| About SPAC |
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The purpose of the SPAC project is to help build the sport community�s capacity to understand, participate in and contribute to the policy process, and more particularly sport policy processes.
Key principles and strategies identified so far for the development of a policy capacity for sport include:
� Voluntary Participation
� Unstructured
� Non-hierarchical
� Flexible
� Responsive
� Adaptable to resources
� Early leaders approach
� Engagement approach
� Issues-based
� Evidence-based
� SMG type of culture
� Support for leadership
The SPAC Project has been broken down into four stages:
(a) Research and Development phase
- conceptual/theoretical models of a sport sector policy capacity
- strategic directions for the project/policy capacity
- internal SMG development/agreement on how to proceed
- setting up a framework/principles for a policy mechanism
- identification of related and supportive activities
- introduce a proposed model
(b) Building phase
- further develop and test the proposed model
- pursue related and supportive activities
- implement the model
- critical mass of interest matched against available resources
- refine the policy mechanism as needed
(c) Application phase
- (external) use of mechanism
- feedback indicating usefulness (preliminary evaluation)
- collective agreement on operation of the policy mechanism
- foundation laid for a policy capacity
- sustainability measured and defined
(d) Consolidation phase
- mechanism established and supported
- future planning and development identified
- evaluation
Discussion
While demarcations between each stage of the project are not meant to be fixed and distinct, it is evident that the SPAC project is now ready to move into the Building Phase.
The following is an overview of progress to date on the Project.
1. Research and Development
As noted in the Briefing Notes prepared in November of 2002, a number of documents have been produced to capture the principles, concepts and strategic directions for the proposed policy mechanism. A number of related activities listed further below have also been pursued, including a series of outreach activities intended to bridge the sport and physical activity sectors around the development of policy capacity.
The development of a proposed model or policy mechanism has not been an easy step given the principles and strategies identified in the Background section of this document, and in Appendix A. Each new concept, such as the Early Leaders Approach or the Triangle Concept affected subsequent components/strategies of the Project. Their integration into one model produced a somewhat different approach (mechanism) than has been traditionally pursued by the sport community.
It is also important to note that the Sport Matters Group has not identified a role for itself in this mechanism, and has agreed that it does not represent or speak on behalf of the sport community through this proposed mechanism.
The Research and Development stage lasted about four months, culminating with a session held for the sport community on November 1st to review and discuss progress to date, and a follow-up session on December 12th to introduce the proposed policy mechanism. Among other things, this stage also saw the initial development of the On-Line Community component of the project, and the Volunteerism in Sport initiative, which are discussed further below.
2. Advocacy Initiatives
A number of advocacy, lobbying and media initiatives were undertaken over the past six months, and these were more particularly the focus of attention during November and December of 2002. The rationale for the SPAC Project�s involvement in these activities was two-fold. One centered on the timeliness of certain initiatives, such as Bill C-54 (subsequently Bill C-12), the federal budget and the Romanow Report, which will have significant impact on the sport sector, and consequently on the environment within which the SPAC Project will be implemented.
The other centered on the value of practical exposure to the policy process, and what such experience could bring to our understanding of the breadth and complexity of the entire process. By involving the sport sector in advocacy and lobbying initiatives, the SPAC Project was able to more easily and effectively identify the sport community�s policy capacity needs. Advocacy and lobbying were the preferred route of initial exposure, since these components of the policy process are better known, and are generally held to be essential for the involvement of citizens (and the sport community) in the policy process.
This approach has worked well, and has indeed given sport leaders and the sport sector more generally a much better sense of the value of their contribution to the policy process. For sport, this includes contributions to longer term policy (and capacity) issues such as the Canadian Sport Policy, shorter term Action Plans related to the Canadian Sport Policy, and even more specific contributions to the strategic planning of Sport Canada. Ongoing legislative and program policy issues will also add to the range of policy matters that the sport sector will be able to more effectively contribute to as a result of the SPAC Project�s capacity building.
3. Proposal for a Policy Mechanism
The introduction of the proposed policy mechanism appears to have been well received by those who attended the information and discussion sessions. A key measure of progress in this area is the apparent willingness and interest on the part of many players to contribute to the next stage of the Project, that is, the Building Stage. There has been a noticeable shift towards a broader approach to the sport sector�s capacity needs (thinking more of the sector rather than regional or organizational interests).
On the other hand, there is now a need for greater clarity in what the next stage will be, and what it will accomplish. There is a fair amount of the research and development material that has not been fully digested by the sport sector, which may be understandable and acceptable given the scope of the work involved. Therefore, while progress to date should provide considerable comfort for sport leaders (and early leaders) to move forward, a more visible, coordinated and engaging approach will be required for the Building Stage. Among other things, this will place greater emphasis and demand on the On-Line Community component, and will require the increased involvement of sport leaders (and more particularly the Sport Matters Group) to get all of the work done.
The Sport Matters Group has recognized this aspect of the evolution of the project, and has approved the use of various service providers to assist in the fulfillment of the SPAC Project. The role of the Senior Leader has therefore also shifted somewhat to that of a general contractor responsible for the planning, coordinating and engaging aspects of the Building Stage.
4. Other Related Activities
A number of related activities and developments occurred during the past several months which have shaped (or will shape) the development of the policy mechanism, and the fulfillment of the SPAC Project. Among these are:
� An investigation of the policy processes currently used by the Health Department, Finance and Sport Canada.
� An environmental scan and situation analysis concerning the physical activity sector and its policy capacity needs.
� The Volunteerism in Sport Initiative, which has attracted a number of interested partners, and which will strengthen the sport sector�s ability to engage Canadians (sport volunteers) in the development of sport policy and the delivery of sport programs.
� The On-line Community project, which has now reached the stage where a qualified service provider will be required (contracted) to implement the open source, interactive aspect of the SPAC and the policy mechanism�s electronic presence in the sport community.
� A resource person made available by the Canadian Canoe and Kayak Association in support of the SPAC Project.
� The retaining of a writer and content material developer for some of the SPAC Project activities, which will contribute to some of the professional development required within the sport sector.
� The SPAC Project�s contribution to Sport Canada�s Research Strategy, as part of the overall Canadian Sport Policy and related federal action plan.
� The SPAC Project�s involvement in supporting the sport community representatives on the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Sport Committee Workgroups, which will develop action plans related to the FPT Priorities for Collaboration.
An area in need of further attention will be the sustainability of the proposed policy mechanism, both in terms of its continued relevance and utility to the sector, and in terms of its operation.
5. Building a Policy Mechanism
This is the stage of the Project we are now entering, which will require a description of the steps and activities to be undertaken in order to move forward.
While the Research and Development stage required about four months (followed by two months focussing primarily on advocacy and lobbying initiatives, as well as the other activities noted above), the Building stage is likely to take considerably longer. The intent is to involve those who will be using the mechanism in the building of that mechanism, while also relying on expert services in the process. There will also be a considerable amount of �professional development� within the sector, focussed on understanding the policy process, on how to participate in it, and on how to meaningfully contribute to it.
The very initial steps taken for this stage have focused on the following areas:
� Bridging with the physical activity sector, both in the context of shared interest in policy capacity, and shared interest in current policy initiative affecting the two (or integrated) sectors
� Building partnerships/relationships with key groups, such as the FPTSC, the CCPTSF, the NSO Collective, the Voluntary Sector Forum and Active Canada.
� Finding an appropriate consultant to assist with the design, facilitation and professional development that will be required for the building and the use of the policy mechanism
� Establishing a working relationship with the health sector�s similar policy capacity project, supported by the Voluntary Sector Initiative.
� Determining Sport Canada�s contribution to the fulfillment of the SPAC project, and the use of SPAC resources identified for that purpose.
� The recruitment of early leaders for various components of the work involved in the Building Stage.
� How best to use the On-Line Community concept for the building stage, particularly with respect to engagement strategies, and how other sectors and countries have tackled these engagement challenges.
The next major step for the SPAC Project will therefore be the preparation of a plan/document that lays out the proposed steps and activities to be undertaken for the Building phase of the Project.
Appendix A
List of documents and materials developed for the Research and Development stage
of the Sport Policy Collective Project.
1. Sport Policy Advisory Collective proposal to the VSI.
2. What is the Sport Policy Advisory Collective Project.?
3. What is the Sport Matters Group?
4. Sport Policy Advisory Collective Scenario Planning.
5. The Early Leaders Model.
6. The Triangle Concept.
7. The On-Line Community Approach.
8. Strategic Planning for the Sport Policy Collective Project
9. Sport Matters Group and Representation.
10. The Sport Policy Advisory Collective and a National Research Strategy.
11. Volunteerism in Sport Initiative.
12. Building a Policy Capacity for Sport.
13. SPAC and the Public Policy Process.
14. A Proposed Mechanism for the Sport Community�s
Involvement in the Policy Process.
15. Conceptual Model of the Proposed Mechanism.
SPAC is being evaluated according to the Results Based Management and Accountability Framework (RMAF) that was developed by a group of SMG members in the spring, 2003. The RMAF should be added to the Sport Matters site, so that anyone who wants to can read it.
