Collective Practices & Systems
Our practices and systems are stronger when we work together – our learnings benefit, our balance improves and our impact grows.
1
Leaning into the Collective
ANHBC’s structure facilitates connection, flexibility and responsiveness to our internal and external communities, and reflects the shared power and responsibility of community and organization. The collective empowers communities to drive services and programs that meet their needs.
2
Shared Systems & Processes
ANHBC develops collaborative systems, services and processes that are the foundation for activating our values, freeing us to support each other and our goals.
The Future of Working Together
While neighbourhood houses are inherently place-based, ANHBC teams have a shared sense of belonging and connection to the collective and to each other. We are empowered to work alongside each other to build our collective strength and create greater impact in our communities. Leaning into the collective will take on a variety of forms: Working Groups, Communities of Practice, Advisories & Engagements.
01 Communities of Practice Framework
Through Communities of Practice (CoP) – i.e. Strategic Transformation Core Team, Volunteer Group, Communications Working Group, Building on Strengths Systems – develop a culture of coming together and collaboration to share the work we’re stewarding; to learn, to grow and to strengthen approaches to neighbourhood house work.
Develop
Develop a CoP toolkit to guide the practice of asset based group formation and ways to work together.
Employ
The actions below will employ a change management plan, internal communications, resourcing, decision-making, ongoing evaluations and feedback loops when necessary.
Link
Link new CoPs to the Core Transformation Team and other existing CoPs wherever relevant. Possible activations could be:
- Sharing and informing dialogue
- Organizational-wide generative conversations e.g. Open Space
- Sharing outputs and next steps on a regular basis, to ensure the Strategic Plan Canopy Directions, Seeds and Fruits are interdependent, overlapping and ever-evolving.
02 Collective Practices & Systems Team
Organization-wide working group to move
the above Seeds (goals) into action.
03 Leaning into the Collective
Invest in Technology
Technology that supports our collective functioning and interdependent structure (i.e. supporting collaboration, communication, information sharing, decision-making, etc.)
ANHBC Collective Rebrand
Explore the potential of a rebrand of ANHBC, considering that we are not structurally an association, what could this reimaging look like.
Decision
Guidelines
& Frameworks
Continue developing decision-making guidelines and frameworks to ensure consistency and alignment with organizational goals.
Hosting
Conversations
Explore hosting conversations and dialogue on structure, leadership and power, to lean more deeply into our collective.
ANHBC Governance
- Continue the governance work to clarify the practices and role of the Community Boards and co-develop an updated Terms of Reference. – 2024/25
- Revisit the make-up of the ANHBC Board of Directors to meet evolving needs in a rapidly growing organization. – 2025
04 Shared Systems and Practices
Shared Services Model
Shared Services Model: Develop and implement a shared services model, where all houses, camp and central services have a voice in the design and activation of shared services, tools and systems.
Centralized IT
Centralized IT: Continue the exploration of centralizing organization-wide IT systems and services.
Sharing Platforms
Sharing Platforms: Implement information sharing platforms that allow for cross organizational collaboration and learning.
Training & Guides
Training & Guides: Develop training and user guides for shared practices, policies and systems across the organization.
Our transformation journey is a living, dynamic process that will continually evolve with time, experience, learning and circumstance.
Our Strategic Framework embodies this, acknowledging the continuous path of growth, adaptation and renewal.
To ensure that strategic transformation is a living reality, we will:
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Taking these steps, we will create an organizational environment where the Living Process of Transformation becomes ingrained in our culture and operations, driving relevant and sustained change.
The journey of collective Strategic Transformation across ANHBC began in the spring and summer months of 2021, and there are many people to thank and recognize who stewarded this unconventional path.
Beginning with Ta7talíya Nahanee and Chris Corrigan who called on us to do things differently, and approach the work through the lens of transformation. With them we found a path forward that fed our values and intentions in ways that exceeded our imaginations.
The Core Transformation Team who bravely came together at the beginning for this work, approached and upheld the process with the highest regard and rippled the work of transformation and decolonizing out into their neighbourhood houses, teams and communities.
The Strategic Planning Committee who led, guided and stewarded the process developing a new strategic plan. Together they supported each other to do things differently and approach transformation in a non-linear way. They listened deeply to the voices that emerged since 2021, and ensured that what was heard guided the work.
To those who brought the Strategic Framework to life through art, design and writing.
To the entire ANHBC Collective – the teams, volunteers, participants, board members, neighbours and many Indigenous teachers who courageously and openly participated in our many engagement sessions and conversations. Your words, drawings and sticky-notes have and will continue to guide our collective transformation.