Chapter Manual - Proposed Content

Hi all,

Tim and I have been working towards developing a draft chapter manual. The following posts contain the proposed outline with some associated comments, and the first three chapters of the manual.

Please let us know what you think.

Thanks,
Bruce

Chapter Manual - Outline

A. Introduction and Vision

1) Introduction to CWRA and SYP
2) Structure of Organization (Diagram)
3) Vision, Mission and Goals (CWRA and SYP)

B. Chapter Mandate

1) Purpose

2) Chapter Structure
· Explain three-tier structure – core group/project assistance/in-the-loop

3) Chapter Members
· Ideal numbers for core group – minimum of ? and maximum of ?
· Who can be members?
· Ideally, have balance of graduate, undergraduate and young professionals
· Want to maintain continuity, therefore all graduates perhaps not ideal
· Faculties/organizations that may have interested students/young professionals
· Definition of a young professional ie. Three years since qualified

4) Position Descriptions
· Team Leader
· Facilitator
· Secretary
· Project Leader
· Project Participant
· Branch representative/liaison

5) Chapter Meetings
· How formal?
· Use of an agenda (Provide agenda sample?)
· Roundtable Discussions
· Brainstorming

6) Key Relationships
· Relationship with branch
· Relationship with SYP Task Force
· Partnerships with Other Organizations

7) Succession Planning
· Planning for succession of key positions – annual election?

C. Chapter Promotion

1) Benefits to Students/Young Professionals

2) Benefits to Organization

3) Student Networking Event
· Organizing the first networking event
· Branch involvement

D. Event/Project Planning

1) Financing and Accountability
· Working with Branch
· Fund-raising policy
· Potential sources of funding

2) List of Possible Events/Projects
· Based on completed events by existing chapters

E. Annual Review/Report

1) Annual Review
· Annual Meeting
· Review what achieved during past year
· Brainstorm and come up with priorities/ideas for next year

2) Annual Report
· Report to SYP Task Force/Branch on what achieved during past year and things hoping to achieve following year.

F. SYP Task Force Mandate

1) Purpose

2) General Committee Guidelines
· Committee Roles/Position Descriptions
· Conference Call Format
· Conference Call Etiquette
· Time Zones

3) Governance/Administration Committee Mandate
· Purpose
· Composition – including number of members, number of meetings, invitation of guest members

4) Support/Outreach Committee Mandate
· See above
· Current projects

5) Conference Committee
· See above
· Current projects

6) Mentorship Committee
· See above
· Current projects

G. Key Contacts

Chapter Manual - Chapter 1: Introduction

Welcome to the chapter manual for the student and young professional (SYP) initiative within the Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA). This document is meant to provide you with another resource for getting involved with the CWRA through the SYP chapters and task force. We hope that this guide supplements your involvement with other thoughtful and dedicated individuals in the organization.

The CWRA has been around since 1947, its roots coming from irrigation interests in Western Canada. In the time following those days, the CWRA has bloomed into a national organization with a strong focus on regional interests through provincial branches. These branches organize events in their own communities and provide representatives to the national body of the organization. To gain a better understanding of the CWRA story, the book “Reflections on Water – Canadian Water Resources Association: 1947 – 1997” by Bruce Mitchell and Rob de Loë provides an excellent overview and history of the organization.

The student and young professional side of the organization started to develop at the University of Waterloo in 2001. It all began with Todd Neff, from the Ontario Branch, working with students in Waterloo to bring a seminar series and networking evening to the students. Over the course of two semesters, a number of seminars were given by board members of the CWRA Ontario Branch. A small group of students at that time decided to start a chapter to help the organization meet its objectives. In 2003, Bruce Davison, one of the founding members of the Waterloo chapter, moved to Saskatoon and started a chapter in that city. Chapters have since started growing in Montreal, Quebec City, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

The SYP initiative has matured to a point where it is necessary to provide some supporting documentation to sustain further development of the group. Most of the development of new chapters and SYP CWRA national sub-committees has occurred in an ad-hoc manner, involving many one-on-one phone calls as members of established chapters have helped members of newer chapters avoid roadblocks and head in the right direction. This ad-hoc approach has been very effective, but it is becoming impossible to maintain with a growing list of new chapters and new chapter leaders. It is fully expected that the development of new chapters and the support of new chapter leaders will be primarily sustained through human interaction with others who are, or have been, involved in developing chapters and this document is meant to support and streamline chapter development.

The remainder of this document strives to answer some of the common questions about developing and sustaining CWRA SYP chapters. The remainder of the introduction describes the vision, mission and goals of the CWRA SYP, along with the organizational structure that has been developed to meet the vision, mission and goals. Section B describes the chapter mandate, with an emphasis on the elements that make a chapter successful. The remaining sections focus on chapter marketing, event and project planning, the annual review and report, the national SYP Task Force mandate, and key contacts.

This document is merely a reflection of what is actually happening in the real world. As a result, it is meant to be reviewed and revised annually to ensure that it accurately reflects the SYP initiative.

Chapter Manual - Chapter 2: Vision

I. VISION

A. “Make a Difference, Network and Develop Skills”

B. If you are a student or young professional in the field of water resources, we want to provide you with opportunities to make a difference, network and develop skills… all within the framework of the four CWRA objectives.

i) To stimulate awareness and understanding of Canada's water resources;
ii) To encourage recognition of the high priority and value of water;
iii) To provide a forum for the exchange of information and opinion relating to the management of Canada's water;
iv) To participate with appropriate agencies in international water management activities.

II. MISSION

A. The mission elaborates on how the SYP can go about meeting the vision. Are there other things we can put in here? I (Tim) have put in a few suggestions but they are just off the top of my head and not well developed.

B. Our focus on meeting these objectives is “action on projects.” We recognize the importance of having an effective administration, but the key is to allow the majority of our participants the freedom to focus on projects that meet the vision. Talk to one of us to find out what projects we’ve worked on, or are working on right now. (Insert cross reference with other sections of the Manual once those sections are complete)

C. Building strong relationships between the SYP and professional branches and the national board to fully capitalize on the value that students and young professionals can deliver to the CWRA.

D. Encourage the participation of students and young professionals from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to enrich the exchange of ideas and information relating to the management of Canada’s water.

E. Develop the skills of SYP members so that they can grow into the future leaders of Canadian water management.

III. GOALS

A. (This is the section that it might be good to have some discussion around… the following are just a few things Tim and Bruce have brainstormed.)

B. Increase the number of chapters (may want specific number to aim for);

C. Increase quality of chapters;

D. Increase CWRA membership;

E. Establish a comprehensive marketing plan;

F. Maintain a national website that acts as a depository of useful information to enhance chapter development;

G. Increase student and young professional attendance and participation at CWRA national conference (again could have specific number or percentage increase. Eg: double attendance);

H. Establish effective mentorship program;

I. Effective representation of chapters on the SYP Task Force;

J. Increased publications in the CWRJ by SYPs in general (regardless of their involvement);
This is a new one added by Bruce on Jan 5, 2006... based on a brief email exchange with the CWRJ editor, who contacted me about encouraging more SYPers to contribute to the journal.

IV. VALUES

A. Teamwork and Collaboration – Working together in everything we do. We believe our organization is strongest when we work together and that its future will be shaped through collaborative working and this will be the key to the way we work.

B. Mutual Trust - Having confidence enough to rely on others and to be open to new people and different ideas.

C. Respect for Others - Treating people with understanding and appreciation and giving all members the same consideration for their ideas and concerns.

D. Individual Worth and Diversity - We recognize and appreciate the uniqueness of each individual. We value the contribution made and the synergy created by different experiences and perspectives. We are committed to treating each and every person within the organization and the larger community with respect and dignity.

Chapter Manual - Chapter 3: Structure

The following list illustrates the structure of the SYP initiative within the framework of the CWRA structure. The real action within the organization happens within the provincial branches. Each branch organizes its own activities to meet the objectives of the CWRA in their local communities. The national part of the CWRA is comprised of provincial branch representatives and aims to provide a national umbrella for the whole organization. The SYP Task Force has a number of functioning sub-committees.

CWRA National
Committees - CANCID, CSHS, Project WET, Various Committees, SYP

SYP Sub-Committees
Administration and Governance
Chapter Support and Outreach
2006 Conference
2007 Conference
Mentorship
Awards and Scholarships (Proposed)
International Internships (Proposed)

CWRA Branches
BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, NF

CWRA Chapters
Vancouver
Saskatoon
Winnipeg
Waterloo
Montreal
Quebec City
Calgary (in progress)
Toronto (in progress)

How can we collectively manage the efforts of our chapters?

This is the question that is in my mind as I think about the Bronze/Silver/Gold chapter categorization that we discussed in our last A&G conference call. Some of the feedback that I received on the call was that this is an idea that needed further discussion and careful consideration. In particular, a number of you indicated a concern that such a system might discourage chapter activity and create negative undertones within the SYP framework that we are developing.

These concerns are important.

Perhaps it is better to think of something other than Bronze/Silver/Gold. Other words could be used to describe what I'm thinking... maybe something like Lake/River/Snow/Rain chapters would be more appropriate. The idea isn't to create negative undertones and discourage involvement, but rather suggest milestones that chapters could strive to meet while managing expectations about what a chapter can effectively accomplish. A hierachical arrangement is not necessary to accomplish what I'm thinking.

Each year, a chapter could decide to try and meet the objectives in one of the categories (lake, river, snow or rain). The objectives might look something like this:

Lake chapter goals
- organize 3 seminars
- start compiling an email list to distribute potential jobs to SYPers on the list
- organize a project in conjunction with another organization (like a river clean-up)

River chapter goals
- organize 1 seminar
- organize 1 project as a chapter
- help the provincial board of directors organize a workshop or conference
- host a kick-ass recruiting drive with local students and young professionals

Snow chapter goals
- organize 2 fun events (one non-alcoholic) with both provincial board members and SYP chapter members
- organize a major project that involves the community (like the calendar project)
- have two SYPers on the CWRA provincial board of directors

Rain chapter goals
- help CANCID, Project WET, or CSHS organize a workshop
- sign-up 3 new CWRA members
- have representatives on each of the SYP sub-committees (with at least one team-leader, facilitator and secretary)

I hope this conveys the nature of what I'm thinking in order to provide some realistic suggestions for new and established chapters. My hope is that this kind of approach provides a framework to help chapters manage their time. The details of the categories can be worked out later... the above lists are just a quick brainstorm of ideas.

What do you think?

The Complimentary Arts of Team Leading and Facilitating

This will be the blogspot where we can craft some of the ideas surrounding the complimentary arts of team leading and facilitating.

As a discussion point, take a look at these two websites and see if there are any obvious differences between leading and facilitating:

leading: http://www.whitestag.org/skills/
facilitating: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/LEADS/FACT%20Sheets/fact2.pdf

These two websites were found based on a google search of leadership and facilitation.

Bruce

Overview of CWRA SYP Governance and Administration (DRAFT)

Introduction

The governance and administration sub-committee has two main purposes. First, to work on projects that consider the overall governance and administrative effectiveness of the SYP initiative, and second, to provide a place for oversight of SYP activities within the CWRA. This is not meant to be a "command-and-control" style of oversight, but rather a place where anyone involved in the SYP initiative can contribute to the management of the entire group.

At the moment, there are four active committee's involved within CWRA SYP:

1) conference
2) mentorship
3) chapter support and outreach
4) governance and administration

Each sub-committee has a different role to play. The purpose of this blog is to provide an online space to have ongoing discussions about the activities of the CWRA SYP governance and administration sub-committee.

As an oversight committee, this first gov/admin post contains some information about each of the sub-committees. First, the roles of each committee are described, followed by the purpose, structure, activities and projects of the group. Each of the sub-committees follows the same structure; three administrative roles with the remainder being project-based roles. My (Bruce's) focus over the last couple of months has been to build the committees. As you will see, there is still work to be done! Activities are distinguished from projects by their ongoing nature. The administrators are responsible for ensuring that the activities occur in a manner that supports the projects.

So without further adieu, the following is a description of the necessary roles and each of the sub-committees.

Roles

Team Leader Role
The team leader is responsible for leading the team. Team leaders are generally involved with keeping the bigger picture in mind, long-term planning, "fire fighting," ensuring continuity and helping the group be as effective as possible.

Facilitator Role
The facilitator has two key responsibilities. The first is to do the leg-work of organizing meetings. Performing this task allows the team leader to focus on his or her job of leading rather than simply organizing meetings. The other key role for the facilitator is to ensure that meetings run smoothly. Running an effective meeting is a skill that takes time to develop. There are lots of resources on the internet, but one that you might find useful can be found at:

http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/LEADS/FACT%20Sheets/fact2.pdf

Secretary Role
The secretary's role is to write down the discussion and produce a coherent set of minutes from the meetings. This is super-important as most of us tend to forget what was said and agreed upon at the meeting. (Well... maybe I'm just speaking for myself, but I've been to plenty of meetings where nobody kept any notes and the meeting ended up being useless as a result.)

Project Manager Role
The project manager is responsible for leading projects within the sub-committee. The projects can be run by individuals or groups, depending on the size of the project. The project manager should be able to focus on completing a successful project without having to worry about keeping a chapter running.

Team Member Role
The team members have the responsibility of helping complete projects. The purpose of this role is to help people get involved without getting "sucked-into" the organization. Sometimes it's nice to get involved in a minimal way knowing that there's no other committment. For those of you who want to take on more responsibility within the group, feel free to take on several roles.

Sub-Committees

2006 Conference Sub-Committee
Purpose
The conference group is responsible for making the annual CWRA conference student and young professional friendly.

Structure
Team Leader - Peter Van Driel (Waterloo Young Professional)
Facilitator - Caroline Hebraud (Montreal Student)
Secretary - To be filled
Regional Representatives
- Jodi Axelson (Regina Student)
- Heidi Webber (Montreal Student)
- Malcolm Conly (Saskatoon Established Professional)
- Julie Corriveau (Quebec Student)
- Farah El Ayoubi (Toronto Young Professional)

Activities
Regular Conference Calls (Caroline)

Projects
- Bill Stolte Award (Malcolm??)
- Student Travel Grant (Malcolm)
- Others??

Mentorship Sub-Committee
Purpose
The mentorship group is responsible for developing a mentorship program within the CWRA.

Structure
Team Leader - Meghan Bevridge (Waterloo Student)
Facilitator - Jodi Axelson (Regina Student)
Secretary - To be filled
Regional Representatives
- Valerie Cameron (Vancouver Established Professional)
- Josi Hauschild (Saskatoon Young Professional)
- Lyndsay Doetzel (Saskatoon Young Professional)
- Others?

Activities
Regular Conference Calls

Projects
- Research existing mentorship programs
- Develop a pilot mentoring project within the CWRA

Chapter Support and Outreach Sub-Committee
Purpose
The chapter support and outreach group is responsible for helping to develop existing and new chapters.

Structure
Team Leader - Alice Cohen (Vancouver Student)
Facilitator - Tim Morris (Vancouver Student)
Secretary - To be determined
Regional Representatives
- Farah El Ayoubi (Halifax Young Professional)
- David Gallen (Saskatoon Young Professional)
- Caroline Hebraud (Montreal Student)
- Julie Corriveau (Quebec Student)
- Kamban Parasuraman (Saskatoon Student)

Activities
Regular Conference Calls

Projects
- CWRA SYP Website content management
- Developing and implementing a marketing plan
- Others??

Governance and Administration Sub-Committee
Purpose
The governance and administration sub-committee's main purpose is to oversee the SYP activities within the CWRA. Anyone is welcome to join-in on these calls as long as we know ahead of time so that we can make sure that there are enough lines available.

Structure
Team Leader - Bruce Davison (Saskatoon Young Professional)
Facilitator - Greg Powell (Calgary Young Professional)
Secretary - To be determined
Regional Representatives
- Caroline Hebraud (Montreal Student)
- Peter Van Driel (Waterloo Young Professional)
- Meghan Bevridge (Waterloo Student)
- Jodi Axelson (Regina Student)
- Alice Cohen (Vancouver Student)
- Tim Morris (Vancouver Student)
- Julie Corriveau (Quebec Student)

Activities
Regular Conference Calls

Projects
- Develop a "how to start and run a chapter" guide
- Others?

Conclusion
So now that you've made it this far... please advise me (Bruce) if anything is out of place in this blog post. As stated in the introduction, this is just a draft and will certainly change when we've finalized a few things. However, let me know if I've made any spelling errors or if I've made any errors in judgement on the ideas presented.

Oh yes... and please add a comment in the post giving me some indication of when you are available for a conference call this September. Dates and times will help me to set-up a time that is suitable for everyone. (Without me having to speak to everyone individually or deal with a pile of emails.)

Thanks,
Bruce