Planning By and For the People - A National Conference on Community Engagement in the Community Planning Process

Great communities don’t just happen! – they are created, nurtured and sustained by caring and involved residents. We need to re-discover community by working from the bottom up and inside out. We need to strengthen the capacity of local communities to solve their own problems. Community Planning is the key process in empowering communities. (Peter Kenyon)

There is an increasing recognition that we are at a turning point in terms of converting the rhetoric about community strengthening and empowerment into actions and outcomes. The rise of globalism is being matched by the rise of localism, where citizens increasingly feel the need to influence events and outcomes in their neighbourhood. This trend is supported by the growing mistrust of ‘big government’.

Citizens will participate when they know the political arena is small enough for them to make a difference and there are issues at stake that really matter to them. (Frank Bryan ‘Real Democracy’)

Although every community has capacities and deficiencies, a capacity focussed approach is more likely to empower the community, and therefore mobilise citizens to create positive and meaningful change form within. A key ingredient is that it is internally driven, not dependant on external agency initiative and direction. If outside plans and resources dominate, disasters can occur. (ABCD)

Speakers and facilitators include:

Jim Diers, Former Director, Department of Neighborhoods, City of Seattle (USA).
Associate Professor Janette Hartz–Karp, Murdoch University & Advisor to WA Government on Community Planning.
Professor Jody Kretzmann, Co-Director of the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute, a research project of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University (USA).
Betty Knighton , Director, West Virginia Center for Civic Life (USA).
Peter Kenyon, Director, Bank of I.D.E.A.S.
Mary Nelson, President and CEO Emeritus of Bethel New Life, Chicago (USA).

If you have an interest in community development, this is a ‘must attend’ event!

TIME	EVENT
8.00am	Registration and coffee
9.00am	Welcome and overview of conference
9.15am	Keynote presentation – ‘The Bottom Up Planning Story of the City of Seattle’ – Jim Diers, Former Director, Department of Neighborhoods, City of Seattle, USA
10.30am	Coffee Break
11.00am	Keynote presentation – ‘Innovation in Australian Community Planning Processes’ – Associate Professor Janette Hartz–Karp, Murdoch University and Advisor to WA Government on Community Planning Processes
12.15pm	Lunch
1.30pm	Workshop 1 - Options
	1.	Choosing Deliberative Participatory Techniques that Work - Part 1
	2.	The Business Retention and Expansion Program- a tool for local residents to engage their business community
	3.	The Faith Factor in Building Communities
	4.	Creating a Vision for Engaging Young People in your Community
	5.	Engaging the Public in Community Dialogue
	6.	Community Building on the Central Coast, NSW – a successful regional approach to asset based community development
	7.	New Creativity in Engaging Young People’s Interest in Community Issues and Civic Action
	8.	Now We Have a Community Plan, What Next ?
	9.	Building Community From the Inside Out and Ensuring Inclusiveness and the Contribution of People with a Disability
	10.	Building Engagement through the Stories and Heritage of Our Community
3.00pm	Coffee Break
3.30pm	Workshop 2 - Options
	1.	Choosing Deliberative Participatory Techniques that Work - Part 2
	2.	Finding and Engaging Community Assets
	3.	The Business Retention and Expansion Program- a tool for local residents to engage their business community
	4.	The Faith Factor in Building Communities
	5.	Creating a Vision for Engaging Young People in your Community
	6.	Community Building on the Central Coast, NSW – a successful regional approach to asset based community development
	7.	The Bottom Up Planning Story of the City of Seattle
	8.	Now We Have a Community Plan, What Next ?
	9.	Logic, Engagement and Action – a great story from the Indigo Shire
	10.	Building Engagement through the Stories and Heritage of Our Community
5.00pm	Close of Workshops
7.00pm	Drinks
7.30pm	Conference Dinner featuring Tim Costello (CEO, World Vision) ‘Building Social Capital in Today’s Suburbs’

TIME	EVENT
8.00am	Coffee
9.15am	Keynote presentation – ‘Building Strong Communities From the Inside Out – Asset Based Community Development’ – Professor Jody Kretzmann, ABCD Institute
10.15am	Coffee Break
10.45am	Keynote presentation – ‘Innovative Ways to Engage Residents in the Issues that Matter to Them’ – Betty Knighton , Director, West Virginia Center for Civic Life (USA)
12.00pm	Lunch Break
1.00pm	Workshop 3 - Options
	1.	The Faith Factor in Building Communities
	2.	Creating a Vision for Engaging Young People in your Community
	3.	Community Building on the Central Coast, NSW – a successful regional approach to asset based community development
	4.	The Art of Public Safety, Economic Development, Youth Empowerment and Community Building
	5.	New Creativity in Engaging Young People’s Interest in Community Issues and Civic Action
	6.	Now We Have a Community Plan, What Next ?
	7.	Building Community From the Inside Out and Ensuring Inclusiveness and the Contribution of People with a Disability
	8.	Logic, Engagement and Action – a great story from the Indigo Shire
	9.	Building Engagement through the Stories and Heritage of Our Community
	10.	Appreciative Inquiry- application to Australian Communities
2.15pm	Coffee Break
2.45pm	Workshop 4 - Options
	1.	Finding and Engaging Community Assets
	2.	Creating a Vision for Engaging Young People in your Community
	3.	Engaging the Public in Community Dialogue
	4.	Community Building on the Central Coast, NSW – a successful regional approach to asset based community development
	5.	The Art of Public Safety, Economic Development, Youth Empowerment and Community Building
	6.	New Creativity in Engaging Young People’s Interest in Community Issues and Civic Action
	7.	Now We Have a Community Plan, What Next ?
	8.	Building Community From the Inside Out and Ensuring Inclusiveness and the Contribution of People with a Disability
	9.	Logic, Engagement and Action – a great story from the Indigo Shire
	10.	Building Engagement through the Stories and Heritage of Our Community
4.00pm	‘Building Strong Communities – the challenge and opportunities for all levels of Government’ – Dick Gross, MAV President
4.30pm	Conference Summary - Mary Nelson
5.00pm	Conference Closure

International Contributors

Professor Jody Kretzmann

Jody is the Director of the Asset Based Community Development
(ABCD) Institute, a research project at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. The ABCD Institute works with community building leaders across North America as well as five other continents to conduct research, produce materials and tools and support community base efforts to rediscover local capacities and to mobilize citizens resources to plan and implement positive futures. The Institute has a high profile international reputation for the development of a wide range of practical resources.

Jody has made many trips to Australia and is a popular workshop
presenter of local community engagement and development initiatives.

Jim Diers

Participatory democracy has been the preoccupation of Jim for the past three years, in his work with grassroots community organisations, including the USA’s largest healthcare cooperative and with city government, Jim has developed innovative ways to involve residents with their communities and with decisions that affect their lives.

Jim’s work in Seattle as Director of the city’s Office for Neighborhoods, has been acclaimed as one of the most innovative local government programs in the USA.

Currently, Jim spends most of his time at the University of Washington teaching architecture and social work students in community development. Jim is a popular international speaker and a faculty member of the Asset Based Community Development Institute. He is the author of Neighbor Power: Building Community the Seattle Way.

Betty Knighton

Betty coordinates a wide range of initiatives for National Issues Forums, a non-partisan network of community-based public forums in the United States. She works with communities to develop balanced issue frameworks, to convene and moderate deliberative forums, and to connect the public’s concerns to the work of professionals, officeholders, and the media.

Betty also directs the West Virginia Center for Civic Life, a non-partisan organization that applies these practices to issues that impact her state. Currently, the Center is partnering with Shaping America’s Youth and AmericaSpeaks to bring residents together in multiple large-scale town hall meetings to discuss how to improve the nutrition and physical fitness of West Virginia’s children.

Betty is also an associate of the Kettering Foundation, a research foundation that examines the question: “What does it takes to make democracy work as it should?”

Mary Nelson

Mary is President and CEO Emeritus of Bethel New Life, a 26 year old faith based community development corporation on the west side of Chicago, USA. Bethel New Life is a national best practice example in urban renewal and incorporates initiatives in housing, community development, employment and family support. Bethel New Life has brought in over a US$120 million worth of investment into the west side low income community and developed more than 1200 units of affordable housing and has placed more than 7000 people in living wage jobs.

Mary currently is on the faculty of North Park University (Chicago) and the Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education, teaching faith based community development. She is on the board of Call to Renewal (Jim Wallis) and other national boards, and has been on advisory committees to the Mayor of Chicago and the Governor.

Conference Cost:
$450 (+GST) includes meals, conference dinner, presentations and satchel.

Registration:
Register Online at www.mav.asn.au/ce2006

(or fax message to 03 9667 5550 for registration form to be faxed back to you)

Cancellations:
No cancellations after 27 November 2006 will be accepted, however a substitute delegate is welcome.

Interstate attendees:
Take advantage of the current low air fares!

Accommodation (suggested):
Rydges on Bell (Melways 30 H1), phone 03 9485 0041 or email functions_preston@rydges.com

Room Type	Conference Rate	Retail Rate
Single Studio	$69.00	$79.00
Double Studio	$79.00	$89.00
Twin Studio	$89.00	$99.00
Standard Hotel	$145.00	$200.00
Suite	$216.00	$285.00
Apartment	$224.00	$285.00

Conference Contact:
John Hennessy at the MAV by email at jhennessey@mav.asn.au
or by phone 03 9667 5525
or fax 03 9667 5550

Note conference program subject to change without notice.

The event is hosted by the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) with support from the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. and the Family Action Centre.