Teams are where the magic happens at Our Living Waters!
They are collaborative forums where OLW Network members convene to drive action on a shared water goal.
Teams are where change feels possible in the Network… but change takes time.
Here, we’ve designed a Community-Based Water Monitoring Collaborative timeline to visualize how this Team has evolved since 2016.
Let’s recognize the Network’s community-based water monitoring (CBWM) champions as this Team’s leadership transitions!
A core group of CBWM leaders was already driving change at a national scale long before Our Living Waters came on the scene. These champions formed a relationship with OLW gradually, starting with a 2016 collaborative report aimed at elevating CBWM in Canada. In 2018, OLW participated in and helped fund a National Roundtable on CBWM. However, CBWM leaders still had key research gaps they wanted to address and recommendations for federal action on CBWM. With momentum building, they set the stage for OLW to lead further action.
In 2019, CBWM champions asked OLW to coordinate and facilitate their collaborative initiative. OLW stepped up with staff and funding support, leading to the formation of the Community-Based Water Monitoring Collaborative (CBWMC) as a new Team. Together, we published federal submissions advocating for CBWM (see our 2020 and 2021 stories), created a Business Case for CBWM in 2021, and began visioning in 2022 for a potential second round table and a companion fundraising toolkit for the Business Case.
Now, the Team is self-organizing once again. But our relationship continues, as CBWM remains a top priority for the OLW Network! Take a look at the CBWMC timeline below (we’ll keep it updated on our CBWMC Team page). It is a great example of how Teams can shift in composition and leadership over time. If you are interested in this collaborative work, let us know!
