Strategic Directions
•Advise and provide strategic guidance and direction on gender equity issues.
•Guide RIWC with good practices and knowledge to promote gender equity effectively.
•Provide, as needed, clarity with the vision and mission for RIWC.
•Act as a sounding board for ideas, issues, and concerns that affect the collaboration.
•Give feedback about the alignment of the work related to the mission and vision.
•Provide perspective on what needs and challenges RIWC could face.

Advocacy and Support
•Support the mission and vision of the collaboration.
•Bring expertise and experience related to gender equity.
•Have an understanding of the gender equity challenges faced by refugee and immigrant women.
•Be involved with the collaboration by supporting and attending RIWC programs.
•Guide and advocate for appropriate funding sources that support RIWC strategic directions.
•Promote the RIWC and raise awareness about the collaboration's efforts on gender equity.

Outreach and Resources
•Assist in building relationships with the broader community by introducing various RIWC members to our contacts.
•Provide opportunities for RIWC members to network and connect to resources that promote the collaboration's work on gender equity.
•Provide suggestions for effective outreach and building new relationships.
•Identify and share resources (e.g. information, funding, referrals) in furthering the mission and strategic directions.
 

Guiding Principles between Advisory Council and Members

Mutual Accountability
•Honor all commitments to each other.
•Shared, cooperative, and non-hierarchical goals are the foundation of the relationship.
•All have an invested interest in the mission, vision and goals of the RIWC.
•Ensure that all are aware of and understand the roles and responsibilities of each other to the collaboration's work.
•Mutual accountability to the collaboration and to one another.

Communication
•Open communication that emphasizes active listening, transparency, honesty, and inclusion.
•Be informed and know about the activities of the collaboration by participating and supporting events held by RIWC members.
•Continuously discuss and clarify roles and responsibilities, including expectations of all involved in the process.
•Communicate the importance of an alignment and understanding of the mission, vision and strategic directions of RIWC.
 
Conflict Resolution
•Resolve any misunderstanding between members and advisory committee due to poor or lack of communication.
•Manage and resolve cultural differences which could result in widely divergent perspectives around issues and become a barrier to accomplishing the mission.

Logistics
•Advisory Council meets with members on a quarterly basis in a joint meeting.
•Advisory Council will meet, as needed, with members in addition to quarterly meetings.
•Meeting minutes of each meeting will be taken and distributed to advisory council and members.
•Ensure that there is always a central person who will communicate to the whole group about current activities, issues, and concerns of the collaboration.
•On as needed basis, ensure that everyone understands the expectations for the collaboration, and that they are clear.