Where are you starting from?

Whether you are starting a new Indigenous Guardian program or have an existing program, it can be useful to take a snapshot of where things are at. Understanding the “lay of the land” is essential to develop or strengthen a program that reflects and builds on where you are at and where you’ve come from.

One way to do this is to look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing your program (also called a SWOT analysis). This exercise will help to highlight your assets and the positive forces that can contribute to the success of your program and clarify potential problems that need to be addressed.  See the Worksheet below that will guide you through the SWOT process.

Try to involve people in this conversation early on. Thinking through the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing your program with the right group of people will help shape the vision and priorities for your program and subsequent operational level plans. Capture this base information down on paper too. It will be referenced often as you move forward to build out your program.