By Kathleen Cross, Strategy and Organizational Development Advisor
“You called for renewal. And we are doing it.”
― Brenda Arakaza, President
The 2022 Orientation Assembly gave a clear mandate for the renewal of Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada, and particularly to re-centre our values and how we live them in the world. Since then, many big projects have been undertaken, some of which have strengthened the foundation on which our organizational leadership stands.
The 2022 Orientations led not only to the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, but also to a refresh of our vision, mission, values and approaches. This work was undertaken as a joint project of a committee comprising national council members, directors and representatives of the employees’ union.
“I remain impressed by how much work was accomplished in the past years: new reform, policies and the set-up of the present committees… I see DEVP turned a page and I appreciate the positive impact with the new leadership.”
― Luc Picard, Member at Large
Streamlining processes
An incredible amount of work has gone into building more transparency and accountability into our governance. A key element of this work was the transition to a national annual general assembly (AGA). Its development and growth continued this year as members discussed and debated proposals on a national level for the first time. Members were invited to pre-submit suggestions and received responses in advance of the AGA itself, which was unprecedented!
Furthermore, an effective reorganization of national council committees has taken place. This has made for a more manageable workload for council members and will provide smoother flows of information and work. It has also consolidated our system for inviting and facilitating the participation of in committee work of people with special expertise from outside the national council.
Reinforcing the capacity to govern
Having made these consequential efforts, it was time for our governance body to take a step back from the work, and to refocus on the building blocks of governance and on everyone’s roles and responsibilities. To that end, the members of national council and the management team met in Montreal for a retreat from February 12 to 16, 2024.
We immersed ourselves in the refreshed vision, mission, values and approaches to make them the foundation of our deliberations and decision making.
“For me, it was an opportunity for discovery on several levels. I got to know the other members of the national council and the people―both staff and members of the national council―who work on the various issues. I also discovered the full scope of the movement nationally and the projects and partners supported internationally.”
― The Most Rev. Martin Laliberté, Bishop of Trois-Rivières, Ecclesial national council member for Quebec
We dove deeper into how we collaborate to pursue the organization’s strategic objectives and how we will organize the work through the year and with committees.
We spent time discussing how we will be and work together and the importance of communication and organization for effective work. We engaged in prayer and reflection to help unite and discern together. We thought about how the lenses we use to view our world and our work can allow us to stand confidently as we learn together.
We played with blocks, did sketches and a crossword puzzle, strummed a charango and raised some beautiful voices in songs that brought joy and laughter to our time together.
Roles and relationships
A thread that ran through the week was how relationships underlie our roles, structures and tools, and how clarity of roles helps us to be in relationship.
The chance to gather in person was important. It allowed us to get to know and understand each other in a deeper way, and to find a common language and common reference points. We can now approach our work throughout the year, much of which happens remotely and online, with a stronger shared foundation and a better sense of community.
“Something that stood out to me was the level of respect and understanding people demonstrated to each other. We had some serious and emotional discussions, to which the group was able to unpack in a fulsome way. I also feel this week allowed us as to really understand our roles within the various committees as well as on national council. I feel like going forward, we can work much more efficiently and effectively as a team.”
― Reanne Laurie, Anglophone Youth Representative
