I’m often asked this question. Well, alongside, what the heck is a white paper anyway!

White papers have been around for over a century as a means of knowledge mobilization. Originally developed by the British government and flagged by the colour ‘white’ to identify that the paper was ‘public access’, meaning it was meant for everyone, white papers are informational documents that highlight a problem and offer sound, research-based, solutions.

There are three main types of white papers including backgrounders, product lists, and problem/solution; I create and author the latter.

In collaboration with some of my favourite work colleagues, from a variety of backgrounds and lived experiences, we work diligently to produce meaningful and impactful resources that are readily available to everyone.

Although white papers are commonly designed for business-to-business (B2B) use, my intention is to provide researched informed content on just-in-time topics, that equip broader conversations.

My goal with my white papers is to move from heterogeneous group discussions like CEO talking to CEO, teacher talking to the teacher, parent talking to parent – to PEOPLE talking to PEOPLE, outside of traditional roles! I want to build capacity for real conversations on topics that impact us all and break down the barriers to who has access.

I dreamed of having my scholarship on topics like resiliency, well-being, stress, performance, teams, personal development, and professional wellness live outside the walls of the academy. This was how my dream unfolded – open-sourced white papers! I am also a huge advocate for self-learning and believe that sharing knowledge openly is one way I can give back to the people who continue to guide my learning every day.

Do you have a topic you would like us to tackle? Don’t be shy!
Reach out to jenna@robynehd.ca. We love working with partners to explore ideas that matter most.

Has a particular white paper really helped in your personal and/or professional practice? Don’t be shy about sharing this with us too. We always love to hear from you.