English | Français

On-line Professional Development

AFOA 1 - Community Economic Development

One of the top challenges for most Aboriginal communities is to increase economic development opportunities. This course was developed to enable financial and other program managers, Chiefs and Councils and community members gain a broader insight into aspects of community economic development. It provides guidance on developing a CED strategy, implementing the strategy and evaluating the strategy’s results.

The cost for this course is:

Members: $535 (plus GST)

Non-members: $645 (plus GST)

For course start dates and to register, click on Register for courses.

Course Description

Currently, Aboriginal communities are assuming more self-government responsibilities and many new initiatives are underway. One of the top strategies for most communities is to increase economic development opportunities.

People outside of First Nation communities have questioned why First Nations have failed to respond to available economic development opportunities. Internally, experience has shown that community members are asking the same questions. Often, the answer from First Nations leadership to both groups of people is that the Indian Act and the paternal relationship it creates between First Nation communities and the Department of Indian Affairs is to blame on many occasions (i.e., the red-tape associated with development).

The latter response alone falls short of articulating the core reasons for the challenges and thus fails to reveal how resources should be invested to realize economic development opportunities. Rather, when one approaches the challenge from a symptoms / core solutions perspective, I believe the answers may be more accurately revealed and therefore more efficiently solved for the purpose of developing a sustainable foundation for economic development.

Often economic development challenges are created due to a failure to adequately pave the road required to reach economic success. That is, economic development is an end and the challenges, are in the means – how you get there. Economic development success is not realized in many cases as communities have failed to understand the value of adequately paving a solid organizational / community foundation – a foundation that is required to keep opportunities and ideas flowing. The challenges are not in fostering dreams – everyone, with hope, can sustain a dream. However, to maintain hope and realize community and individual dreams, communities must develop and embrace an organization-wide strategy; a wealth-oriented political vision and complementary destination-oriented strategic plan (collectively The Plan) and then “plan to work the plan”. The result of achieving the latter will be to realize more economic opportunities which fuel hope and result in community capital appreciation – community wealth – the stuff that dreams are made of.

It is possible that economic development challenges for first nation communities relate to economic development goals which have not been achieved due to a failure to vision a community destination and pave the road required to sustain the movement ideas required to get to the destination.

Economic development success for first nations communities depends on their ability to embrace and accommodate the strategic movement of ideas both internally and externally and as such may be deemed a core solution capable of remedying symptoms of challenging economic circumstances. Ongoing activity to tackle the technical aspects of economic development (i.e., leasing on reserve, taking advantage of tax status) must be complemented, at the outset, by an investment in understanding the role of the strategic movement of ideas.

This course has been developed to enable financial and other program managers, Chiefs and Councils and community members gain a broader insight into aspects of community economic development and consider strategy and the movement of ideas.

The course offers an understanding and an opportunity to develop skills in advancing community economic development. It will assist those in communities without an economic development officer a path for moving things forward. For those communities with an economic development officer it will expand the team of individuals with knowledge and skills to move things forward.

Course Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the course, you will be able to:

Lesson 1 - Community Economic Development

  • Understand what Community Economic Development (CED) is and what it means to your community;
  • Become familiar with various community approaches;
  • Understand the relationship between economic factors and other community elements such as housing, education, the natural environment, health and the arts;
  • Gain insight into the desired relationship between First Nation Elders and Chiefs and Community Economic Development Officers;
  • Know how to foster cooperation and understanding between First Nation Elders and Chiefs and the Community Development Officers;

Lesson 2 - Forming an Action Group to Oversee a Community Economic Development Plan

  • Establish an Action Group that will oversee the development of the CED plan and liaise with the Economic Development Officer;
  • Understand team-building techniques and the importance of dynamics;
  • Understand how to be a team leader or member of a multi-function team;
  • Appreciate the value of diversity and use effective communication skills;
  • Discuss how to establish a climate that enhances involvement and commitment;
  • Explain how a team approach can be effective;
  • Review and share related practices and tools; and
  • Assess the community’s current efforts at working together and how they might be able to improve

Lesson 3 – Decision Making and Problem Solving

  • Understand the basic steps in decision making and problem solving;
  • Be able to use continuous improvement tools to define solutions;
  • Know how to achieve group decisions;
  • Be able to measure criteria used in decision making;
  • Know how to identify and evaluate options/alternatives;
  • Know how to use benchmarking indicators as decision making criteria;
  • Know how to use scenario planning as decision making criteria;
  • Understand how to measure criteria used in decision making; and
  • Understand risk and its importance in decision making

Lesson 4 – Knowledge-Based Approach and the Business Case

  • Gain insight into knowledge management and knowledge-based decisions;
  • Know the components of a business case;
  • Know how to use a business case in making decisions;
  • Be able to develop a business case for decision-making purposes;
  • Know how to review and share related practices and tools; and
  • Know how to link a business case to a chosen CED strategy.

Lesson 5 – Taking Inventory of your Community’s Assets

  • Understand the importance of, and how to undertake, an inventory of community assets (infrastructure, natural resources and human resources);
  • Understand how to analyze the data gathered from the inventory of community assets;
  • Understand how to measure the capacity of your community to undertake specific projects based on the inventory;
  • Examine not only the strengths and weaknesses of your community, but the opportunities presented and the threats posed to it;
  • Review and share related practices and tools; and
  • Develop an inventory and learn the best ways to adapt to your current situation and make the most out of your assets.

Lesson 6 – Developing Direction and Strategy for CED

  • Understand how Community Economic Development planning fits into overall community planning activities;
  • Develop goals and objectives for your Community Economic Development activities based on the results of your community’s inventory;
  • Assist and guide your First Nation/Band to establish a vision and mission shared by all members of the community;
  • Involve all key stakeholders in defining the mission and vision as appropriate;
  • Review and share related practices and tools; and
  • Develop a draft plan for your community.

Lesson 7 – CED Plans and Strategy

  • Discuss the nature of strategy formulation for a Community Economic Development plan;
  • Understand critical components of the planning process;
  • Understand the importance of alliances and partnerships in Community Economic Development;
  • Understand some of the barriers to reaching agreements and how to overcome them;
  • Promote the use of strategic alliances and partnerships;
  • Evaluate the potential benefits of a strategic alliance or partnership;
  • Understand the importance of components of the CED plan such as marketing and communications and how you can help to facilitate these components;
  • Review and share related practices and tools; and
  • Review your community’s planning efforts for economic development and identify opportunities for improvement.

Lesson 8 – Implementing a CED Plan

  • Discuss the nature of implementing strategy;
  • Understand the importance of a business plan and methods and impacts when implementing strategy;
  • Understand the critical elements of a business plan and information and decision making support required;
  • Examine practices used to resource business plans;
  • Use standards, performance indicators, and policy to support strategy implementation;
  • Develop commitment, ownership, and timing to reflect resource capability;
  • Review and share related practices and tools; and
  • Discuss and identify barriers to implementing strategy.

Lesson 9 – Evaluating Your CED Plan

  • Discuss the nature of evaluating strategy;
  • Understand the importance of measurement and practices to monitor and evaluate plans and related process;
  • Develop effective processes to ensure adequate monitoring and evaluation occur;
  • Identify what should be evaluated, by whom, and when;
  • Identify when strategy is failing;
  • Develop policy to support strategy;
  • Know how to report your findings;
  • Review and share related practices and tools; and
  • Assess and report on current CED Plan evaluation activity.

Lesson 10 – Policies, Monitoring and Accountability

  • Understand what policies are and their importance to your organization;
  • Understand how policies relate to strategies and implementation of business decisions;
  • Understand the process for developing an effective policy;
  • Understand the components of effective policies and procedures;
  • Understand what accountability is and its importance to CED;
  • Understand how accountability relates to strategy;
  • Know how the different types of accountability, the elements of accountability and the accountability cycle;
  • Understand how to put an accountability program in place;
  • Review and share related practices and tools; and
  • Review CED accountability and identify opportunities for improvement.

Lesson 11 – Case Studies, Best Practices in CED Sources

  • Analyze different case studies from First Nations across the country and learn from their experiences
  • Examine different funding sources and understand the best methods to obtain funding
Course Completion and grading

The course material is broken down into eleven lessons. Within each lesson, specific objectives are listed as well as instructions for completion. Directions are provided to guide you through the readings, other references, and work to be completed.

This course has eleven lessons that run over a 15-week period. A suggested schedule is provided however students are urged to make their own schedule, paying close attention to exact assignment due dates. These will be confirmed at the start of the course. It's recommended that students try to complete a lesson a week.

Week Lesson Topic Assignments
1 Introductions
2 1 Community Economic Development
3 2 Forming an Action Group to Oversee a CED Plan
4 3 Decision Making and Problem Solving
5 4 Knowledge-Based Approach and the Business Case
6 5 Taking Inventory of your Community’s Assets
7 Work on Assignment Due: Assignment #1
8 6 Developing Direction and Strategy for CED
9 7 CED Plans and Strategy
10 8 Implementing a CED Plan
11 9 Evaluating your CED Plan
12 10 Policies, Monitoring and Accountability
13 11 Case Studies, Best Practices and Sources
14 Work on Assignment
15 Work on Assignment Due: Assignment #2
Course Assignments and Grading

Students are evaluated in this course as follow:

Participation 20%

Assignment 1 30%

Assignment 2 50%

Participation

It is 20% of the student’s course grade, and has two elements.

  • Group Discussion. For each lesson, you are required to share information with others via the group discussion area. Each lesson has a specific group discussion activity. Your instructor/facilitator will monitor the discussion contributions to determine a participation grade, and provide support where required. While frequency of your contribution to the discussion is a factor in the assessment, the quality of the interaction is more important. For each lesson, strive to contribute three (3) substantive postings (i.e. try to include responses to other students postings as well)
  • Web searches. You are required to complete web searches. These are to be posted in the discussion activity database, and are described within the lessons.