Real Planning for Real Results: Atikameksheng Does It Right.

Strategic planning is like playing golf. Not everybody does it - and most who do it, do it badly.

Too many organizations start from scratch on a Tuesday morning, complete a SWOT analysis in half an hour; create a mission statement by their first break and "strategic" "goals" by lunch: whip off their goals, objectives and priorities by four, and wrap up with an evaluation at five. Those are the "plans" that end up collecting dust; a day or two is simply not enough time to capture the complex reality of a modern First Nation, or do justice to its planning needs.

That's why it's such a pleasure to work with clients like Atikamekwsheng Anishnwabek (formerly Whitefish Lake First Nation), a community that's doing it right.


Stonecircle's Jennifer David will be travelling to Atikameksheng Anishnawbek in northern Ontario to facilitate a three day strategic planning session, during which the the Chief and Council will review and update the current strategic plan and budgets, right down to the departmental level. But the three day session is not a stand-alone planning event. Atikameksheng is carefully building on its previous planning initiatives, reviewings its current and previous goals, evaluating its successes, and revising where necessary to meet the community's real needs. The planning actually begins long before the three day session with an assessment of existing plans and results: and it will continue afterwards with a carefully monitored implementation phase.

Atikameksheng is a community that is proactive and forward-looking. Some of you may be aware that Atikameksheng submitted the winning proposal in the "Building Skills, Building Homes" initiative, a partnership with the Assembly of First Nations, whereby television personality Mike Holmes of HGTV's "Holmes on Homes" will work with the community to build sustainable homes in the community and train community people in construction skills. The goal is to pilot the project in Atikameksheng with rollout in other First Nations after that.

So while Jennifer will be in the community to facilitate sessions with Chief and Council, she will be on the lookout, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mike Holmes.