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Our Mission 
nThe mission of the Whistler Forum is to build community by improving civic engagement and developing collaborative leadership. n

The Forum works locally and globally with on-the-ground and online communities contributing to a growing network of dialogue and deliberation increasingly influencing all sectors – government, business and civil society.n We work to deepen the experiences and skills of collaborative governance by convening, in Whistler and the Sea to Sky Corridor, existing and emerging leaders from around the world.

In this transforming place that lifts us out of our usual selves, the Forum fosters the "culture of dialogue" in a world caught between the cultures of mistrust and protest on one side and of spin and manipulation on the other.

• 45 Dialogue Cafes 
• Three Cohorts of Leadership Sea to Sky with 48 Participants and 12 regional action projects
• Six Sea to Sky Regional Forums
• A North American and Asia Pacific Summit on Collaborative Governance with leaders from around the world in public participation and deliberative democracy
• Numerous seminars and events for the community and Friends of Forum

Whistler's reputation as a world-class destination resort community shines even brighter with the awarding of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Para-Olympic Games. To complement the excellence in recreational opportunities for the body, the Whistler Forum's mission is to offer creative educational offerings to stimulate the mind.

In our increasingly knowledge-based economy, competitive advantages and enhanced quality of life result from forums of dialogue that effectively engage citizens and develop leaders in learning and thinking through contemporary issues.

Our Programs

Dialogue Cafes in Whistler, Squamish, Pemberton
Our Dialogue Cafes provide ways to experience the principles and practices of dialogue at the street level. They enable the practice of understanding other viewpoints and exploring common ground - in short the "art of thinking together". This is in contrast to the normal scrums of combative debate and defensively arguing for set positions. We often discover surprising results instead of boring predictable talk by people with partisan agendas. We are part of an emerging public conversation movement as demonstrated by the Philosophers' Café series at Simon Fraser University and the growing movement of community conversation across North America.

Leadership Sea to Sky
The scarce resource for the 21st century is good leadership. Community leadership establishes networks of understanding across sectors. Businesses, governments, voluntary organizations all require experienced and committed leaders to thrive and prosper in a rapidly changing and challenging world. We need leaders who will instill trust, commitment and confidence; build teams and partnerships; define goals and objectives; direct and manage change, and develop and inspire vision. These are the attributes of dialogue-based leadership.

Leadership Sea to Sky is our community leadership program that draws emerging leaders from First Nations, Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton. The goal is to energize regional resources through collaboration and shared understanding to the benefit of all. Leadership success enhances our collective strength, taking us beyond our current reality into a shared vision of a healthy, prosperous, connected region - from Sea to Sky.

Leadership Summits
These summits foster and support leadership for meaningful citizen engagement, and to inspire practitioners, decision-makers, media and academics interested in the best practices of public participation.



Our first summit was co-chaired by Angus Reid and Kristi Wells, November 10, 11 and 12, 2004 at the Chateau Fairmont, Whistler, British Columbia. Leaders in civi engagement included Carolyn Lukensmeyer from AmericaSpeaks, Steve Rosell from Viewpoint Learning, Dave Biggs from Envision Tools and Laval University professor Pierre-Gerlier Forest. Also featured was the leadership at work in North America's first Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform.

The November Summit of 2005 brought together 40 leaders from across the Pacific in our Collaborative Governance in the Asia Pacific. The complete workbook for that Summit and the final Report "Gateways to Collaboration in the Asia Pacific" are available under the Pacific Gateway Initiatives.

Pacific Gateway and China Initiatives   

1. Our November 2005 Summit on "Collaborative Governance in the Asia Pacific"
2. Leadership Sea to Sky Cohort III project on "Gateways to Asia from the Sea to Sky"
3. Collaborating with "The Summer China Institute" of UBC's Institute of Asian Research
4. Collaborating with the Aspen Global Leadership Network on the development of the Forum's
   "Pacific Gateway Leadership Initiative"