The Canadian Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA Canada) is a member of ICA International, a global network established in 1960 and now implementing social change in over 36 countries. ICA International holds consultative status II with the United Nations. Since 1976, ICA Canada, with its own elected Board of Directors, has been part of this global network.
The mission of ICA Canada is to develop the leadership capacity of all people to contribute to positive social change.
We are a non-profit organization primarily supported by volunteers and donors. Our revenue comes from individual and institutional donations and partnerships, as well as from our publications, course royalties, special events and learning forums. This revenue is used for education, publishing, research and social development projects. Tax deductible receipts will be issued for your charitable donation. For over two decades ICA Canada has promoted, supported and enabled positive social transformation through teaching and practicing ToP™ methods of participation.
Ownership of The Technology of Participation (ToP®)
ToP® (The Technology of Participation) was created by ICA to provide people with structured methods to recognize all contributions, to help groups deal with large amounts of data in a short time, to pool participants’ contributions into larger, more information rich patterns, and to successfully deal with polarization, conflict and diversity.
In Canada, ICA Canada owns the Technology of Participation ToP® trade mark and the intellectual property rights. This training manual is copyrighted by ICA Canada. As a course graduate you may copy pages and use them free of charge in your organization or in situations where you are using them with no fee attached. In situations in which the methods or materials are being used for profit, you are encouraged to submit a 10% royalty fee to ICA Canada in recognition and support of ICA’s continuing development of participatory methods. It is possible to establish a collaborative relationship with ICA Canada for the regular use of the materials as well as for the joint facilitation and marketing of services.