For immediate release
February 3, 2012

Telling our stories – our way and with pride

I wish I had come here sooner; we need to tell our stories with authenticity, pride, transparency, perhaps with a central app or a website – these were one of the many ideas that emerged from yesterday’s stunningly successful Community Image Summit 2.0 at Keyano College.

Hosted in partnership with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the second annual event saw 80 communicators and leaders from all sectors attend the day-long event.  The community was invited to submit discussion themes via social media.  There were 19 topics to choose from at the unCONFERENCE, which had no set agenda. 

Top choices to name a few included:  What’s our compelling message? Should communicators collaborate to tell our stories, and what’s in a name – should we be Wood Buffalo, Fort McMurray, or something completely different?

Participants enjoyed the unCONFERENCE setting, which allowed them to maximize participation.

Spirited discussions at the Community Image Summit 2.0.  Photo by Sean McLennan, Keyano Photographer.

“We were not just listening, but contributing.  The unCONFERENCE setting was great,” said Jennifer Lamontagne, Senior Events Specialist at MacDonald Island Park.

She says an idea that resonated the most with her was the notion of “I should’ve come here sooner.”

“We need to get this message out.  This real sense of wanting to be here and telling an authentic story,” said Lamontagne who has been a Wood Buffalo resident for the last three years.

Tyran Ault, Senior Communications Advisor, Suncor Energy agrees.  He attended last year’s inaugural event, and says the opportunity to brainstorm in groups was invaluable.

“Now it’s contingent on action; taking these ideas and doing something.  The one idea that I love is the name changing.  Why not start with a clean slate? We are re-vamping downtown; this is the perfect time to change literally and figuratively,” said Ault, 30, who was raised in Fort McMurray and has been here for the last 22 years.

Philip Cooper, Director, Communications, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, was pleased with the summit turnout.  He dubbed it a great chance to bring like-minded people together who can collaborate to generate results.

“Most of us are working alone on this topic of our community image. You can find solutions in a group setting,” said Cooper.

As for collaborating with Keyano, Cooper adds the College is a hub for young minds and is a great venue for facilitating dialogue. He said the summit will grow every year.

“By next year we would have gained momentum. We will have a following by the fourth year and by the fifth year we will become a part of the community’s fibre and will be in everyone’s calendar,” said Cooper.

Russell Thomas, Director, Marketing & Communications, Keyano College, believes that the unCONFERENCE format proved to be a great choice. 

“Keyano College was proud to host this event with our municipal partners.  The energy, passion and insights shared throughout the afternoon and evening were wonderful. We came together as a community of communicators and community leaders with a common interest in telling the story of our home. The resulting conversations were honest, impassioned and impactful.”


For more information, please contact:
Kiran Malik-Khan
Communications Coordinator
Marketing & Communications
Keyano College
780-791-8971
Kiran.Malik-Khan@keyano.ca

For real time updates follow us on Twitter @keyanocollege.