“Every First Nation and or Inuit community has many untapped, very talented individual community champions within”

An essential FNG Community Garden Farming Co-op Facility project step is to seek out a community planning champion, a community member that believes and cherishes their community, a community champion that shares a strong vision for what their community can be, a community member that is so much more than just a nine-to-five employee. A community planning champion and there are many within every community, are the backbone of every Indigenous population and play a huge role in the success of every garden facility planning process and its result.

Community Champions bring enthusiasm, curiosity, and fun to the FNG project planning table. Many community champions have had little or no planning training when they begin. What they do have is a strong commitment to their community well-being, a willingness to learn, to listen and to get out into the community to start talking with their community members.

A Community Project Planning Champion will often introduce the idea of the project planning to the community and leadership and can drive the process, gain support and help build a strong community planning team. A community planning champion can be any community member. They may come forward as a result of a trigger in the community — issues such as proposed land development, a move into the treaty process or a crisis that gets people talking to resolve community issues and address pressing community concerns. Your community planning champion needs to be based in the community, respected by community members and prepared for a long-term commitment to the project planning process.