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SERVICES

As part of a university, we are able to draw from our fellows and associates, our extensive university networks, as well as our experience and reputation as a community-engaged university. We are also committed to continuous learning through our research, work with partners, clients and participants, as well as participation within communities of practice.

Our work includes:

Public Engagement and Facilitation

Looking to increase your understanding of on-the-ground realities and diverse experiences? Convening a series of community meetings across the Province? Looking to facilitate a citizen expert panel?

Stakeholder Engagement

Convening stakeholders, community representatives or experts to provide guidance, develop recommendations or take action together?

Deliberative Processes

Are you looking to build trust, reduce polarization and move forward in the best interest of the entire community? 

Strategic Planning and Design for Engagement

Planning early and setting out to "do it right"? Keen to create an effective engagement plan tailored to your organization?

Organizational Change, Capacity Building and Engagement Training

Looking to develop the capacity of your team to engage? Creating a culture of engagement within your organization?

Explore how we can work together with you on your next engagement initiative. 

Public Engagement and Facilitation

Looking to increase your understanding of on-the-ground realities and diverse experiences? Convening a series of community meetings across the Province? Looking to facilitate a citizen expert panel?

Since 2006, we have designed and facilitated more than 500 in-person and virtual events from local to international in scale, reaching hundreds of thousands of people. We offer a comprehensive range of bilingual in-person and virtual services to support governments, community organizations and non-profits in meaningful and participatory engagement and solutions-oriented outcomes. Our seasoned facilitators come from a variety of backgrounds and are skillful in using dialogue to help participants navigate complex issues and competing interests. Our work is grounded in our Principles for Collaborative Engagement and Principles for Equitable Public Engagement and executed through culturally safe process design and delivery, seamless logistics and exceptional project management. 

Past project examples:

The work of the Centre for Dialogue made this Burnaby’s most inclusive and successful public engagement held to date. The outcomes of the process will have lasting impacts for the City of Burnaby and its residents.

- Lee-Ann Garnett, Assistant Director, Long Range City Planning, City of Burnaby

In reaching this milestone, I’m so thankful of the support and advice from the museum working group, as well as Simon Fraser University’s Wosk Centre for Dialogue. They have been instrumental in making sure this museum is developed in collaboration with the Chinese Canadian community and stakeholders throughout the province.

- George Chow, Minister of State for Trade 

Stakeholder Engagement

Convening stakeholders, community representatives or experts to provide guidance, develop recommendations or take action together?

From stakeholder roundtables and task forces to expert panels, the Centre has supported clients in seeking advice from key knowledge holders and experts and building strong partnerships to act on critical issues. Our impartial, third-party position enables us to engage with stakeholders in a safe, strategic and effective way. 

Past project examples:

The Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue provided world class facilitation and program development.

- Paul Holden, The Burnaby Board of Trade / Burnaby Economic Recovery Task Force

This empathy-centered facilitation built a truly safe space, where challenging conversations were had and relationships were repaired to a degree beyond what we expected.

- Chad Lubelsky, Program Director, McConnell Foundation

Deliberative Processes

Are you looking to build trust, reduce polarization and move forward in the best interests of the entire community? 

Deliberative processes include citizens’ assemblies, citizen juries and deliberative dialogue. These processes ask a representative body of citizens to make recommendations to decision-makers while working through real-world policy constraints. We support diverse participants to see past their own positions, build empathy and carefully weigh options and trade-offs. Through skillfully planned activities and expert facilitation, participants ultimately contribute their collective wisdom, best recommendations and legitimacy to decision-makers.   

Past project examples:

Deliberation is ‘the kind of reasoning and talking we do when a difficult decision has to be made, a great deal is at stake, and there are competing options or approaches we might take. It means to weigh possible actions carefully by examining what is most valuable to us.’

- Kettering Foundation

The SFU Centre for Dialogue walked citizens through a challenging and values-entrenched issue to produce concrete, actionable recommendations.

- Katherine Babiarz, A/ Director, Engagement Division, Natural Resources Canada

Strategic Planning and Design for Engagement

Planning early and setting out to "do it right"? Keen to create an effective engagement plan tailored to your organization?

Our research shows that success or failure is often determined by strategic decisions made early in the engagement process. We apply a systems-thinking and collaborative approach to understand our clients’ needs and to bring bold and effective strategies to life. Whether defining strategic objectives, identifying the right issue framing, developing options or identifying the needs of participants, we have the tools and experience to help you engage with clarity and impact.

Expertise with a focus on solutions.

- Julia Langer, CEO, Toronto Atmospheric Fund 

Past clients:

  • CleanBC Climate Action Secretariat
  • Environment and Climate Change Canada
  • City of New Westminster

Organizational Change, Capacity Building and Engagement Training

Seeking to develop the capacity of your team to engage? Creating a culture of engagement within your organization?

The Centre helps train and build the capacity of public sector organizations, boards, councils, committees and working groups to engage meaningfully with their constituents. As group-process experts, we work with your staff teams to co-develop a culture of engagement, using our ENABLES framework to examine issues such as sponsorship, standards, organizational barriers, evaluation and reinforcement.

Awesome organization, learning design, facilitation & content!

- Workshop participant, Federal Consultation Community of Practice

Past clients:

Comprehensive list of Centre for Dialogue services:

  • Citizen and stakeholder facilitation
  • Virtual engagement and consultation
  • Engagement with equity-seeking communities
  • Supporting citizens and governments in shared decision-making
  • Multi-stakeholder problem solving and strategy development
  • Program design and implementation
  • Visioning processes to identify shared values and aspirations
  • Generative processes to surface issues, opportunities and potential solutions
  • Deliberative processes to weigh trade-offs and create informed recommendations
  • Stakeholder roundtables, task forces and focus groups
 
  • Research, discussion and background materials with professional design and accessible content
  • Resident/stakeholder mapping, outreach and accessibility planning
  • Engagement data analysis and reporting
  • Evaluation, outcomes reporting and feedback management
  • Community capacity building and participatory design
  • Engagement training and organizational development
  • Research and analysis on international best practices and methods in dialogue and deliberation

Explore how we can work together with you on your next engagement initiative.

Contact Us