A community-led strategy shifts power to the people most affected by an issue. It supports the development of shared goals, and the development and implementation of plans to achieve those goals. The strategy will identify and use community strengths and supports the community to work together to build capacity of their community to thrive. In this model, the community holds power and makes key decisions.
Why this matters to the ChangeFest movement This theme is vital to ChangeFest because real systems change starts locally. ChangeFest centres First Nations voices in local and national decisions . By letting communities lead, efforts become more trusted and fair. It helps move away from top-down responses toward collective agency.
How can this be actionable To take action, you can bring local leaders and community members together to map community assets and determine shared goals. back local leaders. Developing a collaborative governance structure with local leaders at the centre, sharing data and co-design of services are all steps that can be taken.
Topics and further learning You can learn more by exploring power-shifting and First Nations leadership Other useful topics include Asset-Based Community Development and trauma-informed practice . Understanding leverage points in systems is also key to making lasting change
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