About the Data Working Group

The GNSC is striving toward becoming data-driven and evidence-based to better inform our work, mission, vision and values as well as to better serve and work with community. The Data Working Group is composed of GNSC staff, community partners and community members. The purpose of the group is to design collaborative data tools, methods and processes, with data sovereignty and equity in mind. Our goal in working together is to improve organizational effectiveness as a strategy to help ensure the continued growth and capacity building of the GNSC and Neighbourhood Groups.

What do we do?
The Data Working Group meets bi-monthly to support, initiate, and catalyze capacity-building of GNSC’s data structures and processes. Examples of our work include:

• Refinement of funding allocation processes and tools
• Development of a decision-making tool
• Community needs assessment survey
• Program evaluation planning and implementation

Our guiding principles

1. Be equity-focused, rights-based, intersectional, decentralized, and participatory.
2. Promote accessible engagement and the protection of rights, including the right to privacy and anonymity as well as the right to be counted.
3. Use “data for good” and work to undo the misuse and harms caused by the inappropriate collection and use of data.
4. Follow the lead of Indigenous, Black-led, and Racialized groups in developing best practices for data use, acknowledging that these communities are disproportionately impacted by the potential collection, sharing, and use of data.
5. Work toward data sovereignty
   1. Ask for consent for the use of community member’s data that has been provided when it is ongoing, freely given, reversible, informed, enthusiastic and specific.

For more information about the Data Working Group or if you’re interested in joining, please email data@guelphneighbourhoods.org