This is the latest article in a three-part series on a community-based project to advance the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Peterborough and the Kawarthas.

In Part 1, we explained what the SDGs are and how the Kawartha World Issues Center (KWIC) and GreenUP are working together to advance them locally. In Part 2, we interviewed members of the project’s Indigenous Leadership Action Team to discuss why Indigenous leadership is needed to guide our local process.

In part three below, we share the experience and results of a recent SDG community collaboration event.

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In February, KWIC and GreenUP hosted a two-day virtual community forum titled “Focusing Indigenous Leadership and Diverse Perspectives to Advance the Sustainable Development Goals in Nogojiwanong / Peterborough”.

This event was designed to build on the work of community members who gathered two years ago, to identify five areas of action from the 2030 Agenda that our region needs to focus on: Prioritizing Indigenous Leadership, No Poverty (SDG # 1), Quality Education (SDG # 4), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG # 6) and Climate Action (SDG # 13).

For this latest gathering, community members came together to deepen their understanding of how to advance the SDGs in a way that leaves no one behind and prioritizes Indigenous leadership. Collectively, Indigenous leadership has been identified as essential to our local success.

As hosts of the forum, KWIC and GreenUP hosted over 200 participants from near and far to work with the community of Nogojiwanong / Peterborough in three interconnected workshops.

Each session began with an introduction to the Seven Teachings of the Grandfathers, the principles to guide the forum, and how we would work together. These teachings are at the heart of local Indigenous ways of life – they are our model of how to live good and healthy lives. They include wisdom, love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility, and truth.

“I especially appreciated that the event was guided by the Seven Teachings of the Grandfathers,” says Anca Pascalau, Sustainable Peterborough coordinator and forum participant. “The respect, kindness and inclusiveness were evident throughout the three sessions, even in the Zoom chat section.”

In addition, the workshops were framed by words spoken by Elders Michi Saagiig and knowledge keepers. The intention of this giveaway was to anchor the sessions well, ensuring that we worked together in a meaningful, grateful and present state of mind.

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Each workshop had a distinct objective. The first session contained a presentation by indigenous consultants and the local SDG Project Elder Advisor on examining the past to guide the future. This was followed by a workshop where participants worked together to identify groups that had not yet been included in the development of the local initiative.

In the second session, which opened with the Hiawatha Michi Saagiig Manoomin Drum Group, participants heard three speakers explain why Indigenous leadership and an intersectional approach are essential to leaving no one behind.

The evening’s first speaker was SS Ahmad, Founder and CEO of Green Beacon, a social enterprise with a mission to localize the SDGs. Ahmad explained why empathy and a focus on human rights are essential to advance the SDGs.

Then we heard from Jaida Ponce, a Kichi Siibi Anishinabe-Kwe from the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation. Ponce, who works with the Oshkwazin Indigenous Youth Leadership Program, shared stories that explained the need for strong and open relationships and communications between settler institutions and Indigenous communities.

The third speaker was Dr. Alan Corbiere, a well-respected Anishinaabe historian and teacher from the M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island. Dr Corbiere explained how indigenous knowledge and language can help us better understand and advance our sustainable development goals.

The last session of the forum introduced the “No Poverty”, “Quality Education”, “Clean Water and Sanitation” and “Climate Action” local action teams. Team Chairs explained how focus areas are located to ensure relevant results for Nogojiwanong / Peterborough.

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Throughout the forum, presentations and discussions highlighted the interdependence of local SDGs.

“In my community, our biggest conversation is about clean water,” said Chief Emily Whetung of the Curve Lake First Nation in her opening speech. “It has become a struggle over the past hundred years and has been magnified by the pandemic. “

“In the long term, our goal is to protect and preserve the lands where our traditions, ceremonies and relationships can be practiced; where we can exercise our ability to be stewards of our lands and remove the paternalistic system imposed on us.

Chief Whetung’s powerful words imply how inseparable drinking water (SDG # 6) is from climate change (SDG # 13) and the historical and current injustices that have pushed many indigenous communities into poverty ( SDG # 1). In the presentations that followed, it became clear that quality education (SDG # 4) is essential to the achievement of other local SDGs.

Interconnectivity is a recurring theme in this project. Action teams are aware of how the local SDGs and the 17 UN SDGs are linked; one cannot be achieved without the others. Locally, we believe that the actions we take in our community will trickle down the world in a good way.

By the end of the forum, the urgent need to achieve our goals was evident. We have nine years left to achieve Agenda 2030 – there is a lot of important work to be done.

The project team would like to sincerely thank the organizers, partners, team members, volunteers, speakers, funders, leaders and event attendees who helped organize this momentous event. . We can’t wait to see the rest!

To stay up to date with the local SDG initiative, visit the KWIC and GreenUP websites.

On February 19, 2020, ICANN announced that ICANN67 would be held via over-caution remote participation associated with the COVID-19 outbreak. We did not know at the time that twelve months later, ICANN meetings would still be held via remote participation. For a community used to meeting face-to-face at least three times a year since ICANN1 in Singapore in March 1999, this has created a huge challenge for the way we do business.

Planning an ICANN meeting is a huge undertaking at the best of times, and ICANN has adapted well to each new challenge, but it has been extremely difficult to overcome.

One of the biggest challenges being the time zone. It doesn’t matter what time you schedule a session or meeting; there will be at least one or more regions of participants which will be considerably disadvantaged. I will be in Australia for this meeting so I will feel the pain of my fellow APAC community members.

The lack of face-to-face interactions with the community has certainly impacted our ability to move forward on substantive issues, such as DNS abuse. During the last 12 months, many sessions have been devoted to this subject, but these have been generally unsatisfactory because the virtual format is not conducive to interaction and exchanges in real time as communication is essentially to One Way. In addition, there is no possibility of lane follow-up discussions which can often help to understand the respective decisions.

What can we expect at ICANN70?

As ICANN70 officially takes place March 22-25, a number of preparatory briefings have already been held, as well as a number of sessions with the ICANN Board.

Usually, the board identifies a topic that they wish to discuss with the community groups, but for this meeting, they have asked the community groups to identify the topics for discussion. The House of Contracting Parties (CPH) met with the Council on March 16 and topics for discussion included the final report of the Security, Stability and Resilience Review Team.

In the weeks leading up to ICANN70, the ICANN Board hosted a workshop that included an exercise on Strategic Perspectives Trends, a discussion of the SSR2 Final Report, the Standardized Access / Disclosure System (SSAD) to non-public gTLD registration data as well as recent data developments regarding the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union.

The number of sessions scheduled for ICANN70 is considerably less than the number of in-person meetings. Plenary sessions are generally well attended; however, only one is planned for ICANN70:

Registry Voluntary Commitments: Getting It Right – This plenary session will discuss the pros and cons of Registry voluntary pledges as well as possible improvements and alternatives.

The CPH will hold an open house to provide the community with an update on DNS abuse initiatives undertaken by the RySG and RrSG together and separately; and is also intended to give people the opportunity to ask questions.

One of the advantages of the virtual meeting format is that with fewer sessions there are fewer session conflicts, and more people seem to migrate to GAC and ALAC sessions. The GAC will have a number of discussions on DNS abuse mitigation as well as subsequent proceedings.

The ALAC has identified 3 political sessions:

• The Future of ICANN’s Mandate and DNS Development: Next Generation Voices!
• Reinvent the role of ICANN; Respond to national pressures
• Support for candidates: what does success look like?

The meeting will conclude with a public forum and a meeting of the ICANN Board of Directors.

If you want to attend one of the sessions, you will need to register for the meeting, and in an attempt to avoid Zoom Bombers, the links to the sessions will only be available 24 hours before they start. More information is available at: https://70.schedule.icann.org/.

If you just want to get an overview of the program, I recommend going here first:
https://meetings.icann.org/sites/default/files/icann70_schedule.pdf

After the meeting, the GoDaddy Registry team will review the ICANN70 Virtual Community Forum and discuss some of the main topics covered.

To find out how you can benefit from partnering with GoDaddy Registry and help your organization manage, market and grow your top level domain, send an email [email protected] or visit www.registry.godaddy.

Four possible choices for positions addressed concerns about in-person learning and how they would manage the transition

VANCOUVER – Vancouver Public Schools (VPS) hosted an open forum last night as part of the selection process for the new district superintendent.

Via Zoom, the community got to know the applicants and were encouraged to submit questions, which were then selected for asking by McLoughlin Middle School Principal Travis Boeh, who served as the host.

During the more than two hour question and answer period, candidates shared their backgrounds and what they would be happy to do if selected for the position with VPS.

Dr. Karen D. Cheser was the first of the four candidates to have 30 minutes to answer a series of questions. She is currently the Superintendent of the Fort Thomas Independent Schools in Fort Thomas, KY.

Cheser was a teacher and also taught other teachers before becoming superintendent. Her father was also a teacher and was a key motivator in her education journey, she said.

After being asked what she would do to get others to rally around the change, Cheser expressed a greater desire to focus on how to maintain positive momentum while making changes to things that need to change, such as inequalities.

“There is a Japanese word in business, Kaizen, which is continuous improvement, Toyota uses it, and that’s what I prefer to focus on,” Cheser said. “I’ve learned over and over again that ideas are better if I don’t come up with them, if the students are, the teachers are and so on. I think it’s vitally important that … we work together to create lesson plans, digital playlists, curriculum ideas, teacher videos, and we also make sure it really makes an impact on our students in a way that they feel they are part of this change. “

Regarding the culture of more inclusion and equity within the district, Cheser spoke about lessons learned in his own schools while conducting community outreach activities on a graduation program and accessibility of resources. school.

In schools in his district where poor students were numerous and there was a greater divide between families and schools, Cheser said he implemented an extended day program. For two extra hours each day, students would have more time to learn skills, build community and feel seen, she said.

“These are rewarding activities,” she said. “Sometimes these were activities that we would say offered only to our gifted and talented students. They received targeted instruction for exactly what they needed to accelerate their learning with evidence-based programs. At the end of those 12 weeks, and we’ve been doing this for three years, students have typically gained one to three years of growth. “

Regarding COVID-19, Cheser explained that his approach has been and will continue to be continuous contact with students, staff and parents to find out what everyone wants and what they are comfortable with. . In Kentucky, teachers are a priority immunization group, and Cheser stressed that this was a key factor in their success with a return to in-person teaching.

After Cheser, there was Dr. Jeff Snell, who is currently the Superintendent of the Camas School District.

Snell explained that his biggest influence in becoming an educator was his father, who was his fourth-grade teacher. At the age of 33, his father died of cancer and Snell said witnessing the impact of his father’s short life as an educator on so many people focused on the makes every moment count through hope.

“Hope is really about creating the conditions for people to believe in what’s possible,” Snell said. “When you can help develop a common goal for a better future, with the hope that it is possible, you can change communities, you can change outcomes for staff, and you can certainly change outcomes for students. “

Snell worked as a teacher at Fort Vancouver High School for some time before becoming superintendent at Camas. He stressed that this experience was the most significant when he adjusted his vision of privileges, equity and inclusion.

He said implementing a curriculum that exposes students to otherwise unknown elements of history or a more diverse range of subjects can create a more unified community. He also pointed out how well he has found community forums made up of students, staff and families to solve problems big and small.

“It could create a space for student leaders to talk and share their experiences, which is really empowering,” he said. “We may take a look at our math course for students and make changes, to really identify opportunities for more students of color to have access to rigorous courses. We have seen that this is already starting to have a positive effect. It can also be simply listening to students talk about their desire to see themselves in our program. “

Snell also said he believes he has a certain edge when it comes to overcoming any challenges that may arise when taking office. A vast network of experiences in Clark County and the region makes him more familiar with the issues and more prepared to deal with them, he said.

Regarding COVID-19, Snell echoed the feeling that it has been very difficult in his district, but he has learned to try to look at it from each side’s perspective, to reduce the polarization.

After Snell, Dr. Kenneth “Chris” Hurst of Othello, WA answered questions. Hurst is currently the superintendent of the Othello school district.

Hurst, his wife and two grown children are all educators in the region and across the country. Hurst described himself as a passionate teacher who taught math and advanced computer science before becoming superintendent.

“When we talk about equity, it’s really been my life’s work, really working with communities, working with teams to break down those barriers, so more students can be successful and they can achieve their goals.” , said Hurst. “One of the things I have shared with the leaders here at Othello is this term called relational trust. If you want people to engage in work and really hard work with you, they’re going to have to trust you.

Hurst explained that when it comes to changing a district’s culture and improving equity and inclusion, he sees a key achievement in helping everyone understand what the terms used mean.

He also said he was a strong supporter of creating an equity committee, which allows for stronger communication with the community. Vancouver currently has one of these committees, having established it last year.

“We really want to make sure that it goes down to the classroom and that it breathes in our community and breathes in our district,” he said. “The best way to do this is to make sure our teachers are trained on what culturally appropriate teaching looks like. So not only become an expert observer of education, but how do our leaders now become expert observers of what education equity looks like, what looks and looks like.

On the COVID front, Hurst expressed his understanding that many parents want to bring students back as quickly as possible. He also said he recognized the influence and perspective of the teachers’ union, as well as their safety concerns. Overall, Hurst said he believes open dialogue and the ability for staff and families to ask questions and receive quick responses on specific topics is essential.

The final nominee for the evening was Dr. Héctor Rico from Santa Cruz, Calif., Who is currently Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Pacific Collegiate School.

Rico immigrated to the United States with his mother as a child and is the first in his family to graduate from high school and attend university. He was not the last, however, and he now has several educated siblings and children, as well as his mother. Rico worked as a deputy principal and principal at the secondary and primary level.

“I really believe that together we are better,” said Rico. “No one knows everything, no one can do it all and no one can do it alone. There is always someone who has better ideas than you, and someone who has other ideas than you. It is important to hear them all to help make the best informed decision in the future. This is why I really adhere to the notion of distributed leadership.

Rico spoke about his experiences as an educator leading districts with very diverse student populations and the importance of finding programs that include a variety of entry points and celebrate diverse cultures.

He also explained how it would be his mission, if selected, to eliminate the disparities between the northern and southern sections of the Vancouver School District. This question was detailed in district research and provided to all applicants.

“It’s not what we give them or that we give them the same, but rather that we give them what they need, so that when they leave us at comparable levels,” said Rico.

Regarding the pandemic, Rico explained that his goal would be to find a consensus between all the actors involved in the process of returning students to school. He expressed a desire to connect with students, families and teachers.

“It is imperative that we… involve stakeholders more than ever in the dissemination of information, as well as in ongoing communication and planning,” he said. “Because whatever direction we receive, every district is unique, and the way its community responds to crisis and evolving guidelines will vary, and we must respect that. ”

The selection process has accelerated with the recent impeachment of outgoing Superintendent Steve Webb. No reason was given for the school board’s decision, but Webb, who was due to retire at the end of the year, wrote an open letter to the community which can be found here.

Parents can provide feedback on the applicants by completing an online form on the district website. The school board will make its final selection by the beginning of March.

On Wednesday, a business forum hosted by Governor Albert Bryan Jr. and the VI Economic Development Authority brought together representatives from companies to discuss how they are protecting themselves and their customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bryan kicked off the forum with a list of his ideas for improving the lives and economy of the Virgin Islands, as part of his administration’s Vision 2040 program. He also spoke about improving the health and health care of residents.

The governor anticipates that there will be six new health facilities, including two skilled nursing facilities, built in the near future. Two hospitals and two clinics are expected to be rebuilt in the wake of the 2017 hurricanes. Better lifestyles will be encouraged by more recreational facilities, bike paths and walking communities, he said. Other plans that Bryan mentioned included 169 VI parks and recreation projects, including the reconstruction of the Paul E. Joseph Stadium and the Vincent Mason Pool in Frederiksted. Bryan said two racetracks and an automobile racetrack will also be built.

“The Virgin Islands have followed for so long; it is time for us to lead, ”he said.

After Bryan’s speech, several representatives from the tourism industry spoke about the safety precautions they are now taking to keep people safe and what they plan to do when they reopen their businesses.

Jayne Halcomb and Elisa Shen, of the Royal Caribbean Group, spoke about the 496,000 passengers on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships brought to St. Thomas in 2019. About 93% of them disembarked in St. Thomas and spent an average of four hours and a half. on the island. When cruises return, the industry will be looking for more outdoor activities and outdoor shopping to keep passengers safe.

Royal Caribbean will adapt and evolve after the pandemic, Shen said. In line with CDC guidelines, they will provide more personal protective equipment, install advanced sanitation protocols, and screen staff daily.

“We can compete with any hospital and will partner with our destinations,” said Shen, after complaining that the CDC had “been a bit invasive in the cruise industry.”

The cruise line will also reduce group sizes and site capacities and eliminate buffets. The company will find more tour operators to lure people off the boat, and passengers will be encouraged to participate in more shore excursions.

Lisa Hamilton of the USVI Hotel and Tourism Association was the first participant to speak about the hospitality industry. More than 1,200 hotel rooms have been closed since the hurricanes of 2017 and the only one open on Sainte-Croix – Carambola Resort – offers limited services. The Divi Carina Bay Resort and the Elysian Hotel are set to reopen this month, with Frenchman’s Reef aiming to reopen in the second quarter of 2022, she said.

Hamilton recommended that the territory create new sites for small groups after the pandemic. Rooms should be more affordable, and hotels should accept alternative payment methods such as Venmo and PayPal. Stores should consider moving merchandise outside with flexible hours for working people. Other ideas include small food fairs and evening street fairs. Vendors will need to continue to use disinfectant and masks, test staff, and update signage.

Representing the St. Thomas / St. John Chamber of Commerce, Adriane Dudley spoke about some of the challenges faced by businesses in the Virgin Islands, including the high cost of utilities, supplies and shipping. During the pandemic, companies do not have the same access to capital and the employment pool is shrinking. Business owners are unable to plan for the future and are suffering from pandemic fatigue, she added.

Ryan Nelthropp, president of the Holy Cross Chamber of Commerce, said businesses can cope with the new normal by getting more creative, exporting products and using more digital marketing and virtual meetings. He added that the government can help the most by dredging all ports to accommodate mega-ships.

According to a Small Business Development Center survey of 38 restaurants in St. Thomas and St. John, 89% are underwater, 8% are stagnant and only 3% say they are okay. In other words, there is a 64% decrease in income in St. Thomas and a 58% reduction in income in St. John. As a result, restaurateurs have seen their workforce decrease by 43%, according to Ted Gutierrez, the state director of the SBDA.

Restaurant owners interviewed said the government could help by collecting workers’ compensation payments quarterly instead of a year, forgiving fines, opening bar counters and helping organize food tours, Gutierrez said. .

Restaurants in Sainte-Croix will be investigated at a later date, he said.

The maritime industry also participated in the forum. She was represented by Damien Cartwright of the VI Port Authority; Oriel Blake, executive director of the VI Professional Charter Association; and Kevin Bailey of the VI Game Fishing Club.

The industry is “booming,” said Blake, with 700 cabins of VI charter yachts occupied for the season. Due to the nature of sailing – with small groups of people on the outside – social distancing is relatively easy. USVI ports are open and there is new interest in St. Croix, she added.

There are 11,000 maritime jobs in the territory and the industry is set to expand, according to Blake. Maritime infrastructure needs to improve and more services are needed, she said.

Bailey said that although the territory offers tournaments and is the blue marlin capital of the world, more land attractions are needed. The fishermen want to go to the beach bars to eat and drink. More moorings and dive sites are also needed.

Cartwright then introduced a young entrepreneur, Tywreh Nelson, to talk about his business, Upper Class OG, a lifestyle brand company.

“Age is proportional to innovation,” Cartwright said.

Nelson and his cousin started the business in 2017. Since then, they have learned to solve problems, trust others and respond to customer requests. They use social media to connect and strengthen their relationships.

“We have to teach and impart knowledge to the residents behind us. The roots create fruit, ”he said.

Several other officials spoke, including Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion, who reiterated COVID protocols for virgin islanders. She said the pandemic had “increased and decreased” and that there are currently cases of community transmission.

“The goal here is not to shut down or sanction businesses, but to encourage them to find creative ways to balance everything and keep people safe,” she said.

Other representatives spoke about the work their organizations are doing for the community, including Gutierrez of the Small Business Development Center and Wayne Biggs, chief executive of the Economic Development Authority, who spoke about loans available through the EDA bank.

Denise Johannes, Director of the Corporations and Trademarks Division in the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, explained how to start the process of opening a business, and Richard Evangelista, the Commissioner of the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs, gave instructions on how to complete the process online.

A presentation on the USVI Economic Reopening and Restructuring Working Group was scheduled for the forum. Yihan Wang, head of economic development at the Research and Technology Park at the University of the Virgin Islands, spoke about some aspects of the study, but the full report will not be complete until the end of January.