Advocating for Community Health and Wellness in Environmental Assessments.
My mission is to advocate for community health and wellbeing through respectful relationships throughout the environmental assessment process.
Bridging the Gap between Projects and Communities
About GatePost
Dr. Ken Froese, CEO.
What Drives Community Wellbeing?
I believe that the way things have been done as it relates to environmental risk assessment falls short of addressing the real concerns of people impacted by these projects. I started this work to bridge the gap of knowledge and communication that results in community members feeling unseen and under-valued. Environmental assessments provide an inadequate picture of how the project truly impacts the life of the people who live and work on the land.
A community’s health and wellbeing goes far beyond what is currently measured and reported on by risk assessments. The sense of place that people experience on the land is central to their entire way of life and in turn their overall wellbeing. I’m committed to taking a holistic approach to integrate the traditional, cultural, and social components of wellbeing, while advocating for greater community autonomy throughout the process.
Ken Froese started this work because he could no longer turn a blind eye to the lack of effective dialogue and collaboration between community members and project owners. With 30 years experience working in the field of ecological risk assessment and environmental health, Ken has observed the disconnect between the risk assessment results and overall community wellbeing.
Ken has created a methodology that evaluates community health and wellbeing from a holistic perspective that is defined and informed by the values and needs of the community.
I am committed to journeying with communities to listen, learn and be present to their concerns and needs.
My Approach
I use a holistic approach with communities and projects to:
Build Empathy
Collaboration and partnerships require time, effort and openness to learn from each other. With the projects we support, I facilitate a process of relearning new ways of gathering together for the sake of community health and wellbeing.
Strengthen Communication
In order to bridge connection, I spend time listening to the values that are important to each group and provide workshops to build greater awareness of the values that shape our perspectives.
Grow Mutual Respect and Trust
One of the largest factors influencing holistic health and wellbeing for communities is the trust in environmental assessment process. My focus is to illuminate barriers and find common ground and understanding.
Work with Me
I work with both communities and projects to build stronger connections that lead to improved health and wellbeing for the community.
I create customized workshops, trainings and facilitate dialogues between groups to collaborate and build capacity that benefits all involved.
I use a systems thinking approach to understand the relationships between people, the environment, culture, industry and government. I explore these relationships to uncover what drives community wellbeing.
Let’s Connect
If you are a project team, environmental assessor or community member that is looking for advice, support and education for holistic health and wellbeing, please reach out about ways we can work together.