website below and here.
We offer this guiding question: Do you have a new, risk-taking project in mind that you have wanted to try out on a public audience? We want to support your energy, your ideas, and your creativity in more deeply engaging Atlantic Canadians towards personal action, and are looking for applications that focus on gender equality, FIAP action areas and/ or other SDGs and innovation, testing and trying new ways to reach an audience.
Up to $1,500 per project will be available for public engagement activities in Atlantic Canada. All project activities need to be completed by early March 2023. All applications must be made through the Jotform application form, found HERE or in the button below.
Applications are open on a rolling basis. ACIC needs unto a month to process applications, please apply at least a month before your proposed Public Engagement/conference/training. Please note on your application if your conference or training is fast approaching, and you’d like us to take a look at it.
Past Projects | Members’ Public Engagement Fund 2020-21
Dalhousie University, Faculty of Agriculture, International Office
The Faculty of Agriculture, International Office’s Project aims to celebrate successes and explore challenges faced by innovative women leaders in the agricultural industry throughout their career journey. A group of youth (aged 15-25) will be trained on film production and gender studies. Youth will be placed in small crews to produce a short video on one women leader in agriculture bringing their stories of innovation and contribution to light. Following post-production, the short film documentaries will be showcased publicly in a culminating viewing event. In response to the unprecedented times of COVID, the showcase will also be made available through a remote education and learning public engagement offering that can be viewed at public places (e.g. public library/museums/ministry offices etc.) and will be published on different online/social media platforms maintained by Dalhousie University and partners. This project will elevate women innovators and leaders in agriculture through sharing of story, enable youth to gain in-depth knowledge, awareness and practical experience of working on a gender-based project in agriculture as well as in film production, and will sensitize and educate the wider public audience about the existing role women productively play in agriculture in the Atlantic region. The overall goal will be to improve awareness and understand of the impact women have in agriculture promoting gender awareness and education. (Dalhousie would appreciate the opportunity to update this summary following award to be reflective of confirmed partnerships as well as highlight any additional impact of COVID-19).
Engage NS: Women and the NS Quality of Life Survey
In 2015 Engage Nova Scotia undertook a two-question province wide survey. They asked Nova Scotians if success should be measured by the growth in our economy; and/or, by the improvement in our quality of life. While 68% were in favour of economic growth 81% believed success should be measured by our quality of life. These results were the catalyst that led to Engage launching a pan-provincial survey called the Nova Scotia Quality of Life Initiative (NS QoLI). The survey collected responses from close to 13,000 people living in Nova Scotia and is currently in the phase of sharing back the results. In light of the pandemic, Engage Nova Scotia is considering how to use the NS QoLI data in support of a feminist economic recovery plan for Nova Scotia. Women have been disproportionately set back during this time and it has become clear that evidence-based strategies need to be considered as we move forward. To this end they proposed to create a resource containing the NS QoLI data on female identifying individuals responses from the survey. They will also host and invite women-serving agencies to join a virtual gathering to discuss the results of the Quality of Life survey.
Farmers Helping Farmers: Broken Crayons
Farmers Helping Farmers member Patsy Dingwell, in Broken Crayons, tells the story of pre-service teacher Ellen Gillis and her unforgettable experience in a Kenyan school. The launch and distribution of this book throughout the PEI school system, Kenyan twinned schools, and beyond, offers opportunities to more fully engage existing partners, develop new relationships, and build global awareness. It also calls on FHF to develop and refine new ways of communicating during this time of Covid-19. Funding from ACIC’s Members PE Engagement Fund will be directed to the elements of the book launch that involve use of technologies to communicate and to connect people. These include: development of two videos, a video book reading for FHF’s YouTube channel, a backgrounder video on how the book came about with info on FHF’s work, which can be used either as a standalone awareness resource, and a preface to the book reading video, book readings via Zoom, including readings to individual classrooms and groups of students in twinned elementary schools, and exploration of the potential for inclusion of Kenyan classrooms with their twinned PEI counterparts in joint readings and interactive discussion.