CCP Handbook - Comprehensive Community Planning for First Nations in British Columbia Fourth Edition

Step 1: Assess Community Readiness

Is your community ready to start the comprehensive planning process? Before taking the first steps, the community needs to assess whether or not it is capable of going through the planning process at this time. Are the necessary people, capacity and resources available?

Community readiness includes support for the process by the community and leadership. If your community is ready to go ahead, you may wish to ask Council to endorse the planning process through a Band Council Resolution or similar mechanism. From the beginning, it is important to build understanding and support by sharing information with the community and leadership.

If the planning process is postponed for now, consider developing a plan of action for getting the community ready at a future time. (See the resources section for publications and other resources)

Step 2. Develop a Budget, Identify Funding

Funding is needed throughout the planning process. Pre-planning is the time to figure out a budget for the whole process and identify potential sources of funding.

What would funds be used for? They may be needed to support a planning coordinator and trainee, for technical support, for holding community meetings, for writing and copying information updates, or for a variety of other activities that your planning committee determines will need financial support during the planning process.

Once you decide what funding is needed for, it's time to:

• develop a budget for the planning process (it doesn't need to be exact),
• identify possible funding sources (see the resources section for potential sources), and
• write proposals to those funding sources.

Build a Communications and Engagement Plan

Your community members are the foundation of your CCP. Keeping members informed, getting their input and encouraging their participation in meetings, events and working groups will be central to the success of your planning process. So, how are you going to get them involved?

Spend some time in this early planning stage developing a plan for how you will engage members in the CCP process. Will you have large community gatherings, smaller meetings, family sessions, surveys and/or one-on-one interviews? Will you join existing groups and meetings to ensure that you get to where the people are?

Next, add ideas for how you will keep everyone current on the CCP's progress. Will you share regular updates via e-mail, newsletter, website, Facebook and/or by speaking with individual community members? Will you put posters up around the community, deliver newsletters by hand and/or go door-to-door to make sure everyone hears the news?

How you engage and communicate with community members will depend on the size of your community and how they are most likely to receive information. Remember that an informed and engaged community is your best bet for a powerful planning process.

"Not one single person owns the plan. It belongs to the community."

Step 3: Build a Planning Team

In bringing together a planning team, you will assemble a group that represents the many different sections and areas of expertise within your community.

Together, the planning team will:

• lead the planning process,
• conduct research,
• share information with the community and other partners,
• provide updates to community and leadership on planning activities,
• fundraise,
• work closely with any strategic partners to develop the comprehensive community plan, and
• review drafts and finalize the comprehensive community plan.

The planning team could form smaller working groups to lead different aspects of the planning process.

You may wish to draft a Terms of Reference for your planning team. This document summarizes the guiding principles of the team including the purpose and scope of the planning process, how you will engage community members, what timeframe you are considering, and roles and responsibilities.

Step 4. Research

Existing plans are central to CCP

Your community may already have plans and research sitting on the shelves from previous projects. The information in these documents will give you and your CCP team an excellent starting point for your work. Historical records, land use maps, and previously identified goals and priorities all feed into the CCP process. No one wants to repeat work that has already been done, so show the community how diligent you've been in pulling together related materials from the get-go!

Comprehensive community planning is unique to each group and its situation. Research can help you understand how to make the planning process relevant to your community.

Learn about comprehensive community planning by talking to other First Nations and neighbouring municipalities/districts, by using the Internet and by checking the references listed at the end of this Handbook.

Research will help you find answers to the following questions:

• What does comprehensive community planning mean?
• What are the benefits of comprehensive community planning?
• What comprehensive community planning models exist?
• Which model, or combination of models, is the best approach for our community?
• What are our key planning areas?
• What techniques can we use to ensure community engagement and support for our planning process?
• What principles will we adopt to guide our planning process?

Planning principles can act as a guide or checklist for the planning process. Principles are "accepted truths" — things that everyone believes are true and add value to what we do.

Here are some examples of principles: community- based, representative, inclusive, respectful, supported, integrated, results-based, easy to understand, and realistic.

Step 5. Build a Work Plan

Based on information discovered during the research step, the planning team will outline a comprehensive planning process for the community.

Then, this general outline will be developed into a more detailed work plan that sets out for each planning phase:

• What needs to be done (activities)?
• By whom (roles and responsibilities)?
• By when (timelines)?
• How much it will cost (budget)?

Step 1. Gather Background Information

The first step in planning is to develop an understanding of the current situation in the community, including its extraordinary qualities. The planning team will need to summarize the findings in an overview document.

This step may involve research, mapping activities, and talking and meeting with community members. Start by gathering a wide range of information, including any existing plans and studies. Much of the information you need is already in your community or can be accessed from government partners. Existing material will help the team identify what gaps need to be filled in the gathered information and help them make efficient planning decisions.

Community Surveys

You can create surveys to gather community statistics and information on the interests and concerns of members. Surveys can be completed by hand, email or online using a website or Facebook page. Some communities have hired youth to go into the community with mobile devices (such as iPads or laptops) or paper surveys to get survey responses directly from each member.

When you create surveys, make sure to think carefully about what you are trying to learn, and how to ask the right questions. For example, instead of asking "Do we need a youth centre in our community?" (when it's likely that most people will say "yes") consider reframing the question to "What kind of activities or programs could we offer for youth in our community?" to get a broader response.

Here are some websites that you can use to create surveys:

• FluidSurveys.com: Since this website is Canadian-based, your data is protected under Canadian law (other websites may not protect your data).
• SurveyMonkey.com: This website can be used for free for surveys of up to 10 questions.

Here is a sample checklist for gathering background information:

Housing and infrastructure development

• ❑ Assets
• ❑ Community technology plan
• ❑ Any existing plans, including those of other governments
• ❑ Housing designs
• ❑ Rental vs. ownership

Economy

• ❑ Employment rates
• ❑ Employment industry (i.e. seasonal, sectors)
• ❑ Human resources inventory
• ❑ Economic organizations
• ❑ Any existing plans, including those of other governments

Demographics

• ❑ Population
• ❑ Population growth rate
• ❑ Age and gender distribution

Health

• ❑ Statistics — incidence of disease, mortality rates, substance abuse, etc.
• ❑ Programs and services
• ❑ Any existing plans, including those of other governments

Social

• ❑ Statistics — social issues, social assistance rates, educational attainment rates, etc.
• ❑ Programs and services
• ❑ Community organizations
• ❑ Any existing plans, including those of other governments

Culture

• ❑ History/culture of the community
• ❑ The role culture plays in the community
• ❑ Programs and services
• ❑ Community organizations
• ❑ Any existing plans

Lands and resources (maps)

• ❑ Location (including maps)
• ❑ Surrounding areas
• ❑ Activities on, uses of, the land
• ❑ Resources available including uses
• ❑ Any existing plans, including those of other governments

Governance

• ❑ Central leadership body
• ❑ Other leadership bodies
• ❑ Government relationships (municipalities, provincial, regional)
• ❑ Programs and services offered
• ❑ Staffing levels
• ❑ Any existing plans

Step 2. Complete Community Analysis

Now you are ready to review the assembled background information and understand what needs to be changed or built on, based on the community's challenges and possibilities.

The analysis stage allows the community to:

• ask itself why its circumstances are what they are,
• understand why things work when they are successful,
• understand the root causes of its problems,
• identify how it can improve situations, and
• identify the opportunities it can take advantage of.

SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis provides a useful framework for community analysis. Ktunaxa Nation chose SWOT to mean "Start With Our Truth" as a means of openly and honestly acknowledging the causes for challenges within the community.

SWOT could be applied to each of the key planning areas – governance, lands and resources, health, social, culture, economy, and infrastructure development.

Step 3. Create Vision Statement and Values

"We must know who we are to know where we are going."

In a community vision, members describe their hopes and dreams for their community in the future. A vision is a bold, yet realistic, picture of your community's future. For the purpose of comprehensive community planning, a time horizon of anywhere from 10 to 50 years is possible.

A vision:

• refers to the elements that make up your community including people, lands and resources,
• and infrastructure is influenced by members' aspirations, interests, values, dreams, roots and potential.

To develop a vision, bring people together at community meetings or focus groups to describe, draw, paint, or act out their vision of the community's future. Another option is to use photos, pictures, maps or objects that people can organize into collages or models.

Once community members have shared their perspectives, extract the key themes or messages — the community's values. Values may include healthy community, traditional lifestyle, honesty and integrity, transparency, and responsible stewardship.

Use these values to draft some broad vision statements, including or representing as many of the themes and values as possible. Continue to hold community participation sessions to review and redraft the vision statement and community values, as necessary.

Community mapping is another effective tool in creating a community vision, particularly in focus group settings. Start with a map of your traditional territory. Fill in existing communities, infrastructure, and activities. Then fill in what the community would like to see in the future: infrastructure development, cultural zones, traditional gathering areas, economic development opportunities, and others.

Examples of BC First Nations' Vision Statements

"Strong healthy citizens and communities, speaking our languages and celebrating who we are and our history in our ancestral homelands, working together, managing our lands and resources as a self-sufficient, self-governing Nation."  

"We are of one heart and mind."

"We are Syilx who receive our strength from our timix and encompass what is good for our livelihood. We are committed to our language and the teachings of our captiklw and respect that everyone has value and purpose to come together as one."   

"We will be a community with a strong and distinct culture, where our language, traditions, and the teachings of our ancestors live on throughout the generations. We will continue to be care takers of our sacred and important places. We will gather often to celebrate and support each other."

"Our Creator placed us on this land to take care of our people, our land, our language, our customs, our knowledge, our culture, our title, to be ours forever and ever. Ensuring that we live in a safe, healthy, self sufficient community where cultural values and identity are consistently valued promoted and embraced by all."

Step 4: Build a Comprehensive Strategic Framework

A comprehensive strategic framework provides the basis of the community plan. The framework is organized into planning areas, each of which contains the goals, objectives, projects/activities and desired outcomes that reflect the community vision.

To turn the community vision into a reality, you will need to develop a framework that is comprehensive enough to start addressing issues identified in all planning areas including governance, health, education, infrastructure, environment, social, culture, economy, etc.

By identifying and linking these planning areas, you will be able to most effectively build a plan that will help to begin working towards achieving the community vision.

When building a strategic framework:

• Identify and organize information under key planning areas, such as governance, lands and resources, health, social, culture, economy and infrastructure development;
• Explore how technology can be used to support and integrate each organization within the community;
• Keep the amount of information at an overview level;
• Be accurate and concise;
• Look for exceptions–concentrate on aspects that really stand out; and
• Share information with the community–prepare a display, host an open house or community dinner, etc.

The next steps will help to fill in the planning areas of the Comprehensive Strategic Framework with specific goals, objectives, projects/activities and outcomes.

Step 5: Set Goals and Objective.

This step identifies broad community goals within each planning area and the specific objectives required to meet those goals. Goals represent the strategic pathway that the community wants to take to fulfill its vision; objectives are the stepping stones required to construct that pathway.

Goal:

• a broad, general statement about what the community wants to have happen
• can be achieved within a medium timeframe
• a "pathway" toward achieving the community vision

Objective:

• a specific statement of how to reach the larger goal
• can be achieved within a short timeframe
• describes what concrete actions you will take to realize each goal
• SMART (see sidebar)
• a stepping stone in the pathway toward achieving the community vision

Goals in each planning area flow from the community vision and needs identified by the community. Objectives, in turn, flow from the goals. Most goals will have several objectives. The community should set its own goals and objectives through an inclusive process, allowing all members to have input.

The planning process is like a funnel: you work down from the BIG picture (vision) to very specific actions and outcomes.

To set goals and objectives, begin with the key planning areas. Use the community's vision, values and needs to guide the goal-setting discussion.

To create community goals within each key planning area, ask:

• What do we want to accomplish in this area in the next 10, 15, 20, 25 years?
• How do our vision, values and needs guide our goal setting in this planning area?

The next step is to create the objectives required to achieve the goal. Typically, several objectives may be identified to address a goal. For each goal, ask:

• What can we do to achieve this goal?
• What are the separate objectives — how many actions must take place?

When setting goals and objectives, you must know the desired outcomes or results. An outcome is a measurable change that occurs as a result of action taken to meet a goal and its objectives.

Action must be taken in order to meet the goals and objectives you have set for your community, to reach the desired outcomes and to measure your progress.

Step 6. Identify Activities and Projects

The next step in planning is to identify activities and projects to help achieve your goals and objectives.

Goals and objectives are usually long term, while activities and projects will become part of annual work plans of managers and staff on an operational level. It is important that everyone understands how the specific activities in their respective planning areas flow from the broad community vision, and that they understand which activities they are responsible for.

To determine activities and projects, begin with the objectives identified for each key planning area. For each objective, ask:

• What activities would support this objective?
• What measurable steps can we take in the next year to make progress?
  
• What resources are needed to achieve the objective?
  • Financial
  • Human resources and skills
  • Political
  • Relationships and strategic partners
  • Technology
  • Communications and public information
• Are current resources sufficient?
• Should we re-organize how we use our resources or will we have to find new resources?
• Who will lead/implement the strategic activities?
• Who will be responsible for completing work plans?

To ensure activities and projects are completed, include them as part of work plans for administration and staff. Always write down who will be responsible for completing the work plans and when they will be completed, and check in on a regular basis to measure progress.

The table below gives an example of the planning process from vision to outcomes.

Plan for Housing in your CCP

Housing is an integral part of community development and impacts the well-being of individuals. If your CCP includes high-level goals and objectives for housing in your community, you may consider developing an in-depth housing plan to support implementation. Here are some tips to think about:

• To be effective, the housing plan should be a shared vision of what the community's housing will look like in the future.
• When you are setting out to engage with the community about the CCP, plan to talk about the housing needs of the community as part of the process.
• Some things to think about – How many people rent their homes and how many own them? Does the community need multi-family homes, single-family homes, Elders housing and/or singles housing?
• Quality of construction, adequate sizing, design and financial viability are major considerations to be addressed for ensuring safe and affordable housing in communities.
• Community-based housing plans may include policies, home occupant agreements, administrative processes, financial requirements, alternative designs and infrastructure needs.

For more information, please reference the Assembly of First Nations and First Nations National Building Officers Association resources, and A Practical Guide to Housing: How to Access Housing Subsidies at the back of the handbook.

Step 7. Create an Implementation Strategy

Ideally, by the end of Step 6, the planning team will have developed a comprehensive strategic framework including goals, objectives, actions/projects and desired outcomes in each planning area. Now, the implementation strategy will describe how to make this framework a reality.

A thorough implementation strategy includes priorities, indicators of success (accomplished objectives and reached desired outcomes), responsibilities, timeframes, and required resources and support for implementation.

To create an implementation strategy, the first step is to prioritize the activities and projects identified by the community and to set the agenda for short, medium, and long-term action.

Step 1: Prioritize Actions (Policies, Programs and Projects)

• Identify what to do first. There are many tools and approaches that can be used to analyze options, and to help you build consensus and make collective decisions about priorities.
• What you start with might also be a question of what is realistic and pragmatic. Determine what resources you have, or can easily acquire, to get started right away.
• Typical criteria for choosing priorities might be: impact, urgency, capacity, cost, risk and/or political support from community and Chief and Council.

Step 2: Identify Project Management Team

• Identifying and recruiting the project management team helps to build widespread support for the project and facilitates the early involvement of community members and staff. It can also enable Chief and Council and administration to delegate some responsibilities for the projects.
• Ensure there is sufficient capacity in the team to implement the project. In addition to the champion and staff, it may be necessary to include consultants and/or grant writers. If the necessary capacity does not exist within the community, you may need to consider getting training or external support – this can often be funded through grants or loans.

Step 3: Obtain Necessary Approvals and Establish Good Communications and Reporting Plans

• Start by getting a good understanding of the scope of the project. Answer some basic questions. What is the project? Why is it a priority? Who is going to implement it? Who in the community is going to benefit from it? Where is the project going to be? What is the timeline? How much is it going to cost? What resources do you need? The more detailed the answers, the more likely you are to get the approvals needed to get started.
• The value of doing this early work is that it provides the foundation for reports to community, administration and council. It also clarifies resources required, identifies gaps and can form the basis of funding proposals.
• There is a responsibility and opportunity to continue communicating to the membership about the plan and progress on implementation. Have a public space where project progress can be displayed. Create a plan that demonstrates what role members can play in the project.

Step 4: Identify Potential Partners to Support the Project

• Working with partners on projects is a great way to share costs, leverage further funding, build capacity, strengthen results, and balance the work load while sharing the benefits.
• Internal Partnerships: Identify other departments that might help with the project and consider pooling resources (e.g., health and recreation projects might be supported by the youth centre as well as Elders groups).
• External Partnerships: Consider other First Nations within adjacent territories that might be interested in collaborating on projects (e.g., skill development for regional opportunities). Governments, academic institutions, and/or non-profit organizations can also have support roles.

Step 5: Identify Funding and Other Resources

• Many projects require additional funding beyond what is already in your First Nation's budget. The resources section at the back of this handbook identifies many potential sources of funding to support your project.
• At this stage, it is good to do an analysis of all the resources you have or might need to complete the project — not just the financial resources, but also capacity and skills.
• Don't worry if the full amount of your project is not approved in your first funding application. Learn to leverage by using money already raised to back up further applications. Once you have some initial funding, other agencies may be more likely jump on board as their financial risk is now reduced.

Think outside the Box: Not all Projects need funding

One First Nation, faced with helping their children get to school safely across a busy highway, was having great difficulty raising funds for a new pedestrian bridge. Since funds were not forthcoming, they decided to take a completely different approach and negotiated a pedestrian stop sign with Ministry of Highways, who provided it free of charge.

"Implementation is about empowering community members."

Step 6: Create Work Plans, Budgets, Feasibility Studies and Business Plans

• You will likely be asking your community, Chief and Council, partners, funders and banks to get involved and take a risk on your project. Therefore, you will need to demonstrate at an early stage that your project is a safe investment for their time and money. This can be done through:
  • feasibility studies demonstrating that the project is going to work;
  • business plans demonstrating the project's financial viability;
  • work plans giving concrete details and time frames for activities right up to completion; and/or
  • budgets showing both project capital and operational costs.

Step 7: Project Management

• Once you have all the above steps completed (i.e. you have funding, approved studies, community go ahead and a project management team in place), you are probably ready to start. Large capital projects and multi-year programs will often need specialist project managers and consultants, as professional day-to-day management and monitoring of the project becomes crucial at this stage. Regular progress meetings with the project management team, consultants and partners are important.
• Special attention needs to be focused on:
  • Cost control: Keep the project on budget and ensure that there is sufficient cash flow to pay bills promptly.
  • Time table: Make sure everyone keeps to the time frames that they have agreed to.
  • Project amendments: Try to look out for challenges (e.g., bad weather), delays (e.g., supply shortage) and unexpected costs (e.g., unusual soil conditions).
  • Quality Control: Constantly monitor the quality of the work. Don't assume consultants and contractors are producing quality work – check their work too.
  • Reporting: Create up-to-date progress reports for the band (internal) and for partners and funders (external).
• Be sure you consult with administration, Chief and Council, and where needed, funders, before approving any large changes to the costs, timeline or nature or quality of work.

Step 8: Learn Lessons, Develop Best Practices and Celebrate!

As the activities and projects are implemented, it is important to regularly report back to the community and leadership on progress and how the projects are benefitting the community, including:

• Lessons Learned: Learn from mistakes and successes. What worked, what did not and why?
• Best Practices: Feed back into the planning cycle. How you could improve the implementation process next time?
• Celebrate – often! Do not forget to celebrate your successes. Invite the whole community to join you – after all, they were there at the beginning of the planning cycle and deserve to see the results of everyone's hard work. Celebrations are ways to acknowledge efforts and success, and to encourage the community to move on to more ambitious projects.

Step 9: Maximize Community Training, Mentorship, Capacity Building and Employment

Many First Nations see every new project as an opportunity to build capacity, provide training and mentorship, and bring resources into the community, including employment.

• Schools, colleges and universities are often keen to partner with First Nations and support individual members to achieve training and certification in the fields that would support their communities to reach their goals.
• If external consultants or contractors are necessary, encourage them to include training, capacity building and employment opportunities for your community members in their work.
• When negotiating partnerships with companies, First Nations can request training, employment and contract opportunities.
  

Step 1. Analyze Results

Analysis helps in understanding what progress is being made and what challenges have come up during the implementation stage.

To evaluate the results of the plan, the implementation committee will:

• review project reports, and
• analyze the progress of project implementation against annual work plans, evaluation criteria and indicators of success by speaking with people responsible for/involved in project implementation and gathering community perspectives.

Questions for the analysis may include:

• What progress have we made compared to our goals and objectives?
• How does this compare with the indicators for success we set for each part of our work plans?
• Are issues being addressed effectively?
• Is the vision being realized?
• Are the goals and objectives being realized?
• What is changing in the community and why?
• Where can improvements be made?

While conducting monitoring and evaluation, keep the following principles in mind:

• Be constructive and objective. Do not attack the efforts of others — evaluation is a tool to seek improvements.
• Remain proactive. Try to anticipate problems and issues in the implementation phase before they arise.
• Foster inclusiveness. Ensure everyone, including staff and community members, feels welcome to offer suggestions and ideas for improvement. Consider all opinions.
• Be accountable and responsible to the community. The evaluation process, including reports and updates, should be accessible to all community members.

Step 2. Review and Recommend

After analyzing the results of the plan, the implementation committee will develop a report for the leadership and the community that summarizes the outcomes of their evaluation and identifies successes and challenges.

The report will likely include recommendations for improving progress and for making adjustments or revisions to the comprehensive community plan or the implementation strategy.

Consider making annual performance reports to the community to demonstrate and celebrate achievements.

Step 3. Revise and Update

Minor revisions and updates to the comprehensive community plan and implementation strategy can be made according to implementation team recommendations, with community input. However, from time to time, a thorough revision of the plan will likely be needed as external and internal circumstances and influences change.

Revising and updating the plan may be required if:

• through the evaluation process, the community responds that the comprehensive community plan no longer reflects its goals and objectives,
• a significant event occurs which introduces a variety of new concerns and issues, such as concluding a treaty or new opportunities resulting from new government-to-government initiatives,
• the implementation strategy expires, or
• it has been 10 or more years since the community thoroughly revised the comprehensive community plan.

For a major review, the community would go through the four stages of the planning cycle again. This time, it will likely be a much faster process than the first comprehensive community planning process as a baseline has already been set, planning experience has been built, and processes for implementation are in place.

Step 4. Share and Celebrate Your Community's Accomplishments

Comprehensive community planning is an ongoing process, but be sure to take a moment to reflect on what it means to reach this point in the planning journey. Your community has worked hard to determine its future and accomplished significant results along the way. This success is due to the ongoing involvement of members in the planning process, and the dedication of the planning team, administration and leadership in implementing the plan.

To make the most of your accomplishments:

• Hold annual celebrations where the community reflects on the year's accomplishments.
• Be sure to share the results of each finished project, program or policy through your community website, Facebook group or monthly newsletter.
• Take lots of pictures throughout the development of a project so it is easier to share the story.
• Keep track of all completed projects in a binder – every time something is accomplished, the binder will grow!

Tips on How to Track Revisions and Updates to your CCP

• When making revisions, use foot notes indicating the revision date and other relevant information.
• Use binders instead of books so that pages can be added or changed out as needed.
• Instead of using page numbers, use section numbering to make revisions easier.
• Create a copy of the document in a program that others can edit.