4. Preparation
Building Support Within Your Community

Is your community ready for community-based action? Here are some suggested steps to help you prepare your community for environmental action.

• Identify your community
• Find out who is interested.
• Identify or establish a coordinating committee
• Appoint a community coordinator
• Identify or establish a community group network.
• Identify your community needs and resources.

Step 1 ............ Identify Your Community
What do you consider to be your "community"? It could be your neighbourhood, town, county, watershed, or even a school or a business. This manual is written primarily for use at the municipal level, but it doesn't take much effort to adapt the process to other types of community. If organizing a municipality seems too big a task, look at your neighbourhood. Are there issues that can be addressed through a concerted community effort? Can you get the support of your neighbours, local stores and your Councillor?

Step 2 ............ Find Out Who Is Interested
Anyone can initiate a Community Action Plan. It usually starts with one person who hears about the process and asks "Can it work here?". It could be the mayor, a local activist, a student, or a store owner. The very first step is to take this paper to a few key people in your community and ask if they are interested in working on a Community Action Plan.

Next, make a list of some of the people who could help start a Community Action Plan. Try to include representatives from all areas of the community, including local groups, schools, government, business, and any other major organizations.

Take it one step at a time and build the groundswell of interest and support for the project. Start with the people you know. For example, if you are a community leader -- a politician, or a representative of a community group or the Chamber of Commerce -- you can start by talking to the other members of your group and representatives of some of the other major groups. If you have been approached by members of your community, offer to help them contact other organizations. Keep it informal. When you are ready, ask for a letter of support from each organization.

Step 3 ............ Identify or Establish a Coordinating Committee
The role of a coordinating committee is to oversee the preparation, implementation, and monitoring of the Community Action Plan. The committee should include representatives of all sectors of the community, including government, citizens, cultural groups, and business leaders. The committee should ensure that all community groups, although not necessarily represented on the committee, have an opportunity to contribute to the drafting of the plan. The committee should also encourage other groups to submit ongoing or potential projects for inclusion in the CAP.

Does your community already have a multi-sector advisory committee? Many do. A common example at the municipal level is an Environmental Advisory Committee that is responsible for monitoring environmental issues and advising the municipal council. Others municipalities have set up Local Round Tables, adding in the responsibility to prepare a sustainable development strategy for the community. Still others have advisory committees on specific environmental issues, such as water quality (Remedial Action Plans) or waste management (Waste Management Master Plans).

Whether you are looking at an existing committee, or starting from scratch, make sure it has the mandate to:

• consult with the public on environmental priorities
• draft a community action plan
• coordinate and support community-wide campaigns
• assist community groups to develop their projects
• promote widespread public involvement in environmental projects and through individual action
• advise the municipal council, business community, and others on environmental issues.

The committee and the Community Action Plan, should focus on environmental issues, but both also need to address other areas of concern to the community, including health, social issues, culture, arts, and economic concerns. In fact, many activities in the environmental field (cycling, recycling, public awareness, tree-planting, etc.) have positive effects in promoting health, new business opportunities, and community involvement. The coordinating committee should encourage involvement by these other sectors in finding solutions that go beyond simple band-aids for environmental problems.

Selecting Committee Members
Members of the coordinating committee should be selected for their ability to work with and understand the priorities of each of the community groups. In addition, individuals with particular expertise will prove useful when committees are defining difficult or specific issues in the community.

The qualifications for committee members will vary with the size and type of community. Small municipalities will likely be able to identify the key individuals who are already involved with several community groups and understand the community's priorities. Larger municipalities will want to include individuals able to incorporate the concerns of single-interest groups into the overall multi-issue plan.

In general, the members of the coordinating committee should:

• have a good understanding of community issues and concerns, and of provincial (or global) environmental priorities
• be positive and constructive in approach, and be able to identify and create opportunities for community involvement
• be able to assist in drafting the community action plan by contacting key organizations and assisting in preparing a concise summary of the proposed activities
• be able to assist in implementing the action plan, through promotional activities, work with local organizations, or other special skills
• be prepared to meet on a regular basis to monitor and revise the plan as required
• be able to provide community leadership.

Committee Size
The coordinating committee should be large enough to adequately represent the community, but small enough to be manageable (somewhere between six and fifteen members). The optimum size of the committee will vary with the size and make-up of each community.

Step 4 ............ Appoint a Community Coordinator
You will soon need a main contact person for the project. In smaller communities, you may be able to get away with a volunteer, perhaps paying an honorarium for their services. Larger communities will almost definitely need a paid position, either part- or full-time.

The responsibilities of the coordinator can include any or all of the following:

• supporting the coordinating committee
• researching and developing the community network
• coordinating public consultation and publicity for the CAP
• drafting the community action plan
• developing a list of resources and support programs within the community and within the public and private sectors
• assisting in the development of projects and community-wide campaigns
• keeping accurate files and records on all aspects of the CA
• maintaining communications with the coordinating committee, with the media, and with the public
• measuring the progress of the CAP against the stated objectives

The different types of coordinator positions that have been tried in our pilot communities include a municipal staff person, a professional consultant, a community group (supported by a foundation grant), and volunteers from the coordinating committee.

We also suggest that the coordinator be the main contact person for any funding or support programs.

Step 5 ............ Identify or Establish a Community Group Network
The coordinator and coordinating committee should develop a comprehensive list of community groups and community leaders. Be sure to include all types of community groups and private partners: environmental, ratepayers, religious, social, cultural, youth and seniors, schools, and service clubs, along with local industries and small businesses. Some potential partners may not be located within the community but will have a valid role (e.g. regional Conservation Authorities or district government agencies). These groups and individuals should be contacted early in process and asked to submit their recommendations for activities to be included in the action plan.

deally, an action plan will draw on the resources in every part of the community. The best plans are ones that develop partnerships between a wide range of groups, using the skills of each to improve the prospects for success.

Larger municipalities may wish to set up two levels of community networks, or identify a lead organization, that will assume the responsibility for involving each of the smaller groups within its network. For example, in Metro Toronto, approximately 100 groups are identified in the Metro-level community network, and over 1,000 groups and individuals in a community contact list.

Step 6 ............ Identify Your Funding Needs and Resources
You don't need major funding to organize your community. For most communities, the cost can be kept to a minimum by allocating existing staff, public consultation budgets, and community grant programs to the process. Communities with tighter budgets may want to rely more heavily on volunteers and donated services.

Community action is a good investment. It will help the municipality achieve a healthy environment, community spirit, and reduced costs for environmental management.

Look first for sponsors within your community. Such sponsorship will help build a strong commitment to the project as well as make it more attractive to outside funders. Try to find one, two, or several lead agencies who will agree to oversee the project and underwrite the cost of preparing, publishing, and promoting the plan. In many cases, a municipal government will agree to fulfil this role, although the main sponsor agency could be a native band council, conservation authority, service club, community foundation, major employer, or a neighbourhood ratepayers group (for a neighbourhood action plan).

If a municipal government is going to sponsor a Community Action Plan, it may want to pass a resolution supporting the project and allocate staff and financial resources to the project. The request should come from community representatives, with the backing of as many organizations and individuals as possible. Talk to your local councillors beforehand and make sure they will support the resolution.

When identifying resources for your Community Action Plan, be creative. The possibilities are endless. Below are some examples of different approaches to funding various elements of a CAP.

Community coordinator: The coordinator can be an existing staff person, a new position, a paid consultant, or a volunteer. Larger municipalities may be able to identify other resource people in support of the project, including a writer and publicity staff.

Public workshops: Public meetings can be covered by the municipality, or supported through corporate or foundation sponsorship and public donations, or sponsored by a local group.

Printing and distribution: The final action plan can be published and widely distributed as an official report, or it can be given limited distribution to the key community groups. It can be made available to the public free of charge, or at cost. Another innovative option is to print the action plan as an insert to the community newspaper. It provides the newspaper an opportunity to actively participate in the plan, reduces printing costs, and ensures widespread distribution.

In general, to develop and carry out a Community Action Plan, some type of support that is needed to for the following activities:

• designation of a coordinator for the project
• establishment or identification of a community coordinating committee
• community consultation efforts
• preparation of a draft action plan
• provision for public input into, comment on, and review of the draft action plan
• revision and approval of a final action plan
• publication/printing of the final document
• provision of ongoing support to the coordinating committee.

Funds for communities engaged in organizing themselves for action is available from the federal and provincial governments, District Health Councils, foundations, and companies. Grants can range from small (a few thousand dollars) to large ($300,000 over three years), and each program funds different aspects of community action.