February Planning Session – “Data drives solutions to put things into place.”
July 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic was declared on the heels of the 2020 Mamow Ahyamowen in-person planning meeting. A lot has changed locally and globally since that meeting and the Partnership thought it would be important to come together virtually for a planning session in the new COVID-19 environment.
Mariette Sutherland facilitated the online event that was attended by Steering Committee members, the Partnership Agreement developer, David Morgan and the support staff of the Partnership.
The online session started with an inspirational presentation by Gloria Daybutch. Gloria, now retired, is one of the founding members of the Mamow Ahyamowen Partnership and she shared the above catchphrase, “Data drives solutions to put things into place.” She further explained how this phrase encapsulates the importance of leveraging available data for planning, to inform policy and to address health inequities and discrimination.
Gloria also discussed how data is only one part of the picture and that data is strengthened when interpreted and understood from a community context.
Reflections from the March 2020 meeting and looking ahead:
Mariette then provide some historical context for the Partners and revisited where the group was in March of 2020. Smaller group discussions allowed participants to talk about the strengths of the Mamow Ahyamowen as well as what the Partnership should focus on going forward. These smaller group discussions highlighted the strength in working together.
Refining Governance:
Though Mamow Ahyamowen has an existing Terms of Reference, it was felt that a formalized Partnership Agreement would help to strengthen its governance. A draft Partnership Agreement was developed and shared with the Steering Committee in 2020 however, the planning meeting provided an opportunity for the full group to discuss and clarify some of the finer details. Before participants left the virtual meeting, a Steering Committee member left us with his reflections on the importance of feeling connected to continue the work we do.
To view the complete report, please click here.