Connect + Reflect + ACT!
NEW! Download the 2023 RIEP Forum overview and program details, including information about speakers, meals, transportation, evening entertainment, and social events.
Read on below for a summary of the 2023 RIEP Forum Program:
Keynote & Plenary Panels
- Bringing the Rural Islands Values Framework to Life Through Doughnut Economics
- Housing Lessons Learned From A Rural Islands Perspective
- Working with Indigenous Businesses Through the Lens of Reconciliation
- Economic Solutions for Mitigating & Adapting to Climate Change
- BC Ferries Accountability – Q & A with BC Ferries Commissioner Eva Hage
Interactive Panels & Sector Showcases
- The Path Towards Regenerative Tourism
- Rural Islands Arts – Fostering Cultural & Economic Vitality
- Future of Island Business: Trends, Needs, & Opportunities
- Social Enterprise Conversations
- Blue Economy: Sea Harvesting – The Sustainable Way
- Food Resilience – Grow Local!
- Connected Coast – Bringing High-Speed Internet to the Islands
- Circular Economy Success Stories
ACTION Labs – Leading to Action Plans!
- Rural Housing Policy – Now
- Travel as a Force for Good
- Circular Economy ‘How To’s
- Climate Mitigation Practices – Islands Style
- Shared Services: Building Local Economic Capacity
- Arts Vitality - Sourcing Sustainable Resources
‘Unconference’ Activities
- Live Music & Social Events
- Morning Movement & Nature Walks
- Time to connect with the Forum Network, including:
- Provincial & Federal Government representatives
- Regional NGOs
- Elected Officials
- RIEP Board & Staff
- RIEP Members
- Local Business Leaders
Connect
- Deepen existing connections and build new relationships in-person at The Haven, a unique non-traditional conference setting
- Expect to meet and exchange ideas with other island residents and allies through topical panel discussions, economic sector roundtables, Action Labs, Connection Cafés, and other networking opportunities and social activations.
- Be together, sharing the lived experience, and coming away from the 2023 Forum with a personal and professional network of people who want to keep BC’s rural islands economically resilient and vibrant.
Reflect
- Engage productively around shared successes stories, common challenges, and the unique experience of living on a rural island, and learn from best practices across BC’s rural communities and beyond.
- Help us apply this information locally & regionally by applying the RIEP collaborative lens to opportunities
- Bring and share your own island resources and perspectives.
ACT!
- Construct a road map for true transformative collaboration, guided by the Rural Islands Values Framework
- Translate our connections and reflections into action plans
- Celebrate lessons learned and the collaboration needed for enduring and resilient rural island communities.
How We Got Here - Building "The Forum Network"
The RIEP Forum is a unique and transformative gathering where rural island residents and allies engage in lively conversations and networking, experiential learning, intentional planning, creative advocacy, and strategic action for keeping our island communities thriving!
RIEP 2023 is building upon the outcomes of the 2022 Virtual Forum, applying the leading edge Doughnut Economics concept to the program.
The ‘Doughnut’ offers a cohesive vision for unifying the goals of the Rural Islands Values Framework—Creating Resilient Economies; Ensuring Basic Needs & Services; Fostering Connections To Build Community; and Taking Collaborative Action—all set within the context of ecological and social justice.
Connect+Reflect+ACT! is the 2023 Forum "unconference conference" theme, providing an outcome-based approach building on this momentum for our communities.
