Do comprehensive, collaborative place-based initiatives to reduce poverty “work”? This was the question posed by the Tamarack Institute, Vibrant Communities Canada, and The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation at a very productive Strategic Dialogue held May 10-11, 2010. The Wellesley Institute was commissioned to review research and experience in this field. Our backgrounder Comprehensive Community Initiatives: Lessons Learned, Potential and Opportunities Moving Forward, was distributed to participants beforehand and discussed at the sessions.
Bob Gardner presented highlights and strategic issues moving forward for Canadian initiatives, along with Anne Kubisch of the Aspen Institute on international experience. The backgrounders, presentations and reflections on the day are all available on the Tamarack site.
Wellesley Backgrounder for CCI Strategic Review
Tamarack has developed a Strategic Dialogue web page which contains the documents and presentations shared with participants in advance of the Strategic Dialogue.
In addition, Anne Makhoul, Principal Project Officer, Caledon Institute of Social Policy and Eric Leviten-Reid, Coordinator, Evaluation and Learning, Vibrant Communities Canada were tasked with observing and writing about the Strategic Dialogue. They have written two reports – a longer story about the event and a two page overview which can also be found on the web page .