PROGRAMMING

The agenda for March 4th and 5th was identical.

Whether you were looking to be inspired, learn from hands-on experiences or connect with special guests and other attendees, there were lots of choices! Participants expected a dynamic program comprised of a mix of:

• international speakers,
• interactive workshops, and
• unexpected activities.

Our Conference 2020 speakers clearly struck a chord with participants. To meet the many requests for copies of their powerpoint presentations and materials from workshops, we are pleased to share them here. The webcast recordings are best watched while viewing the presentations; transcripts of these sessions will be posted in the coming weeks.

In the spirit of the "Integrated Policy"  theme of the Conference, we hope you'll use these resources to spark reflections and (virtual) conversations with colleagues in your own policy domain and beyond. Feel free to write to us about it at policommpoli@canada.ca.

• Opening: Setting the Tempo with the Policy Community Co-Champions
• Policy Practitioners of the Future - Interactive Presentation by Nitika Agarwal, Apolitical (@apoliticalco @agarwal_nitika2) [Description]

• Involving Citizens in Policy-making: Inclusive Governance and Public Trust - Interactive Presentation by Laurie Drake, MASS LBP (@masslbp @lauriedrake_) [Description] 
• Policy Experimentation in Action - Going Beyond the Basics - Presentation & Workshop by Marieke Goettsch and Teo Firpo, Nesta (@nesta_uk @mariekegoettsch @teofirpo) [Description] 
• Failure, Balance and Experimentation - Workshop by Twenty-One Toys (@21toys) [Description] 
• Integrating Indigenous Perspectives in Policy - Circle Discussion by the Canada School of Public Service (@school_gc) [Description] 
• Integrating Data in Policy - Presentation & Workshop by Statistics Canada (@statcan_eng) [Description]
• Small Talk: Connecting through Stories and Conversations on Integrated Policy [Description] 

• Thinking through data as a social and technological system! by Tracey Lauriault, Assistant Professor, Critical Media and Big Data, Carleton University (@traceylauriault) [Description] 

• Integrated Policy: A UK Perspective - Interactive Presentation by Andrea Siodmok, UK Cabinet Office - Policy Lab and Open Innovation Team (@policylabuk @openinnovteam @andreasiodmok) [Description] 
• Behavioural Insights - Presentation & Workshop by The Behavioural Insights Team (@b_i_tweets) [Description]  
• Failure, Balance and Experimentation - Workshop by Twenty-One Toys (@21toys) [Description] 
• Integrating Indigenous Perspectives in Policy - Circle Discussion by the Canada School of Public Service (@school_gc) [Description] 
• Small Talk: Connecting through Stories and Conversations on Integrated Policy [Description] 

• Visualizing Complexity in the Policy Environment - Interactive Presentation & Hands-on Activity by Enrique Martinez (@mtzenrique) [Description] 
  

• The Finale with the Policy Community Co-Champions
  

• Can You Unlock the GBA+ Enigma? - Group Activity in Escape Room [Description] 

All sessions from the main room (there was continuous programming) were viewed live via webcast by virtual participants. Click here for more information about virtual participation.

All sessions from the main room had simultaneous translation. In addition, many of the concurrent sessions and activities were facilitated/offered in both official languages.

On March 4th, there was a social at the Metropolitain Brasserie Restaurant (700 Sussex Drive, Ottawa). This social was open to everyone, not only conference attendees. In partnership with Policy Ignite, this social was a great way to keep the conversations of the conference going in a casual setting or make new connections.  

Nitika Agarwal, Apolitical (@apoliticalco @agarwal_nitika2)

Get an international perspective on the mindsets, skills and behaviours for policy practitioners of the future and how we can start to exercise and hone them right now.

Laurie Drake, MASS LBP (@masslbp @lauriedrake_)

Democracy is under pressure and trust in public institutions is declining globally and here in Canada. If we are going to meet our democratic aspirations, we need to address growing mistrust and polarization. This means upending assumptions about the ability and willingness of citizens to play a more central role in policy-making. By involving more people in policy-making, we can create more inclusive governance and reinvigorate the democratic project —a project of personal agency, collective efficacy, and shared responsibility.

Marieke Goettsch and Teo Firpo, Nesta (@nesta_uk @mariekegoettsch @teofirpo)

Want to try your hand at experimentation? Here is your chance! Presenters from Nesta's Innovation Growth Lab will ground participants in what is policy experimentation and some examples of trials, before leading you in a role play exercise where you will be able to develop your own experiment to test something new!

Matt Tod, Lead Facilitator, and Matthieu Bister, Associate Facilitator, Twenty-One Toys (@21toys)

This highly experiential workshop explores the challenges and opportunities that come with failure. Through multiple hands-on games with the Failure Toy®, participants will explore the way they experiment, iterate, approach problems and respond to failure, and will discuss the role of failure in policy innovation.

Nathalie Gagnon, Canada School of Public Service (@school_gc)

Join this circle discussion on integrating Indigenous perspectives in policy! To set the stage for this, we will review the history of Indigenous policy making in Canada and the federal government’s agenda for advancing reconciliation and renewed Nation-to-Nation, Inuit-Crown, government-to-government relationships based on the recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnerships. We will also review the drivers that influence Indigenous policy making in this new context and the need to develop a holistic process for policy development that is rooted in relationships in a co-development and partnership environment.

Statistics Canada (@statcan_eng)

If you would like to gain the basics in the use of quantitative data, this session is for you! Participants will have the opportunity to work through a case study, exploring what type of evidence is needed and what the data tells us.

Tracey Lauriault, Assistant Professor, Critical Media and Big Data, Carleton University (@traceylauriault)

Data Data Everywhere! What approaches can we apply to help us think through our data systems and how can these be applied in a public policy context? Come and find out!

Andrea Siodmok, UK Cabinet Office - Policy Lab and Open Innovation Team (@policylabuk @openinnovteam @andreasiodmok) 

Let’s explore working beyond boundaries and “government as a system” toolkit to deliver change in complex policy environments.

The Behavioural Insights Team (@b_i_tweets)

This foundational session provides an introduction to the field of behavioural insights (BI) and an overview of the key principles that drive human behaviour. Participants will get exposure to a range of examples where BI have been applied to improve policy outcomes, focusing on case studies that align to current Government of Canada policy priorities. Participants will be walked through exercises to think through how BI might be relevant to their own work.

Enrique Martinez, Public Sector Leadership Consultant (@mtzenrique)

A visual language easy to learn and use by everyone--the language of diagrams--is disrupting government by making operations, management, policy-making, and civic processes more transparent and participatory. This session will explain how schematic visualization is transforming the way in which public servants and government leaders are framing problems and making decisions. This is an interactive session: all participants will engage hands-on and experience the power of diagramming and low-tech visual communication techniques to clarify complex ideas and processes in the policy environment and across government.