ACIC 2008 AGM & sYMPOSIUM:
COLLABORATING FOR CHANGE

When: Thursday May 8th, 5pm - Saturday, May 10th, 11:30 am
Where: Debert Hospitality Centre, Debert, NS

The Atlantic Council for International Cooperation is pleased to announce and invite you to attend our 2008 Annual General Meeting and Symposium, "Collaborating for Change" from May 8-10th in Debert, Nova Scotia. Join us in exploring and sharing the ways we can come together in our work for global sustainability in a peaceful and healthy environment, with social justice, human dignity, and participation for all.

This year's symposium program covers a broad range of topics, from working with First Nations groups to Gender Based Analysis, to the challenge of funding our cooperative efforts. A complete agenda and detailed workshop descriptions are included below for your information.

Please click here for the registration form which you can email, fax or post to confirm your place. If you have any questions, please contact Rena Kulczycki at (902) 431-2311 or admin@acic-caci.org.

SYMPOSIUM AGENDA

Thursday, May 8th :
5-6pm : Registration
7 :30–9pm : Collaborating or Competing for Change : A dialogue on the realities of funding & international cooperation

Friday, May 9th :
8am : Breakfast
9am –12pm:  ACIC Annual General Meeting
12 –1pm : Lunch
1:00-1:30pm: Participatory Monitoring & Evaluation presentation
1:30–2:30pm: Bringing it back home: Identifying the impact and influence returned volunteers have on their local community's view of developing nations
2:45–5pm: Working with First Nations & Indigenous People
5-5:30pm: First Voices film screening
6-7pm: Banquet
7-8pm: Keynote : Collaborating for Change
8-10pm: Contra Dance with Halifax’s Smokin’ Contraband.

Saturday, May 10th :
8am:  Breakfast
9-11:30am: Gender Based Analysis
11:30am: Departures

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

Collaborating or Competing for Change : A dialogue on the realities of funding international cooperation.: How often we hear ourselves repeating that "We are all looking for the same money", but fail to see that the issue is bigger than funding. We need to bring some serious analysis to contributing factors to a climate of competition between us. So the challenge is: to discover together some of the ways of developing in our community a new culture of cooperation, equality, and solidarity. This session will facilitate our in bringing our creative minds together to find ways to move forward as a supportive and cooperative network for positive change.

Participatory Monitoring & Evaluation Presentation:Last year the ACIC embarked on participatory monitoring process with members to evaluate the services and functioning of the organization. Led by a team of representatives from member organizations in all four atlantic provinces and an ACIC intern, the evaluation process contributed to the shaping of our upcoming strategic plan for 2008-2011. This group participated in last September’s PM&E Training session hosted by the ACIC and facilitated by Francoise Coupal of Mosaic International. The processes, challanges and success of this endeavor will be shared by representatives from the task group.

Bringing it back home: Identifying the impact and influence returned volunteers have on their local community's view of developing nations: This workshop will discuss the importance of first-hand experiences in the field relating to Canadian perceptions of developing countries and aid. As returned volunteers, we are representatives of development initiatives and the countries we visited. Both negative and positive stories to our neighbours, friends, co-workers and family will impact their view of developing countries and the work that development groups do overseas. How detrimental can comments from returned volunteers be? Can returned volunteers use what they have learned overseas to change preconceived notions and media propaganda of poverty, laziness and corruption into more positive and truthful views of countries in development stages? A presentation of ethical anecdotes and pictures will be incorporated into a discussion with participants.

Panel : Working with First Nations & Indigenous People: This panel will consist of various accounts of the ACIC’s and member organization’s experiences working with First Nations and indigenous. This will include the presentation of an evaluation tool based on the Medicine Wheel tradition of local aboriginal groups, and the experiences of two interns involved with a partnership between aboriginal groups in PEI and Chile.
 
First Voices film screening:
Following the panel, we will screen the ACIC’s First Voices film. This inspirational film was the first of the ACIC’s five-year aboriginal youth art project, and set the stage for those to follow. Carolyn Whiteway, First Voices Project Coordinator will introduce the ongoing project and last year’s multi-media exhibit will be on display.

Contra Dance with Halifax’s Smokin’ Contraband: Following dinner and keynote presentation, join Halifax’s Smokin’ Contraband for a toe-tappin good time. “A Halifax-based lively traditions band playing an entertaining and foot-stomping assortment of old-timey fiddle tunes, jigs and reels with a whisper of bluegrass.” 

Gender Based Analysis: This interactive workshop will examine the importance of focusing on women’s rights and gender equality, the foundations of gender inequality, and how we can create change using hands on, participatory tools to use in your work with people, projects, and policy.

Please click here for the registration form which you can email, fax or post to confirm your place. If you have any questions, please contact Rena Kulczycki at (902) 431-2311 or admin@acic-caci.org.