Public Policy Institute
Building on the success of the United Way Public Policy Institute since 2011, we offer this training and capacity-building program year after year.
Between January and June, we bring together a group of 25 leaders from the BC non-profit sector whose organizations want to better understand and influence the public policy process. Ideal participants are able to influence the policy work of their organization, are focused on social policy, and are living and working in BC.
Applications open Tuesday, September 17, 2024, and close on Thursday, October 24, 2024 at midnight.
Public Policy Institute Overview
What is the Public Policy Institute?
It is a training program led by Carole James who endeavors to deliver this program in a way that is inclusive, relational, and decolonizing. In Carole’s words:
“The United Way BC Public Policy Institute is a unique program, designed to support leaders in the non-profit sector to strengthen their skills in developing, designing, and advocating for their public policy work. The program provides an inclusive, interactive learning environment where participants explore a range of tools and approaches, share their knowledge and expertise with each other, all while learning from a diverse group of panelists and guest speakers.”
What does the Public Policy Institute offer?
- A participatory learning environment that introduces tools and opportunities to hone a participant’s skills in influencing public policy
- a diverse array of panelists and guest speakers
- an applied learning approach as each session and session assignment requires participants to reflect on their learnings and apply them to their policy project, and
- the opportunity to learn from the other participants who bring a wealth of experience and insight into this learning space
When does it take place?
The United Way BC Public Policy Institute (PPI) takes place from January to June each year. See “More Information and Resources” for this year’s program dates.
What are the themes for the six sessions?
1) Introduction to Public Policy and Each Other
2) Engaging and Informing Decision Makers
3) Developing and Analyzing Policy Options
4) Research, Impact, and Power Considerations
5) Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation
6) Final Presentations
What is required to participate?
Enrollment is open to not-for-profit organizations and/or organizations with a registered charity number, from all regions of British Columbia. Each applicant that applies provides details on a policy project that they and their organization have been working on advancing.
We welcome applicants who are:
- able to influence the policy work of their organization,
- focused on social policy in their work, and
- living and working in British Columbia.
Participants attend in-person sessions in Vancouver, BC at the BCIT Downtown Campus for 1.5 days a month from January to June. Three to five hours of commitment each month is needed for readings and assignment completion between sessions.
What is the cost to participate once accepted into the program?
Each admitted not-for-profit organization or registered charity participant is asked to pay an $850 registration fee. However, in United Way BC’s commitment to being equitable and inclusive, we are open to discussing the registration amount with successful candidates, if needed.
Information & Resources
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Program Objectives
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Program Dates
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Application Form
Faculty
Our faculty lead for the Public Policy Institute is Carole James and she is joined by, Andrea Reimer, Ruth Wittenberg, Ginger Gosnell-Myers, Nikki Hill, and Mark Sieben as our Public Policy Institute faculty.
From Left to Right: (row 1) Ruth Wittenberg, Carole James, Andrea Reimer (row 2), Nikki Hill, Ginger Gosnell-Myers, Mark Sieben
Collectively, they bring a wealth of real-life public policy experience to the program, complemented by an impressive and diverse array of panelists and guest speakers.
The Public Policy Institute is a leadership training program that is modeled after successful training institutes provided by the Maytree in Ontario and the Max Bell Foundation in Alberta.
All three programs create an experiential learning environment that integrates peer learning activities to enrich the program experience.
More Information & Resources
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Meet Carole James
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Meet Nikki Hill
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Meet Ginger Gosnell-Myers
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Meet Andrea Reimer
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Meet Ruth Wittenberg
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Meet Mark Sieben
Meet our Alumni
Our participants come from diverse backgrounds and represent a wide range of social policy projects. They are all changemakers that bring zeal and commitment to better the lives of the people living in British Columbia.
Since its inception in 2010, the Public Policy Institute has run every year. Through challenging financial times for our province and the pandemic that affected the globe, our sector still had changemakers committed learning about how to influence public policy.
Public Policy Institute Graduates
2024
2022
Meet our 2021 Public Policy Institute Graduates and learn more about the work they champion.
Testimonials
Here is what our graduates had to say when asked, “How did the Public Policy Institute equip you and your organization to advance your public policy change?”
“This is new territory for me and my organization, so the teachings were vital in helping me develop the foundations for the work we are undertaking.”
“The program helped me to become crisper in my explanation of my program as well as how to weave in my own lived experience. The result is much more casual conversations with politicians that end with “how can I help””.
“It helped me understand the way governments think and what they need to be able to act on our issues. I’m still working on lining that up, but we’re getting there!”
More Information & Resources
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Previous Years Participating Organizations
Ida Goodreau Alumni Award
The Ida Goodreau Alumni Award was launched in 2020 in honour of one of the Public Policy Institute’s beloved and original faculty members, Ida Goodreau.
Since the Public Policy Institute’s inception in 2010 until her passing in 2019, Ida played an integral role at the Institute – sharing her invaluable experience and wisdom in policy and leadership to students as an instructor and helping shape the program’s delivery and curriculum.
How to apply?
Every year in the Spring, applications for this Alumni Award open. United Way BC keeps a contact list of graduates and emails that list to do a call for applications. (If you are a graduate of the program and are not receiving alumni emails, please contact us at ppi@uwbc.ca to update your contact information.)
Who can apply?
Applications are open to Public Policy Institute graduates only. An email goes out in April every year to alumni.
Meet Past Award Winners
Congratulations to the 2024 Ida Goodreau Alumni Award recipient, Samantha Gambling, former Provincial Lead of the BC Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food. Please read the Alumni Award Winners document to hear more on her policy work.
2023 Alumni Award Recipient
Erin O-Melinn
Erin credits the Public Policy Institute for equipping her with the tools needed to take the policy proposal to the next level.
Erin learned to tailor the “Bike Right” proposal to help meet the province’s climate change goals, as cycling is a sustainable mode of transportation, with benefits around health, affordability, equity, and access.
HUB Cycling began with no funding and now receives funding more than $500, 000 annually from the Province of BC.
2022 Alumni Award Recipient
Daljit Gill Badesha
View the short video clip below to learn more about Daljit’s journey since graduating, how it has impacted her work, and what the award means to her. Click on the image to view the video.
More Information & Resources
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Ida Goodreau Alumni Award
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Alumni Award Winners
Blog & Stories
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United Way BC Paves the Way for Social Change with 2024 Public Policy Institute
Congratulations to the 2024 graduating class of United Way BC’s Public Policy Institute, a hub for excellence in public policy education.
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United Way BC’s Public Policy Institute Empowers Newcomer Workplace Advocacy
Discover Success Stories from United Way BC’s PPI Alumni, Leading Advocates for Policy Change
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Lessons from a Partnership: How United Way BC, UBC’s School of Public Policy, and the Office of Community Engagement Collaborated on a Public Policy Event
Written by Oliver Mann, Kat Cureton, Esther Moreno, and Rebecca Monnerat.
Public Policy Institute Events
- Fall 2023 1st of 3 Online Event (September 27, 2023)
- Fall 2023 2nd of 3 In-Person Event (October 27, 2023) at UBC Robson Square
- Fall 2023 3rd of 3 Online Event (November 27, 2023)
- Spring 2024 Vancouver Alumni Event (April 23, 2024) at SFU Harbour Center
- Spring 2024 Victoria Alumni Event (May 31, 2024) at University of Victoria
- Spring 2024 Kelowna Alumni Event (June 20, 2024) at UBC Okanagan
Questions?
Looking for more information, or have questions? Please contact us.
Thank You to our Sponsors:
Session Sponsor
Venue Sponsor
