Request for Partnership: Public Engagement Events
Background:
The Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH) is actively seeking partnerships with member organizations to enhance public engagement (PE) through impactful in-person events. We have learned many lessons from our online public engagement activities and are now looking to do the same for in-person events across the country.
To that end, we are excited to introduce a pilot program that will see CanWaCH support member organizations to orchestrate in-person public-facing events. The events will serve as a platform for members to raise awareness, inform and educate the public on pressing global women and children’s health and international development issues.
CanWaCH is aiming to accomplish two things with this pilot initiative: (1) bolster members’ efforts to engage the Canadian public on global issues by providing financial and other support to stand-alone PE events across the country (see below), and (2) to better understand what works in the current PE landscape by evaluating each event and producing a best practices guide for the broader CanWaCH membership.
We are excited to embark on a collaborative journey to co-develop, inform and refine a more personalized approach to in-person public engagement.
What CanWaCH is offering:
- Financial support of three (3) separate events, ideally scheduled within the spring or fall of 2024. *Note that each application is intended for one single event, not a series of three.
- Promotion of the event through our social media platforms.
- Brainstorming and organizational support including availability for regular touchpoint meetings to facilitate event planning and preparation.
- Assistance in the development of event evaluation methods.
- Facilitation of a post-event debriefing session with all participating members.
- The development of a resource following the conclusion of the final event. Based on evidence gathered throughout the pilot, this resource will outline best practices for delivering successful in-person public engagement events.
What we’re looking for:
- A target public audience: Members must be able to propose an audience they consistently engage with or know can attract. CanWaCH does not dictate the audience but instead invites proposals for funding to support the initiation or expansion of an event.
- Program Content: This is your event! Members should develop the event program content, and ensure it aligns with the goals of raising awareness and educating the public on women and children’s international development issues. Members must have the capacity to arrange and manage all event logistics including but not limited to travel, location, venue, catering, guest speakers and invitations. CanWaCH is happy to be a brainstorming partner.
- Data Collection and Feedback: Members will be responsible for gathering data and feedback both during and after the event. CanWaCH will support the development of event evaluation methods to ensure that the information gathered adheres to privacy and confidentiality best practices. These insights will play a pivotal role in helping inform public engagement best practices and contributing valuable information to the CanWaCH public engagement resource.
- Post-event: Members will take part in a debriefing session with CanWaCH to review lessons, learnings and achievements.
Budget:
CanWaCH will provide up to $15,000 of financial support per event. Please include an estimated budget breakdown using as much detail as possible in the attached application template.
Selection criteria:
Our goal in supporting three separate events is to ensure diversity of geography, audience and programming.
- Geographical Diversity: CanWaCH is looking to support events that span across Canada with each event being in a different geographic location.
- Audience Diversity: CanWaCH will take into account the target audience identified in each of the applications. We are looking for events that expand into different audiences and demographics to ensure a broad reach and to evaluate levels of engagement.
- Programmatic Diversity: CanWaCH is looking to support events that address three different facets of women’s and children’s health (i.e., youth, economic empowerment, SRHR, etc.).
Timeline:
The application for partnerships will close on February 29th, 2024 at 4:30 pm EST. Applicants can expect a response by March 18, 2024.
How to Apply:
If you are interested please complete the Application Form.
Questions:
Please direct any questions to Julianna Stonehouse, Manager of Strategic Partnerships.
